• June 16, 2026

SunPower subsidiary Cobalt Power Systems, located in Mountain View, and energy real estate company Wunder Power have completed the 220.9-kilowatt Waterfront Plaza solar project opposite Pier 33 in San Francisco. "As building owners seek more sophisticated engineering solutions to reduce operational costs and achieve sustainability goals, projects like Waterfront Plaza demonstrate the potential and showcase Cobalt Power Systems' technical expertise and execution capabilities over the past two decades," said John Paul Bergh, President of Cobalt. "Partnering with Wunder Power, we successfully delivered a highly engineered solution on one of San Francisco's most challenging commercial rooftops.". ” The Waterfront Plaza solar project consists of 554 photovoltaic modules, requiring specialized engineering to be installed on the post-tensioned concrete roof structure of the building. The installation team had to deploy custom-designed anchors and employ various fastening methods to safely navigate the dense post-tensioned cable layout beneath the roof membrane. Over 3,000 counterweights were distributed across the roof to meet structural load requirements and ensure seismic stability. "Working with the Cobalt team on the Riverside Plaza project was a delightful experience," said Kaylee Mulligan, Chief Operating Officer of Wunder Power. "Their attention to detail and commitment to operational excellence made the collaboration seamless from start to finish. We are proud to partner with high-quality organizations like Cobalt to help commercial real estate owners deploy renewable energy in their portfolios, unlocking long-term additional value."

• June 15, 2026

The Loong Boat Festival is one of the four traditional festivals in China. It is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is a folk festival that integrates worship of gods and ancestors, praying for blessings and exorcism, celebrating entertainment and eating. There are more than 20 nicknames, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Loong Boat Festival, Chongwu Festival, Chongwu Festival and Tianzhong Festival. It is a traditional festival of Han, Shui, Naxi, Tibetan, Yi, Dai, Gelao ethnic group, Pumi and other ethnic groups. As a festival, Loong Boat Festival was formed in the Han Dynasty. There is a record in the "Customs and General Principles" by Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty that on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people should guard against military service ghosts and prevent diseases and epidemics. The origin of the Loong Boat Festival is different from ancient times to the present. The main arguments are: the theory of commemorating Qu Yuan, the theory of welcoming the Tao God (Wu Zixu became the Tao God after his unjust death), the theory of evil days, the theory of dragon festivals (that is, the theory of sacrificing the dragon totem), and the theory of the summer solstice. The origin of the Loong Boat Festival covers the ancient astrological culture, humanistic philosophy and other aspects, and contains profound and rich cultural connotation. In the process of inheritance and development, it blends a variety of folk customs as a whole. Due to different regional cultures, there are differences in the content or details of customs. The main customs of the Loong Boat Festival include hanging the Zhong Kui statue, hiding from the noon, pasting the Wu Ye Fu, hanging calamus, wormwood, traveling to various diseases, wearing sachets, preparing animals, racing Loong Boat, contesting martial arts, hitting balls, playing swings, painting realgar, drinking realgar wine, calamus wine, eating five poison cakes, salted eggs, Zongzi and seasonal fresh fruits. In addition to the superstitious activities that have gradually disappeared, the rest have spread to all parts of China and neighboring countries. In May 2006, the State Council included the Loong Boat Festival in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. Since 2008, Loong Boat Festival has been listed as a national legal holiday. In September 2009, UNESCO officially approved its inclusion in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Loong Boat Festival became the first festival in China to be included in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

• June 12, 2026

Brigham Young University-Hawaii will launch the second phase of its university solar project, which will enable the campus to meet 100% of its electricity demand through solar power. Upon completion, the project portfolio will not only power the university but also provide renewable energy services to the nearby Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and the Hawaiian Laie Temple. The second phase will include new ground-mounted solar panels located in the southwestern part of the campus, as well as additional solar canopies near the PCC Pacific Theater parking lot in the southeastern corner of the campus. It will also feature an energy storage system, which BYU-Hawaii stated will provide up to five days of emergency battery backup power for critical services. In 2022, the university installed three rooftop solar projects, five solar carports, and 7 MWh of energy storage equipment. The first phase met 39% of the university's energy demand, while the second phase will bridge the remaining gap.

