Local Incentives Stabilize Markets During National Shifts: How New York City will continue solar expansion

Ampion Renewable Energy was selected as the community solar administrator for the Erie County Low Income Program for Sustainable Energy (ECLIPSE), a new program that provides electricity savings to Erie County residents in need. Together with Erie County, Ampion will provide qualifying residents with electricity savings of up to 10% through community solar. Eligible residents can enroll in the program through Ampion and receive discounted solar credits applied to their electric utility bills.

“Currently there are over 80,000 low-to-moderate income households in Erie County who can benefit from this program. We encourage residents to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “ECLIPSE Community Solar can be coupled with other programs like Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and Empower+ to ensure households can afford their energy bills.”

Community solar is a state program that enables residents to subscribe to shares of energy from local solar farms, supporting clean energy while reducing their annual electricity spend. The program is available to all Erie County homeowners and renters who are benefiting from federal or state aid programs, including the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

“Community solar makes renewable energy and savings available to electric utility customers without installations or upfront costs,” said Brian Buzby, Community Partnerships Executive at Ampion. “Through ECLIPSE, Erie County and Ampion are making it easier for low-income residents to support solar energy while saving money. Our goal is to make the enrollment process as simple as possible. All you need is a copy of your current electric bill and proof that you’re benefitting from a government assistance program.”

In addition to providing meaningful cost savings to disadvantaged households, this partnership will expand the amount of renewable energy available throughout upstate New York in the National Grid and New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) service territories as more solar energy capacity is built. Erie County will host in-person events and notify residents about ECLIPSE to help households enroll in the cost-saving program. Residents can sign up for the program at erie.gov/eclipse.

Ampion recently announced it has saved subscribers over $42 million in electricity costs through community solar. These savings were enabled by the production of over 2.2 billion kWh of clean energy from community solar projects Ampion manages. Despite uncertainty in the clean energy industry, Ampion is growing its portfolio of over 1.5 GW under management, leading to more opportunities for low-to-moderate income households to reduce their utility bills with community solar.

Ampion | ampion.net

Erie County l erie.gov/eclipse 

As utilities face increasing grid constraints and growing energy demand, Switched Source, a leader in power flow control technology, has expanded its domestic manufacturing capabilities with a new 20,000-square-foot facility in the Chicagoland area. The facility is expected to increase current production capacity by 150% and allow Switched Source to deliver at least 50 units of its Phase-EQ technology per year. Switched Source’s technology provides a cost-effective, rapidly deployable alternative to traditional grid upgrades, allowing utilities to dynamically balance power flow across distribution circuits. With production already underway, the expansion supports investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, and municipal utilities as they modernize distribution networks and address growing electrification demands.

The Phase-EQ is as easily installed as a pad-mounted transformer. The device continuously mitigates phase imbalances, stabilizes voltage fluctuations, and optimizes system efficiency, extending the lifespan of existing assets and reducing operational costs. A recent deployment with National Grid demonstrated how the Phase-EQ improves grid resilience, increases hosting capacity, and optimizes existing infrastructure without requiring costly new infrastructure. The pilot project in New York showed that the Phase-EQ dynamically balances power flows, reducing the need for manual grid adjustments and expensive system upgrades. Switched Source estimates that a single unit could save more than $500,000 in capital expenses and increase load capacity by 1,200 kW. The project highlighted how utilities can unlock additional capacity without immediate large-scale infrastructure investments.

"Much like a three-lane highway with uneven traffic, today’s grid struggles with bottlenecks that limit capacity and slow energy delivery. Utilities need solutions that can optimize existing infrastructure now, not years from now," said Charles Murray, CEO and Co-Founder of Switched Source. "The Phase-EQ acts as an intelligent traffic system for electricity, dynamically directing power to where it’s needed most. With our new facility online, we’re scaling production to ensure utilities can deploy these solutions at the pace electrification demands, improving resilience and reliability without costly buildouts."

