• August 21, 2026

SunShare and the local community solar company CSolPower have completed two community solar gardens in Nevada. The 6-MW Juniper Sol Community Solar Garden, located on a 31-acre site in Santa Fe, will employ agrivoltaic practices, including local pollinator-friendly habitats beneath and around solar panels. Half of the solar garden subscribers are income-qualified, with some residing in SunShare's affordable housing partnerships with Yes! Housing and Catholic Charities. The second array is the 4.5-MW Rockhound Sol Community Solar Garden, situated in Deming, New Mexico. "Our country's electricity demand is growing rapidly, and the Juniper Solar project demonstrates how community solar can meet this demand in an economically efficient and rapid manner. At the same time, such projects bring widespread benefits—for instance, these 2,000 households will save on electricity bills over the next 25 years by subscribing to this garden," said David Amster-Olszewski, CEO and founder of SunShare. "As we celebrate SunShare's 15th anniversary by dedicating the first community solar garden in Santa Fe County, SunShare remains committed to advancing a clean and decentralized renewable energy future.". ” As part of its commitment to improving the lives of the communities it serves, SunShare also announced a pledge to donate over $7 million to Navajo Technical University, the Stop Violence Against Indigenous Women Coalition, and the Housing and Construction Foundation.

• August 20, 2026

Sungrow Power is collaborating with a distributed generation management platform to reduce the grid demand of residential and commercial solar plus energy storage systems, compared to hyperscale data centers. This service, alongside Voltus (which appears similar to a virtual power plant project), will allocate "a portion" of capacity from Sunrun's installed solar and storage projects to grid operators PJM and MISO, according to a press release. Subsequently, they can utilize these distributed energy resources based on the power needs of data centers, while system owners receive compensation for their energy exports. "To meet the growing energy demand, we need to maximize the utilization of every available electron nationwide," said Mary Powell, CEO of Sungrow Power, in a press release. "We are collaborating with Voltus to provide critical capacity through home energy storage batteries funded by hyperscale cloud service providers. This is just the beginning of what distributed energy assets can achieve.". ” The energy demand on the U.S. power grid is increasing as the number of hyperscale data centers across the country continues to grow, driving up electricity costs. These data centers support generative AI technologies, such as large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT. In 2023, grid-connected data centers accounted for less than 5% of the nation's energy consumption. However, according to a study released by the Congressional Research Service, the surge in hyperscale data centers could double or even triple this energy consumption by 2028. Last year, Voltus launched the "Built-in Capacity" initiative to address the growing energy demands of data centers. The company aims for this service to provide a rapid solution to meet the energy needs of data centers. This urgency is intensifying. In June, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged grid operators to expedite the deployment of data centers, a move unanimously endorsed by FERC members. "'Self-serve capacity' aims to transform distributed resources into grid-reliant capacity while maximizing value for end users," said Dana Guernsey, CEO of Voltus, in the press release. "This collaboration combines Sunrun's residential-scale resources with Voltus' flexible market integration platform, enabling distributed capacity to support grid reliability, affordability, and growth amid increasing electricity demand."

• August 19, 2026

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) voted to approve a total of 16 projects with a combined capacity of 52.06 megawatts in the first round of bidding for its "dual-purpose pilot agrivoltaic" program. "This pilot dual-purpose project will enable us to support farmers in New Jersey in enhancing the profitability of their operations while increasing grid capacity," said Ben Hertz-Shargel, Chairman of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. "It ensures that farmland continues to be used for active agricultural or horticultural production while enhancing the value of existing farming practices. Combined with providing new clean power supplies to the grid, this is undoubtedly a win-win for the 'Garden State.'" Agrivoltaics or dual-purpose solar involves installing photovoltaic panels over or within agricultural operations such as crops, pastures, or other farmland, rather than completely removing the land from production. These 16 pilot projects, located on farms in Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Salem, and Warren counties, integrate solar power generation with crops like soybeans, hay, grains, vegetables, and fruits, as well as livestock production. The project was established under the 2021 Dual-Use Solar Act and is jointly implemented by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the State Agricultural Development Committee, and the Agricultural Photovoltaic Project at Rutgers University. "When we passed the Dual-Use Solar Act, this is exactly the progress we hoped to see: farmers in New Jersey producing both food and clean energy on the same land," said Senator Bob Smith. "These 16 projects demonstrate that we don’t have to choose between keeping farmland in active production and building the power-generating capacity our state needs—we can have both. Farmers have always been stewards of the land, and now they can not only help power New Jersey’s clean energy future but also enhance their own profitability." The pilot project can support an installed capacity of up to 200 megawatts within three years, with individual projects typically capped at a maximum scale of 10 megawatts. The project must be located on unprotected farmland already in active agricultural or horticultural use, and eligible teams must include landowners, farmers, and solar operators, with farmers required to actively participate in project planning and operations. The project garnered strong early interest: the first call for proposals from NJBPU received 33 preliminary submissions, totaling approximately 140 megawatts. The lessons learned from the comprehensive pilot projects will provide guidance for establishing permanent agrivoltaic projects in New Jersey.

