• November 09, 2026

Faropoint， An industrial real estate management company has initiated the construction of a 1.6 megawatt community solar power facility on the roof of a building located in Fairawn, New Jersey. This facility is the first of 16 community solar projects planned by the company to be built throughout the state, with a total capacity of over 10 megawatts. The remaining 15 projects, totaling approximately 8.5 megawatts, have been approved for community solar projects in New Jersey. Nine of the projects have received notices to commence construction and are ready to start. Our goal is to create positive community impact, expand access to clean energy, and become responsible long-term owners in the markets we operate in, "said Brian Naf, Vice President of Faropoint Asset Management and Renewable Energy. As one of the top five small industrial owners in New Jersey, we believe that our scale comes with a responsibility to drive meaningful sustainable development initiatives. By utilizing previously unused parts of our buildings, we are able to support the communities we invest in It is expected that these 16 projects will generate approximately 12.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 2000 households. Managing solar projects in a large real estate investment portfolio requires perseverance, coordination, and a lot of behind the scenes work, "said Yaniv Kalish, CEO of SolarKal. Seeing Faropoint's New Jersey community solar project enter the construction phase is an important milestone. Moreover, nine projects have been approved for advancement, and there are still half a dozen projects ahead, which is a real progress for Faropoint and the community that these projects will serve. ” Faropoint's independent solar consultant SolarKal has provided advice on dozens of projects for the company, including financial analysis, competitive procurement, developer evaluation and screening, and ongoing project management. SolarKal also helps Faropoint screen developers who can utilize existing federal clean energy incentives to avoid them becoming ineffective before they are gradually phased out. Faropoint and SolarKal are also conducting community solar projects in Illinois, New York, and Maryland.

• November 06, 2026

Watthub Renewables and Sunrock Distributed Generation completed a 322-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at the three-story Class A medical office building, Irvine Legacy Medical Plaza, in Irvine, California. The solar panels were installed on a carport covering approximately 108 parking spaces, transforming the exposed asphalt pavement into shaded parking spots and making it the primary power source for the building. The system is projected to generate approximately 515,690 kilowatt-hours of electricity in its first year, covering the majority of the plaza's annual power consumption. Delivered under a 25-year power purchase agreement, the project requires no upfront capital investment from Irvine Heritage owners. Watthub and Sunrock DG handle financing, design, and contracting, with services provided by SunRenu Solar. Sunrock DG now owns and maintains the photovoltaic array, while the property purchases the generated electricity at rates lower than those of Southern California Edison. The Irvine Legacy Medical Plaza was built in 2008, covering slightly over two acres with approximately 40,000 square feet of medical office space. "Medical clinics are among the rare property types where parking spaces become part of the patient experience," said Aaron Moston, director of Watthub Renewables. "Imagine someone who just had a medical or dental procedure at 2 p.m. in August. Whether their car is at 140 or 95 degrees is no small matter. Before our production model was operational, the carport was the most suitable structure for this site—and it happened to be the best south-facing real estate on the property, which made the entire project successful." The Alvin Legacy Medical Plaza operates under a master metering model, which means the entire building obtains electricity from a single source via a Southern California Edison (SCE) account at the GS-3-TOU commercial rate. This cost is then passed through tenant rents rather than individual utility bills. Over the years, this has resulted in every clinic within the building bearing a portion of the electricity cost they cannot see or control—a fee from a utility region with continuously rising rates, including peak-time charges during summer months. Since solar power generation is net metered at the main electricity meter, the savings on electricity costs are not allocated to any single tenant—they reduce the overall building's total electricity expenses. "The master meter is often seen as a disadvantage—tenants cannot see their own electricity consumption, while all fluctuations in utility costs are borne by the owner," said Wilson Zhang, CEO of Sunrock DG. "For solar projects, the situation is exactly the opposite. One meter, one grid connection, one utility bill, and every unit in the building automatically benefits. This is the simplest way to introduce solar into multi-tenant properties." Earlier this year, another 300-kilowatt solar carport project was developed for the Ford Hill Medical Association...

