Higher Power PV Modules Drive Up BOS Costs

GameChange Solar, a leading global supplier of solar tracker and fixed-tilt racking technology, announced the successful completion of the industry's first full-scale seismic shake table testing program for its Genius Tracker system at UC Berkeley's Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. The testing was conducted in accordance with IEEE 693 seismic design standards, simulating extreme earthquake conditions representative of high-risk regions such as the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This testing represents one of the most intense credible seismic scenarios for a U.S. solar installation.

A full-scale tracker system with mounted PV modules was subjected to progressively increasing seismic inputs, including broadband excitation and high-performance-level testing up to 2.5g spectral acceleration.

The system demonstrated strong performance across multiple configurations and test intensities:

• No structural damage to key components, including torque tubes, bearings, posts, and actuators.
   
• Seismic design features, including GameChange's proprietary Lateral Capture System, engaged as intended and effectively redistributed loads during testing.
   
• No module microcracking or meaningful power loss, with degradation under 1% of the PV modules used during the testing
   
• Full system functionality was maintained by the tracker motor after testing.

"As solar expands into seismic-risk regions like California, Chile, and the New Madrid Fault Zone, the industry has had negligible real-world data on how modern utility scale trackers and modules perform in an earthquake," said Scott Van Pelt, Chief Engineer at GameChange Solar. "This test changes that. We now have conclusive evidence that a solar tracking system, such as GameChange's Genius Tracker, can be designed to withstand the forces associated with a meaningful earthquake."

The results of this testing are covered in the White Paper "Seismic Shake Table Testing of Single Axis Solar Trackers," which is available upon request from GameChange Solar's website. Furthermore, this testing was presented as part of a pv magazine webinar, on how shake table testing shows earthquake resilience of solar trackers, which aired on March 18^th and available here.

A seismic failure at a solar plant could mean widespread module damage, costly repairs, months of lost generation, and potentially dangerous conditions for O&M personnel. By establishing an empirical performance baseline now, GCS is enabling project developers, asset owners, and insurers to make more informed decisions about seismic risk and provide a credible engineering foundation for sites in high-hazard zones.

Independent validation by the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) in Fremont, CA confirmed the system remained in good physical and operating condition following the test campaign.

These results demonstrate that the Genius Tracker system is engineered to deliver reliability, and performance in high seismic environments, supporting solar deployment in some of the world's most demanding conditions.

GameChange Solar | www.gamechangesolar.com

The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in residential solar projects, with homeowners across the nation turning to solar energy to power their lives. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a new solar project was installed every 59 seconds in 2025, bringing the total number of solar energy systems in the U.S. to nearly 6 million—enough to power 47 million households. By 2030, it’s projected that 11% of American homes will feature solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their roofs.

As the number of solar installations continues to climb, it is critical for architects, specifiers, contractors, and roofing professionals to proactively plan for the unique challenges these systems present—particularly in regions prone to winter weather. One significant concern is the rapid warming of solar panels after a snowfall, which causes snow to slide quickly down roof surfaces. Without proper snow retention, this can result in avalanches of snow and ice, putting people, property, and landscaping below at risk.

Solar Snowfall Solution

To address this issue, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards offers the Drift Solar Aluminum 4-pipe fence-style snow guard system. Specifically engineered for installation below solar panels, this innovative system features a 12-inch-tall snow fence that acts as a catch basin, holding snow in place until it melts gradually. This prevents dangerous, sudden releases of snow, safeguarding both residents and property.

The Drift Solar Snow Fence is compatible with both new construction and retrofit roof applications. Its robust design calls for the brackets to be bolted directly to the roof support structure flush at the eave, with the tubing side facing downslope—a reversed installation compared to traditional snow fence systems. Each bracket is anchored with five structural lag bolts, ensuring long-lasting performance and reliability. Individually sold ice screens must be installed with the Drift Solar snow fence system to impede the movement of snow between the tubing. 

Guidance for Industry Pros

With residential solar adoption on the rise, integrating snow retention systems like the Drift Solar fence is essential for safe and successful solar installations in snowy climates. Architects, specifiers and contractors are encouraged to include snow retention in their project specifications to protect homeowners and maximize the benefits of solar energy year-round.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. manufactures snow guards and fence-style snow retention systems designed to protect people and property.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards | www.rockymountainsnowguards.com 

SUNation Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNE) (“SUNation” or “the Company”), a leading provider of sustainable solar energy, battery storage, backup power, and energy services to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities, announced the installation of its 10,000th solar system, a milestone that reflects more than 20 years of solar deployment across Long Island. Collectively, SUNation’s installations now represent more than 130 megawatts of installed solar capacity and an estimated $42 million in cumulative customer energy-cost savings regionwide.

