Protect Your Yield

Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce that the State of Louisiana has granted final approval under the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) for the Company's planned heavy rare earth separation facility at the Port of Vinton, Louisiana. The approval follows the execution of the Industrial Tax Exemption Contract by Governor Jeff Landry, providing an 80% exemption from ad valorem property taxes for an initial five-year period Based on the Company's current estimates, the exemption is expected to generate approximately US$4.2 million in annual property tax savings, representing approximately US$20.8 million during the initial five-year term and has the opportunity to renew the exemption for five additional years.

The facility will process mixed rare earth carbonates produced from Aclara's ionic clay deposits in Chile and Brazil into high-purity separated rare earth oxides. Once operational, the facility is expected to strengthen critical mineral supply chain resilience across the Western Hemisphere by enabling the large-scale production of heavy rare earths-including dysprosium, terbium, yttrium, gadolinium and samarium-which are essential for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, robotics, wind turbines, and other advanced technologies.

"The final approval of the ITEP incentive marks another important milestone for Project Dynamo and reflects the outstanding partnership we have built with the State of Louisiana,"said Ramón Barúa, Chief Executive Officer of Aclara Resources. "We are grateful for the strong support from Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana Economic Development and our local partners, who share our vision of establishing Louisiana as a strategic hub for rare earth processing and strengthening resilient critical mineral supply chains for the United States."

Aclara continues to advance engineering, permitting and financing activities for the Louisiana facility and is targeting to break ground during the fourth quarter of 2026. In parallel, the Company continues operating its rare earth separation pilot plant at Virginia Tech, where its proprietary solvent extraction technology is being demonstrated. The pilot plant is expected to provide approximately two years of operational data before the commercial facility enters production, further reducing scale-up risk and supporting an efficient commissioning process. Once its separation technology is fully validated, Aclara plans to apply, in the medium term, its separation technology in Brazil and other countries where it operates.

The project represents a cornerstone of Aclara's vertically integrated mine-to-alloys strategy, combining sustainable rare earth mining in Chile and Brazil with downstream separation and metals production in North America to establish a resilient, independent supply chain for permanent magnets and other critical heavy rare earths.

Aclara Resources I https://aclara-re.com/

New data recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign, reveals growth of more than 10% in electrical generation by renewable energy sources in the first third of 2026. Moreover, utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage are projected to add more than 78.5 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity in the U.S. by April 30, 2027 while total fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity will fall by over 5.2-GW.

Electrical generation by renewables sources grew over 10% and was 30% of the U.S. total in the first third of 2026.

According to the EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through April 30, 2026), renewably-generated electricity during the first four months of 2026 was 10.03% greater than in the first third of 2025. The growth was led by utility-scale (i.e., >1 megawatt (MW)) solar (up 21.3%), hydropower (up 15.7%), small-scale solar (i.e., <1-MW) (up 11.9%), and wind (up 3.4%). [1]

By comparison, the electrical output of the nation’s coal plants fell by 11.6% while nuclear power experienced weak growth – just 0.5%. Electricity produced by natural gas facilities expanded by 2.8%.

The combination of just wind and solar, including small-scale solar, provided well over a fifth (21.8%) of domestic electrical production.

In April alone, wind and solar each produced more electricity than the nation’s coal plants while the combination of solar and wind produced 57.0% more electricity than did nuclear power. [2]

The mix of all renewables, including biomass and geothermal, accounted for 30.0% of total U.S. electrical generation during the first third of 2026 – up from 27.8% a year earlier.

Over the past year, renewable energy capacity increased by almost 40,000-MW.

Between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar increased by 27,572.3-MW while that of small-scale solar and wind grew by 6,492.2-MW and 5,976.4-MW respectively. The combined capacity of all renewable energy sources - including hydropower, biomass, and geothermal - expanded by 39,884.2-MW.

In April, for the first time, EIA reported that utility-scale solar capacity surpassed that of wind (160,208.1-MW vs. 160,100.6-MW).

In addition, utility-scale battery energy storage capacity increased by 17,703.5-MW or 58.1%. [3]

By comparison, coal capacity fell by 3,511.4-MW and nuclear added just 18.4-MW. However, natural gas capacity rose by 7,754.2-MW.

Renewable energy to add 56-GW of new capacity in the coming year.

As of May 1, 2026, renewable energy’s share of total U.S. utility-scale (i.e., >1-megawatt (MW)) generating capacity was 33.8%. EIA projects this to grow to 36.8% by April 30, 2027. Utility-scale solar will add 42,527.2-MW thereby expanding its share from 13.1% to 15.9% while wind will grow by 13,154.4-MW (including 3,355.0-MW of offshore wind), increasing from 13.1% to 13.6%. The mix of other renewables (i.e., hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) will add 298.7-MW.  