• November 03, 2026

The largest exhibition focused on the US solar, energy storage, and clean energy markets will return to Las Vegas in 2026. In 2025, RE+will be the second largest exhibition in the United States (by number of attendees), and this year's exhibition (November 16-19) is expected to be of similar scale. The solar and energy storage industry in the United States has grown so large that it seems that only the Las Vegas Convention Center can accommodate an industry exhibition that gathers nearly 40000 clean energy professionals. In the foreseeable future, RE+exhibitions will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center every November. The conference center is far from the main casino district, but there are still many attractions and activities to explore in the surrounding area. The location has convenient transportation and a Las Vegas monorail stop. The conference education program will begin on Monday and will continue throughout the exhibition areas at various stages of the conference. The exhibition will open on Tuesday. Exhibitors will be distributed in three exhibition halls of the convention and exhibition center - the main entrance is located in the west exhibition hall, connected to the north exhibition hall through a pedestrian overpass, and then enter the central exhibition hall through the lobby area. In addition, there will be several outdoor booths for visitors near the food truck. Visiting outdoor booths in November will be more comfortable, as the average maximum temperature is only 70 ° F, which is completely different from the scorching heat of late summer in September. RE+'s special events include Monday's golf championship and Tuesday's "Run with the Sun" 5-kilometer race. Starting from 7pm on Tuesday, the conference center in the West Hall will hold a "Vitality and Momentum" block party. The Formula One Grand Prix will be held in Las Vegas on the weekend following RE+. The track will lead drivers through the Las Vegas Strip and around spherical buildings, and road closures will begin for the public starting from Thursday. The Las Vegas Convention Center is located several blocks north of the track, so the conference itself should not be affected. The activities after the conference may be affected later in the week. If participants plan to leave before the weekend, they should reserve more time to travel to the airport. The editors of Solar World will cover all the exciting content at this year's RE+exhibition, so please be sure to pay attention to LinkedIn and our website. However, before that, let me preview a few must see booths at the exhibition site for you. The Formula One series will hold the Las Vegas Grand Prix the weekend after RE+ends. Image source: F1 and Las Vegas Grand Prix.

• October 30, 2026

CPP Wind Engineering, a global wind engineering consulting firm, is launching a wind certification program for utility-scale solar projects, which it considers the first of its kind in the industry. This new initiative aims to enhance the performance and durability of utility-scale solar systems under various wind conditions. The project offers two types of services. Site certification verifies that each project has been properly assessed for climatic and site conditions, implemented effective parking strategies, appropriately deployed wind speed meters, and utilized qualified trackers or fixed tilt systems. System certification involves a one-time review of the wind engineering design data and methodologies for the tracker or fixed tilt product line. The new CPP project is built upon the organization's 45 years of experience in wind energy engineering, encompassing wind tunnel testing for solar projects, wind energy layout and site selection studies, as well as forensic investigations into wind damage to solar projects. Tornado risk is not within the scope of the certification program but is assessed separately using probabilistic risk methods. "Wind determines the construction method of solar power plants, but there has been no consistent approach to verify that the wind loads behind the design are correctly derived and applied," said David Banks, President of CPP Wind Engineering. "Most of the wind damage we investigated occurs at wind speeds seen annually, and much of it can be mitigated through engineering. This project provides owners, manufacturers, and their consultants with an independent basis to confirm the reliability of wind engineering. On the other hand, tornadoes cannot be eliminated through engineering means. We must predict the loss probability of such events." For project owners and developers, CPP's site certification provides a comparison of installation design solutions and documentation for wind engineering due diligence used in financing, insurance, and project sales. For manufacturers, CPP's system certification evaluates the wind engineering foundation of tracker or fixed tilt product lines, offering a basis for determining their suitability for specific site wind conditions. For independent engineers, CPP serves as a partner, providing wind engineering expertise for the due diligence they lead.