“For more than twenty years, the SUNation team has worked hard to bring solar power to the homes and businesses of Long Island,” said Scott Maskin, CEO and founder of SUNation. “Back in the day, Oakdale was SUNation’s first home, and it’s fitting that we’ve come full-circle and installed number 10,000 for a great family in the place where our deepest roots are.”

“PSEG Long Island congratulates SUNation for this milestone, their 10,000th installation on Long Island,” said Michael Voltz, director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at PSEG Long Island. “Part of our mission at PSEG Long Island is to provide opportunities for energy efficiency and renewables, and we are proud to have partnered with companies like SUNation to help make Long Island the leader in rooftop solar across all of New York State.”

“Islip has always recognized the important role that solar plays in Long Island’s energy future,” Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, said. “Our town has been proud to work with SUNation over the years to strengthen our grid and diversify our region’s energy generation capacity.”

“Congratulations to SUNation, a proud and successful local business in the Town of Islip. They continue to provide alternative energy solutions to Islip residents,” Islip Town Councilmember DawnMarie Kuhn, who represents Oakdale, said. “I am happy to see local residents take advantage of alternative energy sources like solar.”

SUNation Energy I https://www.sunation.com/

Dow Jones, a global provider of news and business information, announced an agreement with BMW Group to provide its customers premium, real-time electric vehicle (EV) charging data across the luxury carmaker’s fleet of electric vehicles.

The integration brings proprietary data from Eco-Movement, a global platform for EV charging data acquired by Dow Jones last year, directly into the BMW in-car experience, providing drivers with seamless access to high-quality information on nearly 2 million charging connectors across more than 80 countries. BMW owners will benefit from real-time availability, pricing and location data, reducing "range anxiety" and streamlining the charging process. It will be available across BMW’s EV fleet by this summer. 

“As the adoption of electric mobility accelerates, the need for clear, accurate and actionable data has never been greater,” said Sarah Cottle, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Dow Jones Energy. “By integrating Eco-Movement’s best-in-class data into BMW’s world-class vehicles, we are empowering drivers with the proprietary insights they need to navigate the energy evolution with confidence.”

This agreement marks the latest expansion of Dow Jones’s energy business, which has seen significant growth following the acquisitions of OPIS, A2i Systems and Eco-Movement. It represents a strategic move to position Dow Jones Energy with best-in-class data and analytics  to meet the rising demand for scalable energy data and software solutions among OEMs, fleet managers, and individual consumers alike. 

Dow Jones | https://www.dowjones.com/

LF Energy, the open source foundation accelerating the energy transition, announced the release of a new standardized battery dataset to the LF Energy Battery Data Alliance (BDA) contributed by Microsoft’s Surface Battery Development team. The dataset is aligned with the Battery Data Format (BDF), a growing open standard designed to improve interoperability and usability of battery data across research and industry.

This contribution represents a significant step forward in enabling open, standardized battery datasets that can be easily shared, compared, and used across tools, labs, and organizations.

Advancing Open Battery Data Standards

Battery development today is often hindered by fragmented data formats and inconsistent testing methodologies across labs and equipment vendors. The Battery Data Format (BDF) addresses these challenges by introducing a standardized structure for battery data.

BDF is designed to solve two critical industry problems:

• Data Consistency – enabling seamless integration of datasets across laboratories, test equipment, and organizations
• Model Compatibility – allowing battery models and analytics workflows to be reused, compared, and confirmed for cross-vendor verification without costly data reformatting

By aligning datasets to BDF, organizations can accelerate research, improve collaboration, and unlock more reliable insights from battery testing and development.

New Dataset: Cell Architecture Comparisons

The newly released dataset focuses on cell architecture design variations, enabling direct comparison across multiple lithium-ion configurations, including:

• End Tab
• Middle Tab
• Multi Tab

In addition, the dataset includes:

• T₀ (initial performance) comparisons
• Cycle aging data across configurations

This provides researchers and engineers with a structured foundation for analyzing how design choices impact battery performance and longevity.

Availability

The dataset is now available to the community and can be accessed through BDF Datastore.

Organizations interested in contributing to or adopting the Battery Data Format (BDF) are encouraged to engage with the Battery Data Alliance.