• August 18, 2026

Real estate investment trust STAG Industrial recently launched three new rooftop solar projects in Pennsylvania, marking another significant step forward in the company's deployment of distributed solar power. Developed by Dimension Energy and assisted by Black Bear Energy, these projects further solidify STAG's leadership in implementing on-site and distributed solar solutions within its extensive national portfolio. STAG currently operates 49.5 megawatts of on-site solar capacity across 29 properties in 10 states. These Pennsylvania projects (totaling 9 megawatts) are matched by a trio of rooftop installations, a 2.7-megawatt New Jersey community solar portfolio, and three Maryland community solar projects totaling 11.6 megawatts. The company has also deployed systems in Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast.   Brian Lamont, Senior Vice President of Development and Sustainability at STAG, stated, "STAG is committed to deploying distributed solar solutions to achieve both economic and environmental benefits." "Installing rooftop solar not only aligns with our broader sustainability strategy but also supports state and regional decarbonization goals, providing low-cost energy for local communities while advancing Pennsylvania's clean energy future."

• August 17, 2026

When planning the new facility in Rosemont, Minnesota, Omni Brewing Company prioritized sustainability from the outset, integrating customized solar arrays into the architectural design. "At Omni Brewing, transitioning to solar power has been one of the most satisfying investments we've made," said Justin Walsh, owner of Omni Brewing. "From the very beginning, our goal has been to operate a cleaner and more sustainable business, and this installation has taken us a substantial step in that direction—now a portion of our brewery truly runs on solar energy, which we are incredibly proud of." To achieve these energy goals, Omni collaborated with All Energy Solar (AES) to install a 74.8-kilowatt system equipped with Enphase microinverters. AES ensured Omni could maximize return on investment by leveraging federal tax credits, additional depreciation, and USDA REAP grants. AES Business Development Director Michael Taller stated, "The complete system seamlessly integrates with the pub's pitched roof design and nearly matches the roof color, presenting a clean visual effect. It has a significant environmental impact, covering most of the on-site usage requirements."

• August 13, 2026

PVFARM has now entered the energy storage design field, introducing its commercial platform version, RE STACK, for exploring utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) layouts. Combined with the original PVFARM platform, RE STACK forms an expanding suite of utility-scale renewable energy design tools, enabling teams to explore a wide range of layout options before proceeding to detailed engineering. RE STACK enables engineers to configure utility-scale battery storage projects based on manufacturer specifications, allowing rapid exploration of site layouts, road concepts, and medium-voltage aggregation topologies before detailed engineering begins. PVFARM is also testing a new tool called RE PILOT, which can quickly identify the optimal solar site layout to enhance energy output, capital expenditures, levelized cost of electricity, and storage efficiency while addressing POI and grid constraints across thousands of site configurations. During the testing phases of RE STACK and RE PILOT, collaboration with over 80 companies directly shaped the capabilities of these platforms. Throughout the testing process, participants provided feedback on key design considerations, covering equipment selection, power conversion system (PCS) architecture, enhanced planning, fire safety pathways, and site topology. Beyond ensuring these platforms could address real-world project challenges, this extensive collaboration also delivered insights essential for shaping RE STACK and RE PILOT, enabling them to deliver intuitive, fact-based decision support while reflecting the latest technological and market trends. "The future of engineering is not just about designing faster. More importantly, it's about exploring more possibilities before the design phase," said Maxim Markovic, Chief Technology Officer of PVFARM. "With RE STACK and RE PILOT, we empower engineering teams to evaluate more possibilities before committing to detailed design. The result is more informed decision-making, enhanced confidence, and workflows that match the growing complexity of large-scale renewable energy projects."