• October 29, 2026

Autonomous technology developer Mach is launching a platform to retrofit commercial lawn mowers for autonomous deployment at solar project sites. The technology factory can be integrated with mainstream commercial lawn mowers. "Public utility-scale solar farms are among the most challenging operating environments for autonomous off-road operations: narrow spacing, dense panel shading, GPS signal attenuation zones, and zero tolerance for infrastructure collisions," said Colin Hurd, CEO of Mach. "As a Tier 1 partner providing our full-stack autonomous system to commercial OEMs, we offer solar asset owners the rugged, dealer-supported machinery they trust, while infusing it with autonomous capabilities. This ecosystem approach enables solar developers to expand their gigawatt-scale vegetation management footprint while providing OEMs a ready-to-deploy pathway to dominate the autonomous solar market." Utilizing Mach's proprietary RTK-GNSS automated infrastructure, the lawn mowers are designed to operate autonomously in dusty, tall grass, and sun-glare conditions while avoiding structures and electrical components on solar panels. These mowers can be deployed across multiple sites and managed by a single operator. Due to Mach's platform being compatible with existing equipment, maintenance can still be performed through the original manufacturer of the lawn mower. Mach will showcase its autonomous solar-powered mowing platform at booth W16676 in the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 16 to 19, participating in the RE+ 26 exhibition.

• October 28, 2026

Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI), an EPC company for solar and battery storage, has completed a 3.37-megawatt DC sapphire solar project in Jefferson County, New York. Shallow bedrock and high groundwater table pose site challenges that require the team to adjust their design during construction. During the excavation process, DEI encountered shale bedrock only 16 to 20 feet below ground level in multiple areas of the site, while groundwater continued to infiltrate open trenches. These conditions have affected the installation and equipment cushion areas, making the initial design of underground DC cable conduits difficult to implement. DEI's engineering, construction, procurement, and contracting teams worked closely together to quickly develop a revised design that converted some of the DC underground range into a surface CAB system. Underground excavation has been preserved at inter row intersections and other still applicable locations. The revised design also retains the on-site access required for long-term operation and maintenance by the owner. The complete redesign, material procurement, and on-site implementation were all completed within the originally planned scope of the underground trench project. When we encounter unexpected challenges, our goal is to quickly solve the problem and adjust our methods based on the site conditions to find the most suitable solution for the location, "said Rusfid Haroon, Senior Project Manager at DEI

• October 27, 2026

Puerto Rico has long been known to suffer from energy issues. Aging power grids and frequent hurricane activity have rendered the island's electricity supply unreliable. Persistent and prolonged blackouts have forced many Puerto Ricans to turn to solar power. As the owner of Ingenious Solution Services, Ricardo Fonseca has been installing solar and battery storage systems in Puerto Rico for over two decades. By helping households and businesses enhance their energy resilience, his business has continued to grow. "Our business started with providing validation services for the pharmaceutical industry," Fonseca said. "Later, demand for services such as power, piping, refrigeration, household appliances, and thermodynamic research continued to grow. After Hurricane Maria, our power system collapsed, and the demand for photovoltaic systems began to surge." Over the years, Fonseca has installed battery systems of various brands and types. Recently, Fonseca installed a unique solar system equipped with Briggs & Stratton SimplePHI 6.6 batteries in a two-unit apartment building in Bayamón, northern Puerto Rico. "The power supply in this region frequently experiences outages, which led us to install a photovoltaic system," said Fancika. "Since the building occupies the entire plot, we were unable to install a generator." "The client is very familiar with our company and had previously commissioned us to install a 30-kilowatt three-phase backup system for his business, equipped with a 46-kilowatt battery." For this apartment building in Bayamon, what appears to be three battery systems are actually three independent systems supplying power to three different zones. Each of the two apartment units is equipped with a SimpliPHI 6.6 tri-battery system. Additionally, a SimpliPHI 6.6 battery system powers the four electric doors controlling access to the building's parking area and the lighting in common spaces. This is a clever design that is both aesthetically pleasing and space-efficient. "These systems operate independently, with no communication between them or backup generators," Fanciulli said. "Each apartment is equipped with eighteen 550-watt solar panels and a 19.8-kilowatt-hour Briggs & Stratton battery. After installing these three systems, the building operated in self-use mode for five months while we awaited power approval from Luma Energy.". ” Each electrical system in an apartment imposes a significant load on that system, as it needs to support air conditioning, heating, stoves, lighting, and all other electrical components typical of a household. "This system is running exceptionally well," Fonseca said. "They have never experienced power outages. If sunlight is sufficient, the batteries can be charged via solar panels in 75 minutes. If the sunlight is less abundant, it takes up to 150 minutes. With the installation of the meter and completion of electrical certification, they will be able to begin feeding energy back into the grid." F...

