Protecting Our Grid Lines

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 successfully completed Large-Scale Fire Testing (LSFT) for its SolBank 3.0 energy storage system. The successful test demonstrated that SolBank 3.0 meets key fire safety criteria by containing thermal events within a single enclosure, providing enhanced safety assurance for utility-scale deployments.

The test was conducted under the CSA C-800:25 §9.7 Large-Scale Fire Testing (LSFT) protocol—a rigorous, industry-recognized standard used to evaluate how a fully developed fire condition inside the enclosure of an initiating BESS unit affects propagation risk between adjacent enclosures. During the test, all doors, louvers, and structural elements on target units remained closed and intact throughout the event. The protocol is in compliance with key safety objectives outlined in NFPA 855, such as preventing cascading thermal events and containing fire within a single unit.

During the test, e-STORAGE's SolBank 3.0 energy storage system showed no fire propagation to target units and successfully passed the LSFT, confirming the robustness of SolBank 3.0's passive fire containment design. 

The test was witnessed and independently verified by both CSA Group, the testing agency, and Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG), a fire safety consultant.

Josh Dinaburg, Fire Test Specialist at CSA Group, commented, "Key stakeholders in the energy storage industry have raised justifiable concerns about the ability of BESS to limit the spread of fire between units without relying on complex extinguishing systems or putting first responders at risk. The e-STORAGE system demonstrated that an aggressive fire consuming all available fuel in one unit does not ignite new fires and spread to adjacent units. This is critical performance data for the end-users and site managers, first responders, insurance adjusters, and the community at large where these systems may be installed."

Colin Parkin, President of e-STORAGE, stated, "Successfully completing the Large-Scale Fire Testing reinforces our high standard on system safety. At the same time, it once again positions e-STORAGE as a leader in delivering safe, scalable energy storage solutions—across products, projects, and markets—and our continued commitment to go beyond industry standards for operation safety."

Canadian Solar | www.canadiansolar.com

e-STORAGE | www.csestorage.com 

Aerones, the world’s leading provider of robotic inspection, maintenance, and AI-driven solutions for wind turbines, announces that it has secured $62 million in capital in a significantly oversubscribed financing to accelerate its global expansion and technology development. 

The funding round was co-led by Activate Capital and S2G Investments (“S2G”), with additional participation from Carbon Equity and Overlap Holdings, alongside existing investors Lightrock, Blume Equity, Metaplanet, Change Ventures, and Extantia. This latest funding follows Aerones’ securing of a €4 million grant from the EU Innovation Fund in 2024 and a $30 million funding round in 2023.

As the global wind industry accelerates towards doubling in size by 2030, it faces a shortage of skilled technicians and the challenge of maintaining ever-larger, more complex turbines. These pressures are driving urgent demand for efficient, scalable, and safe maintenance and inspection solutions. Aerones meets this need by combining advanced robotics with AI-powered software, reducing reliance on manual labour and delivering faster, more reliable operations for wind farm operators worldwide. 

“Our mission is to automate wind turbine inspection and maintenance globally,” commented Dainis Kruze, Co-founder and CEO of Aerones. “The world cannot meet its renewable energy goals without innovation—and there simply aren’t enough qualified technicians to keep up with the growth of this industry. With this new investment, we’re expanding faster than ever to meet the urgent demand for intelligent, robot-enabled and AI-powered solutions.”

Following a record-breaking year in which Aerones nearly tripled its revenue and expanded operations, the company has solidified its position as the global leader in robotic wind turbine inspection and maintenance. With a new operational hub in Dallas, Texas, Aerones is expanding its reach in the U.S. and internationally, working with industry leaders such as GE Vernova, NextEra, Vestas, Enel, and Siemens Gamesa, and delivering the full spectrum of robotic inspection, maintenance, and data-driven diagnostics.

Aerones’ technology is delivering measurable progress in clean energy by optimising turbine performance, extending asset lifespans, and minimising downtime for wind farm operators globally. Since 2020, Aerones has enabled nearly 400,000 MWh of additional clean electricity and helped avoid 165,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, with the potential to prevent over 170 million tonnes in the next five years, while servicing over 10,000 turbines annually in more than 30 countries.