The manufacturing expansion also coincides with growing industry recognition. The company recently received a Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) grant facilitating a five-year, $99M project to deploy units across Florida to support storm restoration. Switched Source was also named to the Darcy Group Pioneers List for leadership in energy technology and was nominated for an Excellence in Engineering award for its contributions to grid modernization.

"Grid investments are high-stakes decisions, and utilities need options that maximize flexibility while minimizing ongoing cost and risk," said Lane Nelson, CFO and Co-Founder of Switched Source. "Expanding our manufacturing capacity ensures utilities don’t have to wait years for solutions. The Phase-EQ provides a cost-effective alternative that integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructure, helping utilities unlock capacity to strengthen reliability and adapt to evolving grid challenges."

Later this month, Switched Source will showcase its technology at DISTRIBUTECH 2025, where industry professionals can stop by booth 2846 to explore interactive demonstrations and learn how the company’s solutions are shaping the future of grid reliability and efficiency.

Switched Source | www.switchedsource.com

Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company" or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ) announced that e-STORAGE, which is part of the Company's majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar Co., Ltd. ("CSI Solar"), has signed a Battery Supply Agreement and Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA) with Strata Clean Energy's White Tank Energy Storage LLC for a 100 MW / 576 MWh DC Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Arizona, USA. Construction is set to begin in October of 2026.

The White Tank Battery project, developed by Strata Clean Energy, will deliver stored renewable energy to Arizona Public Service (APS), enhancing grid reliability. Utilizing its proprietary SolBank 3.0 BESS technology, e-STORAGE, a Tier 1 global provider of energy storage solutions, will supply, commission, and oversee the long-term operation of the battery system.

e-STORAGE will provide approximately 120 SolBank 3.0 battery enclosures to the White Tank Battery project to help shift abundant renewable energy produced in the middle of the day to the early evening hours when customers need it most. Following commissioning, e-STORAGE will manage the system under a 20-year LTSA, ensuring optimized system performance, comprehensive monitoring and maintenance, and seamless integration with APS's energy grid.

Bob Schaffeld, President of Strata Clean Energy, commented, "Strata is pleased to announce the inclusion of e-STORAGE's flexible, turnkey solutions and service support in our White Tank energy storage project. Their commitment to performance excellence aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver only the best quality to our customers."

Colin Parkin, President of e-STORAGE, added, "We are proud to partner with Strata Clean Energy on the White Tank Battery project, which will play a crucial role in supporting Arizona's clean energy goals. Our SolBank technology is designed to deliver safe, high-performance energy storage solutions that meet the growing demand for reliable, dispatchable renewable energy. e-STORAGE remains committed to driving energy innovation and delivering best-in-class solutions for the U.S. market."

Canadian Solar | www.canadiansolar.com

e-STORAGE | www.csestorage.com

Strata Clean Energy | http://www.stratacleanenergy.com

SolarBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) )Cboe CA: SUNN) (FSE: GY2) ("SolarBank" or the "Company") is ‎pleased to announce that it has received approval from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority ("NYSERDA") for $1,058,616 USD in incentives for the 3.26 MW Camillus Solar Project (the "Project") under the NY-Sun Program. As disclosed on March 19, 2025, the Project has been sold to, and will now be constructed for, Solar Advocate Development LLC (the "Owner") in a transaction valued at $7.3 million USD.

Dr. Richard Lu, CEO of the Company commented: "SolarBank has a long-standing successful track record in working with government agencies in the United States and Canada to obtain government support and incentives for its clean and renewable energy projects. While the Camillus Project has been sold to Solar Advocate, the receipt of these incentives further demonstrates SolarBank's ability to execute and provide sustainable projects with robust financial returns."

The Project is being constructed as a 3.26 MW DC ground-mount solar power project on a closed landfill site and will operate as a community solar project. These incentives do not increase the value of the transaction with the Owner.

The award in the amount of $1,058,616 USD is contingent upon compliance with the terms and conditions of the NY-SUN Program Manual. The solar electric system installation must be completed within 30 months of the approval date.

