Solar power

Between increasingly extreme weather, rising electricity demands, and the rapid expansion of data centers, energy independence is starting to look less like a talking point for doomsday preppers and more like sound planning. That shift in thinking is driving more homeowners than ever towards solar-plus-battery energy solutions like the industry-leading Tesla Powerwall – but Powerwall isn’t the only game in town, anymore.

UPDATE 05OCT26: added the EcoFlow DELTA Pro.

Detroit-based energy company DTE Energy has completed construction of a 100-megawatt (MW) solar farm near Coldwater, Michigan, that will help Ford power its home-state factories with cleaner electricity.

Californians who can’t install rooftop solar are getting another way to tap into the sunshine. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill opening the door to small plug-in solar, also known as balcony solar, alongside two laws designed to get more out of home energy devices and the grid California already has. All three were signed on September 30.

Renewables and battery storage are projected to add about 82.7 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity in the US in the next 12 months, while total fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity will fall by more than 1.4 GW, according to new data released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Electric farm tractors are a great idea that hasn’t quite found a way to succeed in the market, but Ohio-based GoSun thinks the time is right to try again – this time with integrated solar charging technology that could give its all-electric tractor a serious advantage over the diesel-powered competition.

Old solar panels contain valuable silver, copper, silicon, aluminum, and glass. A new Texas solar recycling plant aims to recover nearly all of it without sending partially processed materials overseas.

The US achieved a pretty big solar milestone in Q2 2026: it now has enough installed capacity to generate clean electricity equivalent to that used by more than 50 million homes. That’s more than one-third of all US households.

One of the most common arguments against a new wind or solar farm is that it will drag down nearby home values. A new Indiana study found no evidence that it does.

Earlier this week, a home solar shopper took to Reddit looking for a home solar panel + home backup battery system that could intelligently manage solar and grid power, auto switch in a power outage, and accept ICE generator input in a prolonged grid power failure. I reached out to some home energy experts to get them an answer.

China, the world’s largest electricity market, now has more installed electricity generation capacity from solar than from coal plants. The news comes at just the right time – as China’s EV sales boom, as global energy prices spike, and as climate change continues to ravage the Earth.

New Jersey renters and apartment dwellers will soon be able to lower their electricity bills with solar panels that plug directly into a standard wall outlet – no roof required.

The US battery storage market just posted its biggest quarter ever, adding 20.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new capacity in Q2 2026.

Solar power now powers more than 10,800 US K-12 schools – that means 1 in 7 students goes to a school powered by the sun – but battery storage hasn’t quite caught on yet.

Including new small-scale solar, renewables’ capacity is likely to surpass natural gas by summer 2027 or sooner, according to new data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Nearly two weeks after a summer derecho knocked out power, tens of thousands of people in Gary, Indiana were still without power, with many taking to social media to highlight the reality of living through a prolonged blackout. While the utility made excuses, the data centers that powered the community’s social media presence were humming along, built on a very different assumption: that the power MUST stay on.

And, if you tilted your head just so, that humming might have sounded like a warning.

The Port of San Diego has effectively green-lit the new Skycharger flagship solar + electric semi project on a 4.8 acre site near the National City Marine Terminal, promising to fleet electrification easier, more affordable, and more accessible to the area’s port and logistics fleets.

Fuyao Glass, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive glass, has listed a new product for sale that it says can generate electricity from a car’s roof glass. But before you get too excited: this doesn’t mean solar-powered electric cars are right around the corner.

A Toyota dealer on Long Island says it cut its energy costs by an average of 55% over three months by putting solar, battery storage, DC fast chargers, and AI-powered energy management under one roof.

Tesla Megapacks are now helping support the Texas grid at Ørsted’s new 250 MW/500 MWh Old 300 battery storage project.

America’s 250th birthday on July 4th marked the last day to “safe harbor” a new solar project and still get the 30% solar tax credit – a milestone that many feared would mean the death of home solar. 28 days (ish) later, though, the industry is anything but dead.

The Tren Solar de la Quebrada is Latin America’s first primarily solar-powered passenger train, carrying tens of thousands of travelers through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Quebrada de Humahuaca with the power of the sun.