• June 11, 2026

Climate insurance provider Descartes Underwriting has partnered with Nextpower to integrate its data-driven insurance solutions, aiming to safeguard solar power plants. The coverage is based on wind condition data collected from project sites and addresses the growing risk of "straight-line winds.". Descartes' climate scientists and natural risk modeling specialists utilize real-time wind speed data captured by Nextpower's comprehensive weather stations. By integrating parameter triggers with field measurement data, this solution aims to mitigate risks and assist in reflecting on-site wind conditions. Descartes stated that, in addition to physical repairs, the insurance coverage is designed to help operators manage broader financial pressures, including PPA obligations, debt repayment, and tax base stabilization. Descartes provided up to $100 million in project insurance for the U.S. wind energy initiative. Eligible Nextpower clients can access this coverage through commercial (re)insurance brokers. "As the global solar photovoltaic market accelerates, it is projected to reach a valuation of $700 billion by 2035, with developers increasingly constructing projects in regions prone to severe convective storms and extreme weather," said Daniel Vetter, head of Descartes Americas. "By combining our advanced parametric modeling capabilities with Nextpower's field wind data, we are delivering unprecedented coverage accuracy and response speed in the industry. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting the resilience of critical renewable energy infrastructure in the global energy transition economy."

• June 10, 2026

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has signed another power purchase agreement with renewable energy firm Zelestra to support data center operations. This PPA will cover the 180 MW DC/140 MW AC Palmera solar power plant, located in Fayette County, Texas. Zelestra and Meta currently own approximately 1.4 gigawatts of PPA DC solar capacity across eight projects in the U.S., all of which are expected to be operational by 2028. These projects include the 176 MW DC Skull Creek Solar Power Plant and the 200 MW DC in Gibson County, Indiana Meta is committed to integrating new renewable energy sources into the grid, and our expanding partnership with Zelestra is helping achieve this goal on a large scale. These projects not only advance our energy objectives but also create jobs and deliver long-term value to the communities where they operate, demonstrating the achievements of a strong partnership," said Amanda Yang, Head of Clean and Renewable Energy at Meta. During peak construction, the Skull Creek Solar Power Plant is expected to support approximately 200 jobs. In Gibson County, Indiana, the Reclamation Solar Project is projected to create around 200 jobs during peak construction, which will be established on land reclaimed from former coal mining operations. "Our collaboration with Meta continues to turn ambition into reality," said Phil North, CEO of Zelestra U.S. "In just a few months, we launched Jasper County, initiated the development of Skull Creek and Reclamation, and now have added Palmera to the portfolio. Together, we are accelerating the delivery of new energy infrastructure to support Meta's decarbonization goals while delivering long-term economic value to local communities."

• June 09, 2026

SUNation Energy, a residential and commercial solar and energy storage system installer headquartered in New York, announced that one of its subsidiaries will merge with Suniva, an American silicon solar cell manufacturer. Listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, this public listing is expected to provide Suniva with additional funding to support its expanding manufacturing plans. Suniva will continue operating under its name while halting financing for its planned 4.5-gigawatt solar cell plant in Laurens, South Carolina. The company operates an existing 1-gigawatt cell plant in Georgia. View the list of U.S. manufacturers. "We believe this combination provides us with a platform to execute our mission at the speed and scale demanded today. Entering the U.S. public capital market means we can act faster, invest deeper, and further expand domestic manufacturing capabilities, which are urgently needed by this country," said Suniva CEO Tony Etnyre. "SUNation brings a mature, customer-focused enterprise that strengthens our foundation in building the future together.". ” The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. The two companies stated that the merger will enable them to "create a differentiated local solar company with manufacturing and customer-facing depth.". ” "SUNation's residential, commercial, storage, and service businesses in high-cost markets provide an off-the-shelf channel for delivering Suniva's American-made batteries to end customers," the press release stated. SUNation was founded in 2003 and has consistently been included in Solar Power World's list of top solar contractors annually since its first publication in 2012. The company has installed over 120 megawatts of solar power in New York, primarily concentrated in Long Island. In 2022, Pineapple Energy acquired SUNation and ultimately adopted the SUNation name. Today, SUNation also supports Hawaii Energy Connect, a solar installation company in the state of Hawaii. "We have spent two years transforming SUNation into a stronger, more disciplined, and more resilient platform, and the proposed merger with Suniva is the next logical step in this journey," said SUNation CEO Scott Maskin. "By combining Suniva's U.S. solar cell manufacturing business with our high-growth residential, commercial, and utility-scale operations in some of the highest electricity-cost markets, we believe we can offer customers unique domestically sourced products.