SolarBank | www.solarbankcorp.com

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to address the industry’s most pressing challenges by accelerating the adoption of AI-powered solutions at the grid edge for utilities and communities. The collaboration uniquely combines Itron’s leading Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio with NVIDIA’s AI-powered solutions, integrating high-fidelity, real-time data to transform how utilities meet the demands of a rapidly changing industry. Itron will collaborate with NVIDIA to develop solutions for utilities to reach their goals, including grid resilience, disaster management and prevention, consumer engagement, operational efficiency, the secure delivery of affordable energy to customers – and challenges yet unknown.

Itron, which has delivered over 13 million distributed intelligence-enabled endpoints globally, will work with NVIDIA to provide better outcomes for utilities. By integrating the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and NVIDIA AI Enterprise platforms into Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio, the companies will enable utilities to leverage the edge computing power of NVIDIA’s solutions for AI tasks, helping to optimize utility operations. This collaboration will bring greater value for utilities and unlock new opportunities to enhance grid resiliency and accelerate decarbonization initiatives by leveraging the power of data at the grid edge.

Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio includes a diverse range of solutions such as demand response, distributed energy resource management and planning, managed services and more. NVIDIA will play a critical role in enhancing these solutions with AI. By integrating NVIDIA accelerated computing at the grid edge, utilities are able to extract more actionable insights for improved performance. Itron collects data from hundreds of millions of endpoints every day, and with this collaboration, NVIDIA’s AI platform can help transform how the vast amount of data can be turned into intelligent, real-time information to utility users.

By lowering the barrier to AI adoption, utilities can primarily benefit from these additional use cases:

• Grid Optimization – enables utilities to better manage energy distribution more efficiently and reduce energy losses at the edge
• Energy Demand Forecasting – edge computing AI analyzes data previously collected from customers and weather patterns to predict energy demand accurately, helping to reduce blackouts and transformer overload
• Real-Time Data Processing – allows utilities to gain immediate insights into operations to make quicker and more informed decisions

“Innovation is at the forefront of Itron and we continue to seek new ways to help our customers to improve their operations. As we embark on this AI journey with NVIDIA, we are excited to join forces with an industry pioneer and leader. Together, we aim to support our customers in streamlining their operations with edge computing AI. Itron and NVIDIA are committed to combining their expertise to benefit utilities and municipalities in the energy, water, gas, and smart city industry through AI,” said Don Reeves, Itron’s senior vice president of Outcomes.

“With AI at the edge of the grid, utilities can modernize legacy grid infrastructure, scale renewable energy and deliver lower costs to their customers. AI-enabled endpoints and other grid infrastructure are the future and building a software-defined smart grid better positions utilities for the energy transition while supporting their decarbonization goals, increasing grid reliability and ensuring energy equity. We are ushering in a new era of global innovation for utilities with our AI solutions and are excited to work with an industry leader like Itron in revolutionizing the way AI is used within the utility industry,” said Marc Spieler, NVIDIA’s Sr. Managing Director of Energy.     

NVIDIA | https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/

Itron | www.itron.com

The Oakland City Council just approved the installation of 244 Flash Level 2 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and other improvements across eight downtown city parking facilities.

The eight newly approved locations will add 244 Level 2 EV chargers to the existing 24 charging stations already installed at the Oakland City Center Garage (525 14th St.) and 32 charging stations at the Rotunda Garage (524 16th St.) for a total of 300. Level 2 chargers provide 240 volts of electricity, allowing nearly all-electric vehicles to charge from empty to full in four to eight hours.

“Oakland is committed to building a greener, more sustainable future, and expanding our public EV charging infrastructure is a critical step in that journey. These new chargers will make it easier for Oaklanders—especially those who don’t have access to at-home charging—to choose clean transportation. By investing in this infrastructure now, we’re ensuring that all our communities can benefit from the transition to electric vehicles, reducing emissions and improving air quality for everyone," said Interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins.

“The people of Oakland lead the nation in the transition to electric vehicles, and this gives them convenient, affordable access to the infrastructure they need to sustain the shift and make it a practical choice for more of our residents, especially those who can’t realistically charge at home,” said Josh Rowan, OakDOT Director.