With this new $62 million investment, Aerones will significantly expand its operational capacity worldwide and accelerate research and development in AI-driven automation, robotics, and customer-facing software solutions. The company plans to scale up its robot manufacturing capabilities and invest in advanced predictive maintenance tools, leveraging data from thousands of robotic inspections. These initiatives will enable Aerones to further accelerate preventive maintenance in the wind industry, delivering safe, efficient, and scalable robotic solutions that set new standards for reliability and performance.

Paul Neal Jordan, Activate Capital: “Our investment in Aerones represents the continuation of a long-held thesis at Activate that successfully transitioning our energy systems to renewable power will require fundamentally new technologies and business models to manage the distributed infrastructure. In a world where energy costs are rising – and energy resilience and security more critical than ever – Aerones brings a unique set of robotic and AI capabilities to bear for wind, one of the fastest growing and cheapest forms of new energy generation globally. Aerones represents the future of intelligent, automated wind O&M, unlocking value for more than $1 trillion of installed wind assets globally, a figure that will double by 2030.”

Bala Nagarajan, S2G: 

“At S2G, we invest in solutions that unlock step-change improvements in productivity, safety and sustainability. Aerones is enhancing the resilience and performance of the wind industry with its robotics and AI-enabled platform and automating high-risk, labor-intensive tasks. In an industry facing growing labor shortages - particularly of experienced wind technicians - Aerones offers a scalable solution that equips wind operators with data and capabilities needed to shift from reactive to predictive and preventative maintenance strategies. We believe Aerones represents a critical advancement in the infrastructure supporting the energy transition and a clear example of innovation that scales both performance and impact."

Veronica Barner, Wind Energy Product Executive, GE Vernova:

“As a supplier, Aerones has provided us with various robotic solutions for wind turbine blade inspections and maintenance, and we've seen steady progress in both their technology and service delivery. Their technology is helping to address safety and services productivity in wind farms around the globe.”

Aerones | https://aerones.com 

ABB Electrification Canada Inc. announced it has completed its acquisition of Bel Products Inc., a leading Canadian manufacturer of commercial, industrial and custom-made enclosures. This acquisition enhances ABB’s market presence in Canada and the U.S., expanding its product portfolio and enabling the company to leverage its manufacturing, warehousing and supply chain capabilities to better meet growing customer demand. The financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.

The enclosures market is experiencing strong growth, fueled by rising demand in data centers, OEM applications and the electrical industry. As digital infrastructure expands and electrification accelerates, the demand for safe, reliable, high-performance enclosure solutions continues to grow.

“This additional acquisition reflects our commitment to strategic growth and strengthens our ability to deliver greater value to our customers and partners” said Khalid Mandri, President, ABB Installation Products Division. “We continue to focus on opportunities that enhance our offerings to serve our markets.”

A key player in the Canadian enclosures market, Bel Products brings extensive industry expertise that complements ABB’s Electrification Installation Products portfolio and expands its reach across multiple industries. The company delivers high-quality, industry-rated offerings for a range of applications and environments.

“The acquisition of Bel Products complements our electrical offerings and strengthens our ability to deliver locally manufactured solutions,” said Mike Shenouda, Canada Region Leader and General Manager, ABB Installation Products Division. “By combining ABB’s technological leadership with Bel Products’ market expertise, we are leveraging our shared local roots to drive further growth.”

Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Bel Products is recognized for its custom-built enclosures, housings, panels and accessories, serving key industries such as commercial, industrial, data centers and utilities. Bel Products will continue operations from the current manufacturing facility in Montreal and warehouse in Terrebonne, Quebec.

“Joining ABB marks a new chapter for Bel Products,” said Réal Bélanger, President at Bel Products. “ABB’s reputation and global reach open new opportunities for us, and we are excited to extend our capabilities and serve a broader range of customers.”