The combined capacity growth of all utility-scale renewable energy sources for the 12-month period (55,980.3-MW) is two-thirds more (i.e., 67.6%) than that added during the previous 12 months (33,392.0-MW).

Meanwhile, EIA projects no new generating capacity by nuclear power and a net decline of 5,200.5-MW in fossil fuel capacity. [4]

With the inclusion of new small-scale solar, renewables’ capacity could surpass natural gas by early 2027 – or sooner.

The figures cited above do not include small-scale solar. [5] The estimated capacity of small-scale solar systems grew by 6,492.2-MW during the last year, bringing its total to 61,521.5-MW. EIA does not provide a forecast for small-scale solar capacity growth but the SUN DAY Campaign assumes it will roughly equal that of the past year (i.e., an additional 6,000-MW or more). [6]

If small-scale solar does increase by approximately 6,000-MW by May 1, 2027, it will bring renewable energy’s installed capacity up to about 537,606.9-MW. By comparison, natural gas’ generating capacity would total 515,744.9-MW.

Solar power’s share alone would be more than one-fifth (20.1%) of total U.S. capacity.  

Battery energy storage is projected to increase by over 47% by next spring:

EIA foresees battery energy storage adding another 22,828.9-MW by May 1, 2027, bringing the total up to 71,007.4-MW – an increase of over 47%.

Thus, the combination of utility-scale renewable energy sources and battery energy storage will provide 78,809.2-MW of new clean energy capacity by mid-spring 2027. With the inclusion of small-scale solar, that figure could rise to close to 85,000-MW.

"The steadily accelerating march of solar, wind, and battery storage continues," noted the SUN DAY Campaign's executive director Ken Bossong. “Trump seems to be having no more success in stopping the growth of renewable energy sources than he is having in repairing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.”

EIA | https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly

[1] In January-April 2026, wind produced 185,496 gigawatt-hours (GWh) - 12.8% of total U.S. electrical generation - while utility-scale and small-scale solar combined produced 130,639-GWh (9.0%), hydropower produced 99,787-GWh (6.9%), biomass produced 14,521-GWh (1.0%), and geothermal produced 5,238-GWh (0.36%).

[2] In January-April 2026, the mix of wind and solar, including small-scale solar, produced 316,135-GWh while nuclear power generated 255,104-GWh and coal provided 212,270-GWh. In April 2026, wind generated 49,136-GWh. Utility-scale and small-scale solar generated 40,912-GWh. Solar and wind combined generated 90,048-GWh. Coal generated 39,777-GWh. Nuclear power generated 57,373-GWh.

[3] EIA presents its capacity data as “summer capacity” defined as the maximum output that generating equipment can supply to system load at the time of summer peak demand. See Table 6.1 in the “Electric Power Monthly” report.

[4] Capacity factors for fossil fuels and nuclear power are generally higher than for solar and wind. For 2025, EIA reported capacity factors of 48.7%, 58.4%, and 91.0% for coal, natural gas, and nuclear power respectively. By comparison, the capacity factors for wind and utility-scale PV were 34.2% and 24.4% respectively. See Tables 6.07.A and 6.07.B. Capacity factors for small-scale solar systems (10%-25%.) are usually lower than for utility-scale solar.

[5] In its “Electric Power Monthly” report, EIA refers to small-scale or distributed solar as “Estimated Small Scale Solar Photovoltaic.” Unless otherwise indicated, all calculations presented in this release include electrical generation by small-scale solar which EIA estimates to have totaled 31,245-GWh in January-April 2026. Utility-scale solar totaled 99,394-GWh for the same period.

[6] Between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026, estimated small-scale solar accounted for 6,492.2-MW in new capacity additions. The SUN DAY Campaign is therefore assuming that at least 6,000-MW in new small-scale solar capacity will be added during the coming 12 months.

Coyote Valley Casino & Hotel, located on the Coyote Valley Reservation in Redwood Valley, California, announces the completion of a 2.23-megawatt (MW) solar carport system designed to significantly cut energy costs and provide long-term protection against future price volatility. The newly installed system, which features 1,500 JA modules and 10 Chint Power inverters, is expected to generate approximately 3,472 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually – around 45% of the site’s energy use – delivering more than $450,000 in estimated first-year savings for the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, the owner of the complex.