This new partnership with Flash will help implement Oakland’s Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan and 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan, which together provide a roadmap to a zero-emission transportation system in Oakland. The chargers will be installed at no cost to the City and the City will receive half of net revenues from charging.

The new EV charging sites will be operational by the end of 2025 – some with on-site battery systems, lighting, and other property improvements – at the following addresses:

• Oakland Museum of California - 1000 Oak St.
• Marriott Convention Center - 1001 Broadway St.
• Pacific Renaissance Plaza - 1002 Webster St.
• Harrison Garage - 1200 Harrison St.
• Franklin Plaza Garage - 1735 Franklin St.
• Telegraph Plaza Garage - 2100 Telegraph Ave.
• 1800 San Pablo Lot - 1800 San Pablo Ave.
• Parkway Lot - 360-398 E. 19th St.

The new locations join the initial two that went live late last year as part of a growing EV charging ‘Innovation Lab’ Flash is building with a $5.8 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to demonstrate a reliable, scalable model for public charging infrastructure.  

“The City of Oakland and its residents have embraced electric vehicles and clean transportation,” said Hannon Rasool, director of the CEC’s Fuels and Transportation Division. “The city’s leadership in supporting and installing effective public charging infrastructure helps improve our communities. Oakland is setting an example for how cities can lead across California and the country.”

Data from Flash and CEC’s collaboration will provide technical and financial insights to improve efficiency, dependability, and return on investment to the City of Oakland. Flash will also promote the availability of the new EV charging stations through a multi-channel community outreach initiative, including direct outreach to area businesses.  

“This collaboration with CEC and the City of Oakland is a huge source of pride for us at Flash,” said Matt McCaffree, Vice President & General Manager of EV Charging at Flash. “We’re showing what’s possible for the future of parking plus charging and playing a part in helping Oakland and other smart cities make the EV transition a reality.”

Oakland Equitable Climate Action Plan | https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/sustainable-oakland-1 

Flash | www.flashparking.com 

The Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA), a cornerstone of the state’s clean energy industry, is excited to announce a pivotal leadership transition at a crucial moment in the sector’s growth. K.C. Becker, former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, will step into the role of Chief Executive Officer of COSSA and Executive Director of the COSSA Institute. 

With her extensive expertise and proven track record, Becker will guide COSSA and the COSSA Institute as it seeks to decarbonize Colorado, foster economic growth, advance renewable energy policy, and promote education and equitable access to solar and energy storage solutions.

“I couldn’t think of a better fit to take our industry to the next level. K.C.’s dedication to climate action combined with her diplomatic leadership will prove to be an excellent combination for where we are headed and the goals we need to meet,” stated President of the COSSA Board, William Clay. 

Becker brings a wealth of experience in energy policy and regional community engagement to her new role. Most recently as Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8, she oversaw EPA activity in six states, including implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. During her tenure with the Colorado State legislature, Becker sponsored groundbreaking climate change legislation as well as comprehensive reforms to state oil and gas regulations, and creation of the Just Transition Office. 

“This is a pivotal moment to leverage my experience in building a climate-safe future for our communities and position Colorado as a top-five solar energy state,” mentioned Becker, “Solar and energy storage aren’t just key to decarbonizing our environment and improving air quality—they have the potential to be powerful drivers of economic growth. Mike Kruger has set a great foundation, and I’m committed to working alongside our members to ensure his legacy continues and these technologies become central to Colorado’s future." 

Outgoing CEO, Mike Kruger, expresses his excitement for the organization’s next chapter, “Now, more than ever, we need strong leadership and influence at the state level. I believe there is no one better to take over those reins than Becker and look forward to seeing the industry flourish under her guidance.” 

This leadership transition underscores the positive and growing impact of the solar and storage industry on Colorado’s economy. In her new role, Becker will collaborate with COSSA’s diverse network of business members to advance clean energy policies, eliminate market barriers, expand the electric power sector, and enhance public understanding of clean energy’s value—while maintaining the highest standards of ethical integrity.

Colorado Solar and Storage Association | https://cossa.co/