Building on its long history of pioneering in electrification, ABB’s Installation Products Division creates solutions to safely connect and protect electrical systems that power businesses, cities, homes and transportation. With more than 200,000 products under 38 premium brand names, ABB Installation Products Division, formerly Thomas & Betts, solutions are found wherever electricity is used around the world and in space

ABB | www.abb.com

Green Oceans, the independent and nonpartisan environmental grassroots organization, called upon the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New England District to suspend and revoke the permit previously granted to the Revolution Wind project.

The call comes after Green Oceans obtained documented objective and indisputable evidence that Revolution Wind discharged wastewater with levels of toxic pollutants that significantly exceeded legal limits into Narragansett Bay and the surrounding wetlands.

In a letter this month to Col. John Atilano II, Green Oceans asked the Corps to suspend the permit in order to halt further degradation of the waters, perform a formal compliance investigation, and, considering Revolution Wind’s own admissions of toxic discharges, revoke the Army Corps of Engineers’ authorization.

The Corps, Green Oceans wrote, had “assured the public that Revolution Wind’s onshore discharges would meet all water quality standards, introduce no toxic effluents, and avoid significant degradation of the waters of the United States.”

But 15 months of construction “have proved each premise false,” Green Oceans said, adding that Revolution Wind’s own discharge records “reveal arsenic, zinc, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and total suspended solids at levels hundreds to thousands of percents above the numeric limits” allowed under existing law and violated the Clean Water Act, state water quality laws, and the Record of Decision.

“As with so much information buried in the rushed approval process, once again, we find documented objective evidence of real environmental harm,” said Dr. Lisa Quattrocki Knight, co-founder and President of Green Oceans. “How can we allow a company to disregard legal limits of toxic pollutants, toxins that could contaminate our seafood and drinking water, and eventually harm our health? The Corps must stop Revolution Wind from continuing to foul our waters with toxic discharges.”

“In the last month, we have asked the EPA to reopen and revoke Revolution Wind’s permit approvals, because the original permit omitted critical conditions in the air pollution analysis. This week, we have asked Interior Secretary Burgum to suspend the operation of offshore wind projects, and we are now asking the Corps to suspend their permit,” said Bill Thompson, co-founder of Green Oceans.

“We will not rest until this environmental tragedy is averted and our oceans and marine ecosystems are safe from industrialization,” Thompson said.

The letter comes after the Trump Administration has signaled a major change in energy policy that aims to protect our coastal waters from environmental degradation. On Jan. 21, President Trump signed an executive memorandum prohibiting new permits from being issued for offshore wind construction and for existing permits to undergo a thorough review.

Green Oceans | https://www.green-oceans.org/

Balanced Rock Power (BRP), a leader in solar and energy storage development dedicated to delivering clean energy across America, is proud to announce significant progress and momentum in its renewable energy projects. A key highlight is BRP’s development and sale of the Two Brothers Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project, marking the sale of BRP’s third BESS project sited in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Alongside the success of the 150MW Two Brothers project, BRP has continued to demonstrate project development excellence with the additional sales of 2,625 MW of Solar and BESS projects located in Arizona, California and Texas in 2024 and 2025.

“Our recent project sale closings underscore our proven expertise in large-scale solar and energy storage solutions, positioning us at the forefront of the transition to clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said John Knight, CEO of Balanced Rock Power. “With a dedicated team and innovative strategies, we’re committed to expanding our portfolio and accelerating the shift toward a more sustainable and resilient energy landscape.”

BRP’s ERCOT investment thesis focuses on targeted load pockets within Houston and South zones, known for persistent congestion and volatility, alongside rising load demands. Beginning in Q1 2022, BRP’s dedicated development teams systematically screened hundreds of substations throughout South Texas to identify high-potential nodes and land parcels, setting the foundation for successful project siting.

Situated along the Texas Gulf Coast — an area characterized by chronic transmission challenges — Two Brothers was strategically located in a region where traditional fixes fall short in alleviating congestion, thereby safeguarding long-term revenue streams. Despite an interconnection queue saturated with ERCOT BESS projects, Two Brothers garnered investor interest due to its thoughtful siting, long-term economic advantages, and a clear path to project completion — supported by an executed interconnection agreement and long-lead equipment procurement.