The project includes a 1,411-kW solar carport installation across the casino’s parking areas, transforming existing parking space into a dual-purpose asset that generates onsite electricity while providing shaded parking for guests and staff. A second 817.5 kW system at the Coyote Valley Hotel supplies power to the adjacent Tribal Council offices, a convenience store, and wastewater treatment facility.

Development was led by Watthub Renewables, working in partnership with EPC contractor SunRenu Solar. The PPA was provided by Sunrock Distributed Generation with no upfront capital investment from the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

In partnership with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Sunrock Distributed Generation will manage and operate the system for the next 30 years, selling all of the energy generated onsite to the customer at a discounted price compared to the cost of grid-supplied electricity. As part of the agreement, the system will be monitored and maintained under a long-term service arrangement, meaning the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians will benefit from reliable performance and ongoing cost savings.

“This project demonstrates how Sunrock can help turn energy costs into long-term economic value for local communities,” says Wilson Chang, CEO of Sunrock Distributed Generation. “The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians is using solar to reduce utility exposure, strengthen operating resilience, and save more than $450,000 in the first year alone. Sunrock is proud to partner on a project that supports Tribal self-determination and results in lower energy costs, greater cost certainty, and a renewable energy asset that will deliver value for decades.”

“This solar project represents an important step toward a more sustainable future for our Tribe and our community,” comments Rachel Whetstone, CFO of the Coyote Valley Tribal Council. “By investing in renewable energy, we are reducing operating costs, protecting the environment, and demonstrating leadership in responsible development.”

John McDonnell, Principal of SunRenu Solar, says: “We are proud to have developed this project alongside Tribal leadership, the Department of Energy, Sunrock Distributed Generation and Watthub Renewables. This unique project offers more than 45% annual savings, with no upfront cost and no maintenance responsibility for the Tribe. It is a win-win-win-win for all involved.”

Project Snapshot

• Site: Coyote Valley Hotel and Casino – 455 Coyote Valley Blvd, Redwood Valley, CA 95470
• System size: 1,411 kW on casino + 817.5 kW on hotel
• Estimated annual production: 3.4 GWh
• Monitoring: Wattch
• Structure: Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) — zero upfront cost to Coyote Valley
• Bundled scope: Carport solar
• PPA provider / financier: Sunrock Distributed Generation
• Developer: Watthub Renewables
• EPC / builder: SunRenu Solar

Watthub Renewables | www.watthub.com

SunRenu Solar | www.sunrenu.com

Sunrock Distributed Generation | www.sunrockdg.com

Technology group Wärtsilä is a member of a new, multi-sectoral consortium which aims to tackle one of the greatest challenges facing the energy transition: how to safely store and transport clean hydrogen. The Business Finland co-innovation project is led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

While the global hydrogen market is growing – reaching 97 million tonnes (Mt) globally in 2023ⁱ – it is faced with significant limitations to adoption due to a lack of hydrogen compatible materials that allow for safe and cost competitive scaling.

The new consortium MatH2 aims to create a complete, industry-driven and innovative ecosystem to deliver essential hydrogen-compatible materials and technologies required to tackle critical materials reliability challenges and scale the hydrogen transition globally.  

Rasmus Teir, Director, Technology Strategy & Decarbonisation at Wärtsilä says: “Scaling hydrogen cost efficiently is one of the defining energy challenges for the energy transition – one that cannot be achieved in isolation. By bringing together the entire hydrogen value-chain, we are bridging the gap between research and industry to overcome the barriers preventing the growth of hydrogen across Europe and globally. Doing so will accelerate deployment, while enabling hydrogen to become a safe, affordable and scalable fuel that will accelerate the world’s energy transition toward a net zero future.”

With Europe already scaling hydrogen infrastructure – including pipelines, terminals and industrial end-use – hydrogen-compatible materials and technologies act as critical barriers to adoption. Materials degradation by hydrogen embrittlement or corrosion needs to be managed and the reliability of critical locations, such as welds, secured, while enabling storage and transfer of hydrogen at various scales within reasonable costs; this framework forms the most significant challenge facing the hydrogen economy today, slowing adoption and undermining cost competitiveness. The aim of the consortium is to address these challenges, allowing technology developers to benefit from reliable, predictable material behaviour that enables hydrogen-ready engines, pipeline reactors and fuel processing systems, alongside significant strides for researchers.

By driving these advancements, the consortium aims to offer the market components with enhanced durability, lower degradation under hydrogen service, and enhanced cost competitiveness, which, in turn, can help accelerate the pace of adoption of hydrogen globally. 