Driving Industry Collaboration

“Standardization is foundational to accelerating battery innovation,” said Phil Hamilton, Sr. Manager of Battery Characterization at Microsoft. “By contributing this dataset in alignment with BDF, Microsoft is helping establish a common language for battery data that enables collaboration across the ecosystem.”

The contribution also reinforces growing momentum behind the Battery Data Alliance, which brings together industry leaders, research institutions, and technology providers to define open standards for battery data.

LF Energy | https://www.lfenergy.org

Linux Foundation | linuxfoundation.org

Pulsenics, a Toronto-based developer of electrochemical diagnostic equipment, announced an agreement for a collaborative R&D project with the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Critical Battery Materials Initiative (CBMI). 

As part of the project, Pulsenics’ electrochemical test solution will be integrated into the NRC’s Battery Materials Acceleration Platform (BattMAP), a self-driving lab that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to accelerate the discovery of new battery materials that are safer, perform better and are more sustainable.

Pulsenics’ solutions use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to non-invasively scan batteries that contain experimental cathode formulations. The integration into BattMAP will be tested as a proof of concept to establish the technological foundation for future deployments in industrial settings. AI models use the collected data to predict lifetime performance of batteries, select the most promising formulas, and direct robotic synthesis of the next novel chemistries. It is conceptually similar to the way that medical researchers use AI to develop proteins, molecules, or vaccines. Comprehensive spectroscopy data from Pulsenics will help BattMAP test new battery materials faster and more efficiently.

“The NRC’s Critical Battery Materials Initiative aims to connect our country’s mineral and energy technology industries with automated, AI-enabled platforms that can discover new critical battery materials and critical mineral conversion processes faster than ever before,” said Zoya Sadighi, the NRC’s project lead. “Collaborating with Canadian companies allows us to support growth in the Canadian technology ecosystem on the cutting edge of the energy industry.”

If successful, Pulsenics’ EIS technology could empower the NRC’s CBMI self-driving lab to conduct in-line characterization of key battery properties for numerous new cathode formulations at a pace that matches BattMAP’s existing high-throughput synthesis. By eliminating characterization as a bottleneck, this integration should enable a seamless, end-to-end workflow – from synthesis to characterization – making a significant leap from the previous approach of testing each formulation individually and unlocking true high-throughput materials discovery.

“Automated laboratories like the NRC’s BattMAP are the future of industrial research,” said Pulsenics Co-Founder and COO Mariam Awara. “We’re proud to be a key enabler in helping the NRC realize its vision for the self-driving lab and high-throughput experimentation. Together, we can find new battery chemistries that create jobs right here in Canada.”

Pulsenics l www.pulsenics.com

 

Altus Power, a leading commercial-scale power company, announced the completion and activation of a rooftop solar project at San Manuel Landing, a newly-built 1.1 million square foot Class-A industrial logistics center located in San Bernardino, Calif. Altus Power originated the project with Trammell Crow Company, which developed San Manuel Landing with Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (YSMN).

Under long-term agreements, Altus Power leases the roof of the building from the YSMN and delivers clean electric power directly to Flexport, the global logistics company and tenant of the property. The system will reduce Flexport's operational profile at the facility by lowering its total energy costs.

“In a time of rising energy prices, this project demonstrates how Altus Power and its solar energy solutions can deliver low-cost electricity to businesses with no requirement for the customer to own or maintain the system,” said Brett Phillips, Director, Investment and Structured Finance, Altus Power. “By working with Trammell Crow Company and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Altus Power delivered a turnkey solution that generates immediate energy savings without Flexport incurring upfront capital investment. Altus Power is committed to expanding our footprint in California's industrial real estate market to give tenants and real estate owners a smarter, more cost-effective way to power their businesses.”

“Controlling costs across our facility network is critical to an efficient operation, but doing so in a way that aligns with our environmental goals is what truly defines a modern supply chain,” said Cody Moreland, Sr. Director of Fulfillment Ops at Flexport. “At San Manuel Landing, we’re merging efficiency with sustainability. This solar system allows us to lower electricity costs while making tangible progress on our commitment to decarbonize our footprint across our global network. It’s a clear example of how we're building a more resilient, green supply chain for our merchants.”

The completion of this project adds to Altus Power’s California footprint of more than 154 MWs across nearly 100 projects. Altus Power’s portfolio across 30 states and the District of Columbia serves enterprises looking to reduce operating costs and protect against energy price volatility, anchored by the company’s distributed solar power plants.

Altus Power | https://www.altuspower.com/