• June 05, 2026

A company with virtually no track record claimed it would open a solar panel assembly plant in Shenandoah County, Virginia, as announced by Governor Abigail Spanberger today. The press release stated that MSolar Manufacturing will invest $237.75 million in two warehouses in Mount Jackson, Virginia, with plans to produce solar glass and HJT cells. Once operational, MSolar representatives anticipate the facility will manufacture "over 500,000 HJT solar panels annually." Solar Power World estimates its annual production will be less than 250 megawatts. By choosing to invest in Mount Jackson, MSolar is creating new career opportunities in the Shenandoah Valley and helping ensure that Virginia has the infrastructure to make energy more affordable and reliable for communities across the state," Spanberger said. The MSolar website is expected to create 150 jobs in the area. MSolar's experience in the U.S. solar industry appears to be limited to a failed attempt in 2021 to build a 54-megawatt solar project in Virginia. "We are laying the foundation for a vertically integrated solar manufacturing platform in Virginia," said Michael O'Connor, CEO of MSolar, in the governor's press release. "This facility is the first step in our long-term strategy to expand domestic solar production and deliver high-performance technology for energy projects. We believe the future of solar will be defined by performance, domestic content, energy security, and top-tier customer service, and MSolar is positioning itself at the center of this transformation. As we scale our platform, we are delighted to grow alongside this state.". ” Local reports from Virginia Business indicate that the Mount Jackson factory is expected to commence panel production in August. A few years ago, there were imported solar panels on the market bearing the "mSolar" brand. These panels may have been sold by Mission Solar and were unrelated to the mSolar brand launched in Virginia.

• June 03, 2026

Nextpower has filed a lawsuit against GameChange Energy, alleging that the competitor manufacturer infringed on multiple patents related to single-axis solar tracking technology. The lawsuit was initiated by Nextpower in the U.S. District Court for the State of Delaware on Monday. "Nextpower has invested heavily in the development of our top-tier solar tracker products, and we place great emphasis on intellectual property," said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextpower, in the press release. "We respect legitimate competition, but we will actively defend our patents in all the global markets where we operate." The three patents mentioned above were granted to Nextpower in 2022 and 2024. The first two patents pertain to the "self-powered" solar tracker components for Nextpower's NX Horizon single-axis tracker. The third patent involves Nextpower's tracker operation software, TrueCapture. The lawsuit alleges that GameChange Energy employed similar self-powered technology in the design, sales, and installation of its Genius Tracker single-axis solar tracking system; and that GameChange used software comparable to TrueCapture to operate the Genius Tracker. Through litigation, Nextpower is seeking triple the actual sales costs caused by alleged infringement of solar tracker technology. GameChange issued a press release in response to the lawsuit, stating that the company denies any infringement and will defend itself against these allegations. The Genius Tracker by GameChange Energy is independently developed by the company and is widely recognized in the industry as a leading tracking system for harsh weather conditions, featuring energy-enhancing algorithms and easy-to-install design, supported by our dedicated project management expertise, the press release stated. Industry research firm Wood Mackenzie found that Nextpower leads the global market in solar tracker sales, with U.S. rival ARRAY Technologies ranking third and GameChange sixth, according to an analysis released in February. Nextpower (formerly Nextracker), a well-known player in the solar tracker sector, has expanded into other areas of the solar market in recent years, including electrical balance systems, component mounting structures, and recently energy storage. Just yesterday, GameChange announced its plan to rebrand and consolidate all its technologies under the name GameChange Energy.

• June 01, 2026

Roof company IKO has completed a solar installation project at its Blair rubber manufacturing plant in Seville, Ohio. The system is installed by Artisun Solar and supports IKO's Beyond Sustainability Program, which aims to promote responsible operations within its facilities and communities in North America. This installation is also Sevier's first commercial solar project. Blair Rubber Company, a subsidiary of IKO, produces a range of corrosion-resistant rubber lining and conveyor belt joint products. This 503.1 kilowatt solar system is expected to generate electricity equivalent to 16% of the total energy demand of the facility. Throughout its entire lifespan, the device is expected to bring over $2.7 million in energy cost savings. The newly constructed roof system uses materials such as IKO Innovi TPO, IKOTherm Polyiso, and IKOTherm Covershield. The Artisun team pointed out that specific design measures were taken during installation to protect its long-term performance. Through Beyond, IKO continues to focus on energy efficiency, responsible resource management, and enhancing transparency in its operational processes. Previously, IKO has implemented multiple initiatives, such as establishing a product waste recycling and reuse system at its roofing material plant in Hageston, Maryland, and installing an online asphalt tile recycling system at its factory in Hawkesbury, Ontario, aimed at reducing raw material usage and lowering landfill waste.