The MatH2 consortium is leveraging Finland’s unique position to harness the hydrogen economy thanks to the country’s abundant access to low-cost, carbon-free electricity and biogenic carbon dioxide for hydrogen-derivative production, alongside strong electrical grid infrastructure.

The outcome of the consortium can contribute to accelerating Finland toward becoming a leader in the hydrogen market, set to contribute up to €34 billion annually to national GDP by 2035 and create more than 60,000 jobs in technology development and infrastructure production, while also contributing to the European Union’s target of 20 million tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen supply by 2030ⁱⁱ. By overcoming the reliability challenges of materials, MatH2 can unlock more secure access to sustainable fuels, power and industrial products, while reducing the risk and cost in hydrogen infrastructure – in turn, making future energy systems stable, sustainable and resilient.

The new consortium, MatH2, has been established under WISE – Wide and Intelligent Sustainable Energy, a Business Finland co-funded collaboration with the ambitious aim of developing zero-emission balancing power to help accelerate the move towards decarbonisation. WISE is led by Wärtsilä – a technology company at the forefront of the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future and already leading critical innovation within the hydrogen economy. The MatH2 consortium consists of altogether 10 industry and research partners, spanning the full hydrogen value chain, from materials suppliers, component manufacturers, technology providers through to end-use industries. The consortium includes industry leaders EOS, Neste, Nordic Tank, Teknos, SSAB, Bumax, SP Stainless and two research partners, VTT and University of Oulu.

Earlier in June Wärtsilä announced that it has started validation of a new 100% hydrogen engine to power Spain’s national electricity grid in Bermeo, northern Spain – the world’s first demonstration of a large-scale, 100% hydrogen engine. The demonstration marks a significant step beyond hydrogen-ready technologies, proving that engine-based power generation can run entirely on hydrogen in real grid conditions – paving the way for this capability to become a reality at scale in the future.

Wärtsilä Energy | www.wartsila.com/energy

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL), a clean energy technology company that manufactures utility scale power solutions, and Fit Energy USA LP (“Fit Energy”), a developer of reliable power solutions to support advanced computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence, announced a strategic agreement for up to 380 megawatts (MW) of clean, baseload on-site power for data centers using FuelCell Energy’s utility-scale fuel cell technology. The agreement includes an immediate deposit for an initial 30 MW of power scheduled to begin delivery later this year.

“We are pleased to partner with Fit Energy on its development plans. We’ve engaged with a diverse range of prospective customers across the digital infrastructure landscape, and Fit Energy has distinguished itself through its commitment to ‘energy as a service’ power solutions that support both communities and the environment,” said Jason Few, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy. He added, “This agreement further validates our decision to scale our operations to 500 MW, preserving our ability to serve a broad and growing pipeline of customers.”

Joel Leonoff, CEO of Fit Energy, added, “Today’s announcement marks a critical step in building the power foundation required for the next generation of AI infrastructure. FuelCell Energy’s technology aligns with our growth objectives and our goal of delivering behind-the-meter power solutions to data centers at gigawatt scale.”

Under the arrangement, Fit Energy will be eligible to receive warrants tied to future deployment milestones of up to 380 MW. The warrant structure is designed to align long-term value creation with successful project execution and customer deployment.

Canaccord Genuity served as a financial advisor to FuelCell Energy Inc. on certain aspects of this transaction.

Fit Energy | www.fitenergygroup.com

FuelCell Energy | www.fuelcellenergy.com

Offshore floating solar company SolarDuck and the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) have been awarded a €3.2 million subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for the Steady Seas research programme. The project will advance the foundational design of SolarDuck’s Offshore Floating Power & Utility Hub (OFPH), a single-platform offshore solar solution developed to provide reliable power, communications and other utilities to remote offshore and subsea assets.

As offshore energy activity moves further from shore, the need for reliable in-field power is becoming increasingly important. Subsea oil and gas infrastructure, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects, offshore monitoring systems and other remote assets often depend on long subsea cables, umbilicals or local generation using diesel generators. These solutions can be costly, complex to install, vulnerable to damage and carbon intensive. 

SolarDuck’s Offshore Floating Power & Utility Hub is designed to offer an alternative: a redeployable offshore platform that generates renewable power where it is needed. In addition the OFPH supports continuous operations through integrated energy storage and auxiliary systems. This has the potential to reduce the lifecycle costs of CCS and subsea tie-back projects and consequently unlock investment opportunities.