• October 26, 2026

A community solar garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is now powering low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. The 704-kilowatt system is installed at a city-owned maintenance facility in the East District and serves 100 LMI subscribers, with 25 spots still available. The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES) and Greenway Solar developed the project, which received partial funding from a $150,000 grant under Minneapolis' "Green Cost Sharing Program," designed to support solar initiatives for buildings across the city. "Expanding access to clean energy means we must work together to ensure its benefits reach those in greatest need. The $150,000 funding from our Green Cost Sharing Program helped make this project a reality and delivered immediate positive impacts for our residents," said Megan Hoy, Director of Climate Equity Action at the City of Minneapolis. "Even as our grid becomes cleaner, local solar remains a vital tool to reduce bills and make electrification more affordable." "We believe this community solar garden powerfully demonstrates what is possible. When public investment partners with local clean energy initiatives, we can advance both environmental goals and economic opportunities." It is estimated that subscribers can save approximately $25 per month on their energy bills. Since subscriptions remain open, interested individuals can visit the MRES information page.

• October 23, 2026

As energy affordability becomes a decisive issue ahead of the midterm elections, the latest analysis from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that solar and energy storage are reducing power costs in both red and blue states. According to the analysis, from the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2026, the growth of solar and energy storage helped lower Texas' average wholesale power prices by 42% and California's by 51%. According to the new analysis, despite growing electricity demand in both states, power prices have continued to decline. Over the same five-year period, solar power generation in Texas increased by 421%, while in California it rose by 90%. Meanwhile, battery storage capacity in Texas expanded over 26-fold, and in California, it nearly multiplied sevenfold. From June to August 2026, compared to the same period in 2021, solar and storage systems saved Texas approximately $3.55 billion and California about $2.5 billion. As the midterms approach, providing affordable and reliable electricity is a priority that transcends partisan lines, and Texas and California serve as proof that the growth of solar and storage is driving down costs, said SEIA CEO Tim Penny. In California, electricity usage increased by 2.5%, while the average wholesale price dropped from $77.54 per megawatt-hour to $38.32 per megawatt-hour after adjusting for inflation. In Texas, electricity demand surged by 30%, but the average wholesale price fell from $54.97 per megawatt-hour to $31.77 per megawatt-hour. The decline in wholesale prices helps reduce residential customers' electricity generation costs, although other fees drive up bills. From the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2026, residential electricity generation costs in Texas dropped by 4%, while in California, they fell by 10%. Growth in solar and energy storage helps curb energy prices, though during the same period, transmission and distribution costs led to a 3% increase in overall electricity bills for Texas residents and a 22% rise for California residents. This analysis compares the weighted average hourly wholesale electricity prices in the CAISO and ERCOT markets between June and August 2021 and the same period in 2026, calculated using inflation-adjusted U.S. dollars for 2026.