• August 12, 2026

The unique solar system at Drake Plastics has been operating for eight months in Cypress, Texas, helping the polymer manufacturer achieve a 30% overall energy usage offset. Trinasolar provided a 1.3-megawatt set of rooftop and parking shade solar panels, with the shade system designed to spell out "Drake.". Spear Commercial & Industrial led the installation efforts. The distinctive carport design transformed the installation process into a renewable energy asset and became a brand declaration, visible as numerous flights en route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston passed over the Drake complex. Mark Rangel, Executive Vice President of Spear, stated: "Trina's Vertex N module enables the system to maximize solar power generation in scenarios with limited roof and carport design space." "We are delighted that it delivers an attractive return on investment for Drake with a short payback period while meeting their energy goals in a cost-effective manner. We are also pleased to collaborate with Drake to showcase a striking brand statement through these modules, adding a creative touch to the project.". ” The new photovoltaic system typically generates 120% of Drake's afternoon electricity consumption during the day, aligning with their peak load and grid demand. Drake has achieved its goal of offsetting 30% of overall energy usage. The system is projected to yield nearly a 20% internal rate of return (IRR), with a payback period of less than four years. "The new solar power installation has achieved several important goals," said Steve Quans, President of Drake Plastics. "It fully aligns with our mission statement to be a responsible environmental steward and contribute to the community. Our solar power plant supplies electricity to the grid when it's most needed—doing good never goes out of style. It also aligns with our 'lean' philosophy of eliminating waste and inefficiency; direct power offset delivers cost benefits and helps Drake compete and grow."

• August 11, 2026

If all planned solar inverter manufacturing expansion projects are completed, domestic companies will be able to meet the demand under the FCC's ban on new foreign inverter products. It is expected that over 100 gigawatts of new solar inverter manufacturing projects will commence production before 2028. The FCC's intent here is clear. The U.S. government believes that reliance on foreign inverters poses a national security risk, citing both cybersecurity and economic concerns.  Joe Shangro, a research analyst at Wood Mackenzie, stated, "However, the current definition of 'power inverters' in the ban focuses on wireless communication, leaving the scope of its applicability in question—particularly for utility-scale central inverters operating via wired connections."  "Future guidance from the FCC will be crucial to understanding the full scope of the ban. Leading manufacturers are informing customers that their products do not fall under the ban's purview, while project owners worry that their existing inverters may be blocked from receiving critical firmware updates.". ” Wood Mackenzie found that over 90% of the 200 gigawatts of photovoltaic inverters deployed in commercial and large-scale solar projects in the U.S. came from China and other East Asian regions. Chinese-made inverters accounted for 50% of the U.S. inverter market share in 2024 and 2025. In the short term, the company anticipates that domestic inverters will cost more than imported products due to labor and manufacturing expenses. However, with the exit of 45X and intensified inverter competition, these costs may stabilize. "The domestic price premium for inverters is a factor that project owners must consider. However, it not only provides supply chain certainty to avoid the impact of this FCC ban but also addresses any future policies that may further restrict imports," Shangraw stated. "If this proves to be a significant market shift, the U.S. is now better positioned than ever to meet new domestic demand. We forecast that by the end of 2027, the domestic PV/PCS inverter manufacturing market will be capable of supplying over 100 gigawatts of AC capacity."

• August 10, 2026

Solar panel manufacturer Heliene permanently laid off 93 employees at its solar panel assembly plant in Mountain Allen, Minnesota, effective August 5, 2026. The positions primarily involved solar panel assembly, though the notice also included some human resources roles. Heliene confirmed to Solar Power World that 182 positions remain active in Mountain Allen. Heliene operates a manufacturing base with an annual production capacity of 800 megawatts, distributed across two buildings. The company's original plant began operations in 2018, while the second facility opened in 2022. The layoffs "were due to unforeseen business conditions," and employees' salaries will continue to be paid until October 4, 2026. Heliene's Vice President of Human Resources, Brian Pringle, stated, "The measures planned are expected to be permanent, but the entire plant will not close; it will remain operational with a streamlined workforce that better aligns with current customer and business needs." Canadian company Heliene first produced solar panels for the U.S. market through OEM Silicon Energy in the mid-2010s. After Silicon Energy exited the market, Heliene took over the factory in Mountain Iron and transformed it into its own brand. The company is highly focused on collaborating with North American suppliers and uses domestic components as much as possible in panel production. Heliene's sales personnel described the company as a "manufacturer, not a warehouse" in Solar Power World. The company produces panels on order rather than storing unsold megawatt products in warehouses. Last year, Heliene established its second manufacturing facility in Rogers, Minnesota—a 500-megawatt solar panel assembly plant—due to "the sustained demand for our high-quality, high-domestic-content solar photovoltaic modules," and has hired over 220 new employees there. Solar Power World confirmed with Heliene that the Rogers facility is unaffected by the layoff notice.