Steady Seas, SolarDuck, MARIN

Steady Seas builds on the operational experience and data gathered through SolarDuck’s DEI+ Merganser project in the Dutch North Sea. Under the new programme, SolarDuck will lead the overall OFPH design and system integration. MARIN will contribute hydrodynamic analysis, simulations, and basin testing to validate the platform’s behaviour, reliability and wave response under realistic offshore conditions. The results will support the next step toward demonstration projects with offshore industry partners.

Scope of work

The Steady Seas project combines applied research and technology development to address key technical questions for the Offshore Floating Power & Utility Hub, including hydrodynamic performance, mooring and motion behaviour, integration of power and communication systems and the interface with subsea infrastructure. 

The programme will translate lessons from earlier offshore solar pilots into a robust basic design for a sector-specific platform that can support offshore oil and gas, carbon capture and storage and other remote offshore applications.

Don Hoogendoorn, CTO of SolarDuck, says: “Steady Seas allows us to take the lessons learned from building and testing Merganser in the North Sea and apply them to a design tailored for single-platform offshore applications. The technical challenges of powering assets far offshore are significant, from mooring and motion behaviour to integration with subsea infrastructure. This programme gives us the means to engineer and validate robust answers before the solution is deployed at sea.”

William Otto of MARIN says: “We are proud to continue our collaboration with SolarDuck and to support the further maturation of offshore floating photovoltaics. Within Steady Seas, MARIN will investigate the impact of the topology on behaviour and hydrodynamic coefficients, and it will assess the impact of extreme wave conditions on structural loading, including wave build-up beneath the platform. This kind of rigorous, test-driven validation is essential to bring offshore solar technology confidently toward commercial deployment.”

Joint Industry Projects 

Following completion of the research phase, SolarDuck intends to move towards demonstration in collaboration with industry partners. Joint Industry Projects are currently being established to test the Offshore Floating Power & Utility Hub in operational offshore conditions and validate its ability to power and control remote assets in real-life environments.

SolarDuck | www.solarduck.tech

Quino Energy, a company developing water-based organic flow batteries, has been selected by Tencent for a grant, under its CarbonX program, to fund development of a MWh-scale battery system to demonstrate reliable clean energy generation for Himandhoo Island in the Maldives. The battery will be integrated into a larger microgrid featuring floating PV generation financed by the Asian Development Bank and will complement the ongoing Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED) project that will install terrestrial PV and lithium-ion batteries on the island.

The Quino Energy battery will provide the microgrid with essential energy storage capabilities to slash reliance on expensive imported diesel to generate electricity, reducing costs while providing a resilient power supply to the island. This energy supply will be critical to the island community’s safety and ability to continue daily operations in the face of extreme weather or fluctuating energy demands.

The project will be supported by Atri Energy Transition, which led Quino Energy’s Series A fundraising round in October 2025. They will be collaborating with Quino Energy to manufacture the proprietary organic electrolyte in nearby Pune, India, and will also provide Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support for the battery system at Himandhoo Island for at least five years after commissioning. Suqian Time Energy Storage will provide the flow battery hardware. Earlier in the month, the entire project team visited Himandhoo Island and met with representatives from the local council, as well as other representatives from the Maldives Ministry of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy in the capital, Malé.

“Quino Energy is immensely grateful for the support from the Tencent CarbonX program to enable us to demonstrate our organic flow battery in a setting that can directly benefit a community,” said Eugene Beh, CEO and cofounder of Quino Energy. “This represents the first commercial deployment of the organic flow battery technology, in addition to government-supported projects we previously announced. The collaboration showcases how Quino’s technology will continue to enable cooperation between parties from across the world to rapidly advance the next generation of flow batteries.”

“We’d like to extend our congratulations to Quino Energy and all the stakeholders of this project,” said S. Kishore, founder of Atri Energy Transition. “The selection of Quino by Tencent for the CarbonX Award is an endorsement of organic electrolyte chemistry. We are happy to be part of the transition of this chemistry from pilot to commercial scale.”

CEO Eugene Beh will attend the CarbonX Award Ceremony today, June 24, organized by TED Countdown, in tandem with London Climate Action Week to accept this grant.

In the past 18 months, Quino Energy closed its series A funding round, led by Atri Energy Transition, received a $10M grant from the California Energy Commission and secured $5M in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Facility Energy Resilience (CiFER) program to support a 5 MWh flow battery deployment in Southern California. Quino Energy also signed a Joint Development Agreement with Jena Flow Batteries, whose parent company Suqian Time Energy Systems is the flow battery hardware provider for the Himandhoo project.

Quino Energy |quinoenergy.com

CarbonX | https://carbonxprogram.com/en

Tencent | https://www.tencent.com/en-us/