• February 10, 2025

Guided Path Solar is a solar product distributor headquartered in Texas, serving the distributed generation (DG) market. The company will soon supply First Solar cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels through its distribution channels. Dr. Mounir El Asmar, Head of Independent Power Plants and Strategic Customers at First Solar, said: "Guided Path Solar's drive comes from a desire for a more sustainable and responsible solar industry, which gives this collaboration a shared core value. We look forward to collaborating with Guided Path Solar to expand the use of our advanced thin-film photovoltaic technology in the US distributed generation market Guided Path Solar is offering First Solar's 6-series, 6-series Plus, and 7-series modules to its customer base for projects of various types and scales. First Solar's large-sized panels are typically used for utility scale projects and will now be offered to commercial scale projects seeking domestic content requirements. Hollis Miles, CEO of Guided Path Solar, said, "We are delighted to collaborate with First Solar, a company that aligns with our values and is equally committed to improving efficiency and sustainability. This partnership enables us to provide our customers with advanced, high-quality solar solutions that exceed industry standards. Together, we pave the way for a more efficient and sustainable future

• February 07, 2025

Enel North America, a clean energy company, has started operating a solar+energy storage plant in Delta County, Texas, Estonia. The 202 MW solar photovoltaic facility is paired with a 104 MW battery energy storage system. Stephen Pike, North American Head of Enel Green Power, stated, "With this new project, Enel will continue to provide new clean energy and flexible storage to meet the growing demand. Enel's renewable energy projects have created real value for commercial and industrial companies on the decarbonization path. The Estonia project demonstrates that the private sector will continue to lead the energy transition in the United States Estonia Solar has received support from a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed with workplace developer BXP, which includes 21 megawatts of partial electricity. In addition, the project has also received PPA support from fashion luxury goods holding group Capri Holdings Limited, which is the parent company of Versace, Jimmy Choo, and Michael Kors. Ben Myers, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at BXP, said, "The milestone in Estonia's commercial operations marks an important moment in BXP's renewable energy journey. Through our partnership with Enel, we will support the acceleration of energy transition by adding additional large-scale clean energy capacity The Estonian solar project is expected to generate approximately 499 gigawatt hours of clean electricity annually, equivalent to the electricity demand of over 46000 American households. The construction of the power plant has created approximately 400 construction jobs, as well as multiple new permanent local positions for operation and maintenance. It is expected that this hybrid project will generate over $23 million in new local tax revenue for schools and public services throughout its entire lifecycle. Enel has approximately 5 GW of wind and solar installation capacity and 1.3 GW of battery storage installation capacity, providing support for the ERCOT grid. Enel also manages approximately 200 MW of demand response capacity in Texas.

• February 06, 2025

EDP R NA Distributed Generation has completed and launched the 3.4 MWAC Bristol I Community Solar Project in Bristol, Maine. This continues the growth momentum of EDPR NA DG in the community solar field, with operating assets exceeding 61 MWAC across 32 projects in six states. The electricity generated by Bristol One will be supplied to over 400 residential and small business users in southern Maine, who have signed up to purchase electricity from the community project through EDPR's partner PowerMarket. During the development of Bristol I, EDPR collaborated with local developer Midcoast Solar and provided construction services by E&S Electric Company. In addition, EDPR also involved local team members in the development of the project. As a proud Maine native, I am honored to not only be a member of the Bristol I development team, but also a client of this project, "said David Kane, Director of Development at EDPR NA DG. Maine is one of the leading states in the energy transition, with over 600 megawatts of solar energy currently connected to the grid Bristol One will bring sustained economic benefits to the local community, having contributed over $123000 in investments in key services related to schools, public safety, and road maintenance in the form of taxes since 2023. This project has created over 40 construction jobs. Eliza Donoghue, Executive Director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, said, "Maine is at the forefront of developing reliable, economical, clean, and self-produced energy for residents and the economy. Partners such as EDPR NA distributed generation and community solar projects like Bristol I are necessary for the state's continued development as it responsibly invests in the energy future and maintains grid reliability EDP Renewables North America and EDPR NA DG have been working in Maine for twenty years, developing utility scale and distributed solar projects. In addition to this new project, EDPR also has another 27 MWAC community solar project currently under construction.

• February 05, 2025

Norwich Technologies, Solaris Energy, and Bridge Renewable Energy have completed a 700 kW AC solar project in Winthrop, Maine. The project was initiated and approved by Breakaway Renewables, the development department of Norwich Technologies, with early financing from Solaris Energy. Norwich Solar, a department of Norwich Technologies, has completed the EPC work. Bridge Renewable Energy will become the long-term owner of the project. Renewable energy projects have brought many benefits to the region, not just clean energy, "said Jim Merriam, CEO of Norwich Technologies." Our mission is to create projects that have a positive impact on multiple stakeholders, from the communities where the projects are located to our building contractors, financial partners, and end users - energy customers Thanks to the net energy billing program, renewable energy projects provide affordable renewable energy to small businesses across Maine, allowing customers to save up to 15% on electricity bills without the need for prepayment. Kevin Davis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Norwich Technologies, said, "The energy bill credit line for the Winthrop project will be used for a range of high-quality, reasonably priced apartments managed by Szanton. Saving operating costs through solar energy will help Szanton provide tenants with reasonable rent, which is urgently needed as housing prices continue to rise beyond the reach of many people Nick Perugini, CEO and co owner of Solaris Energy, said: "Solaris is proud to participate in this green development project, turning previously unused land near the farm into clean energy and saving energy for the surrounding community. This project represents the bright potential for solar energy projects to achieve a win-win situation. We hope to increase clean energy production to meet the growing electricity demand nationwide by 2025 and beyond Kevin Donlin, General Manager of Investment at Bridge Renewable Energy (BRE), said, "Bridge Renewable Energy is pleased to deepen its partnership with Solaris and enter the Maine market. The net energy billing program provides necessary savings for small businesses across the state, and we are proud to play a critical role. As our business continues to expand in Maine, BRE is committed to developing and operating critical renewable energy infrastructure that will enhance the state's economy

• January 24, 2025

Encore Renewable Energy, a renewable energy developer and operator, has completed its first two solar projects owned and operated in Maine. The 4-megawatt solar array Brooks Solar located in Brooks and the 2.3 megawatt solar array Alpine Street Solar located in Auckland were both powered on last month. These are also the first two projects owned and operated by Encore during its transition from a project developer to a fully integrated independent power producer. As a long-term asset owner, Encore will manage the operation and maintenance of the project, including dual-use agricultural services such as solar grazing. Every community scale solar project involves a wide range of stakeholders, and our company's philosophy is to work with every participant as a trusted partner, "said Chad Farrell, Founder and Co CEO of Encore Renewable Energy. If done well, renewable energy assets will create meaningful opportunities for utilities, power customers, and developers. Central Maine Power is an excellent partner for these projects and has worked diligently with us to inject vitality into them on a schedule that is suitable for both parties Both projects provide locally produced clean energy to benefit the economy of Maine. Alpine Street Solar's clients include urban areas, schools, and other large power customers, under off take agreements facilitated by Competitive Energy Services headquartered in Portland; Brooks Solar also provides electricity cost savings for several municipal customers. Maine's remote net energy billing program allows these solar projects to distribute these economic benefits to local communities. These projects are two of the more than 60 solar projects that will be launched in Maine communities in 2024, adding a total of 241 megawatts of solar power generation, "said Eric Sutton, Vice President of Power Operations at Central Maine Electric Power Company. We strongly support Maine's climate goals, and we will continue to connect more such projects to our power grid by 2025 Agrivoltaic Solutions will deploy local flocks of sheep to graze on the land below and around the photovoltaic array, promoting local agricultural industry development and improving long-term soil quality, while providing efficient and low-carbon vegetation management strategies for the site. We are pleased to see the Alpine Street and Brooks Solar projects achieve commercial operation, "said Charlie Agnew, Vice President of Competitive Energy Services. These two projects will provide significant long-term economic and sustainable benefits to many commercial and institutional clients in Maine

• January 23, 2025

EagleView announces the launch of its new real estate data ecosystem. This ecosystem has over 60 PB of asset data, all of which comes from high-definition aerial imagery. EagleView's real estate data ecosystem includes roof measurements and attributes, such as property and roof condition, structural identification, and solar applicability information at the plot level. These data were extracted using artificial intelligence. Solar installers and rooftop contractors can evaluate the solar applicability of a range of properties, as well as the age and condition of each property's roof, to better determine the roof prospects, solar host prospects, design optimized photovoltaic systems, calculate installation costs, and generate accurate solar project proposals. By establishing key alliances with strategic analysis providers, the real estate data ecosystem has been further enhanced, as these providers have expanded the depth, scope, and practicality of data extracted from EagleView high-resolution images. Then, customers can integrate these asset intelligence directly into their proprietary systems, workflows, and decision models through the provider's API. EagleView real estate data can be customized according to specific use cases of customers. Piers Dormeyer, CEO of EagleView, said: "We have a huge database, which contains accurate asset intelligence. The data comes from 25 years of proprietary aerial image capture. In addition to using our 3 billion images covering more than 94% of the U.S. population, we have also formed a first-class real estate data alliance to supplement and enhance our services. Now is the best time to bring this unparalleled real estate intelligence resource to the market and allow innovators to expand their possibilities."

• January 22, 2025

Terrasmart, a turnkey solar bracket supplier, integrates its fixed tilt bracket and TerraTrak 1P single axis tracker (SAT) with First Solar's 7-series TR1 module. By combining ground screws, driven piles, and ballast foundations, Terrasmart and First Solar's partnership can provide domestically produced ground installation products for the US solar market, as these systems are made of 100% American made structural steel and iron and use most domestic components. Customers who use Terrasmart products in conjunction with First Solar Series 7 TR1 can meet the domestic content requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Terrasmart President Ed McKiernan said, "We are very grateful for our long-term partnership with First Solar. Both parties have worked closely together in joint product development and transformation, bringing tremendous mutual benefits to our customers and the entire US solar industry The Terrasmart foundation is specifically designed to cope with different soil conditions, using specialized piles and ballast systems to enable solar energy to be used in a wider range of challenging terrains, climates, and sensitive locations. First Solar has the capability to produce 100% domestically produced modules in the United States. Through their collaboration, Terrasmart and First Solar provide American developers with a clearer and more flexible pathway to earn 10% domestic content reward points, thereby maximizing project savings and return on investment, "said McKiernan Terrasmart focuses on concentrating its SAT integration work on TerraTrak 1P, adjusting its module connection bracket system to secure Series 7 in different positions to meet the project's load requirements. Both companies conducted product testing to ensure that rack and module integration meets reliability and electrical safety standards. Fritz Hittner, an application engineer at First Solar, said, "The collaboration between First Solar and the Terrasmart engineering team provides high-quality, cost-effective installation solutions. Their various ground mounted structures manufactured in the United States enable fast and effective system installation, while focusing on long-term durability in the 1P tracker, fixed tilt, and carport niche markets. We are proud to work closely with Terrasmart to provide innovative solutions that contribute to domestic solar energy and meet the growing energy demand in our country

• January 21, 2025

Empowered by Light, a non-profit organization focused on renewable energy, has partnered with Enphase Energy, a global energy management technology company, to provide solar generators for communities recently affected by the Los Angeles fire and firefighting assault teams deployed from the Bay Area to help extinguish devastating fires. These two Bay Area based organizations are distributing 25 Enphase IQ PowerPack 1500s, a portable solar generator with portable solar modules that can be used to charge phones, laptops, radios, lighting, and other small critical devices. More than a dozen solar generators were deployed to the firefighting assault team, providing power to firefighters' radios and mobile phones. Six solar generators have also been distributed to the World Central Kitchen to provide infrastructure support for community centers in low-income communities without electricity. These devices will provide power for lighting and offer free local power for charging mobile phones and other small personal devices. These solar generators will provide much-needed energy and help firefighters and others get rid of diesel generators - which have always been the preferred power source during natural disasters, "said Moira Hanes, Executive Director of Empowered by Light. This effort will help break the negative feedback loop between environmental disasters and fossil fuel based responses Captain Richard Bert, a retired member of the Las Vegas Fire Rescue Team and founder of solar energy and fire education, is helping coordinate the deployment of these devices. He said, "These devices will provide renewable energy and critical communication for frontline assault team firefighters working in areas without or with limited electricity

• January 20, 2025

Connecticut Green Bank announced the completion of Commercial Property Assessment Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing for the solar photovoltaic system of Hitchcock Printing and Distribution Services located at 191 John Downey Avenue in New Britain, Connecticut. The system is expected to help businesses save over $1.2 million in energy costs in the next 20 years. The company was founded by Edwin Rogers Hitchcock in 1904 and owns a modern factory covering an area of 21000 square feet, with highly skilled employees and state-of-the-art equipment, providing printing, creative design, finishing, and mailing services. Adding solar energy systems is key to maintaining current and future competitiveness, "said Anthony Braco, President of Hitchcock Printing Company. The most advanced equipment and well-trained young workforce, coupled with plans to manage energy costs, will ensure that we have an advantage in the coming years The 227 kW system was developed and installed by Smart Roofs Energy. Since 2013, C-PACE financing has helped building owners complete over 400 projects, with an estimated energy cost savings of nearly $420 million. C-PACE financing allows commercial real estate owners to immediately install green energy upgrades and pay up to 100% of the cost in installments at low interest rates, with a maximum term of 25 years. Mackey Dykes, Vice President of Financing Projects at the Connecticut Green Bank, said, "We are seeing continued attention from energy intensive businesses seeking ways to reduce the burden of energy costs, especially by increasing solar energy systems. It's exciting when companies like Hitchcock Printing, which have a long history in the community, use green technology to increase profits