The project achieved critical milestones, including procurement of HV breakers and GSUs, ensuring it can meet the COD outlined under its signed SGIA. Sold to a private equity-backed storage IPP in Q2 2025, the project underscores BRP’s ability to efficiently develop and execute large-scale energy storage solutions.

Balanced Rock Power remains committed to expanding its portfolio of clean energy assets, leveraging its development expertise, strategic siting, and innovative transaction strategies to drive sustainable growth and energy transition.

Balanced Rock Power | balancedrockpower.com

Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), have completed their third utility-scale solar site in West Virginia to help meet the state's electricity needs. More than 17,000 solar panels are now producing up to 5.75 megawatts of renewable power at the Marlowe site in Berkeley County. One megawatt of solar energy powers a national average of 173 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The new solar facility is situated on approximately 36 acres of company-owned property along Interstate 81 and the Potomac River. The site was previously an ash landfill for the former R. Paul Smith Power Station. In 2022, after harvesting more than three million tons of ash for use in cement manufacturing, FirstEnergy successfully completed the closure of the landfill, paving the way for its redevelopment as part of the companies' solar program.

Mon Power and Potomac Edison used 54 local union workers for construction at the site. Additionally, the solar panels, racking system steel and supporting electrical equipment were made in the United States.

Dan Rossero, Vice President of FirstEnergy's West Virginia Generation: "Our solar projects create construction jobs, support U.S. manufacturing and help us accommodate increased demand for electricity. We are committed to ensuring that our customers have the right mix and amount of generation to support their everyday needs, and our solar facilities are a growing part of that."

The companies' West Virginia solar program supports a 2020 bill passed by the West Virginia Legislature that authorizes electric companies to own and operate up to 200 megawatts of solar generation facilities to help meet the state's electricity needs. The program involves the siting and development of solar projects on brownfield or impacted industrial properties while encouraging economic development in West Virginia, as a number of companies require that a portion of the electricity they purchase be generated by renewable sources.

Mon Power and Potomac Edison plan to develop a total of five solar projects that will comprise 50 megawatts of solar generation. The companies completed their first solar project at Fort Martin Power Station (18.9 megawatts) in early 2024, and their Rivesville solar site (5.5 megawatts) came online last fall. In total, the companies now have 30 megawatts of solar capacity.

Combined, the five projects will create more than 87,000 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) available for purchase by customers who support renewable energy in West Virginia. SRECs are certificates that represent the environmental attributes of solar power and prove solar energy was generated on the purchasers' behalf. For every megawatt hour of solar renewable electricity generated, one SREC is produced.

Since the inception of the solar program, Mon Power and Potomac Edison have enrolled residential customers as well as large commercial and institutional customers, including the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown and the town of Harpers Ferry. The cost to purchase SRECs through the program is 4 cents per kilowatt hour in addition to normal rates. To subscribe or find out more about the solar program, Mon Power and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia can visit firstenergycorp.com/WVsolar or call 1-800-505-7283.

FirstEnergy | firstenergycorp.com 

UNIGRID, Inc. announced it has been awarded a competitive grant under the California Energy Commission's (CEC) Realizing Accelerated Manufacturing and Production for Clean Energy Technologies (RAMP) program. The project, titled "Advanced Sodium-ion Battery Production in California", will enable UNIGRID to establish a dedicated battery pilot production facility in San Diego, capable of producing MWh-scale quantities of sodium-ion battery cells annually. The $2.9M award will support the design, build-out, and validation of UNIGRID's Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) line at a new 12,000 square foot facility in Sorrento Valley, San Diego.

UNIGRID's advanced sodium-ion battery technology features:

• An Ultra-safe chemistry: Passed UN 38.3 and UL 9540A at the cell level — a rare achievement in energy storage.
• A wide operating temperature: Capable of operating continuously between -40°C and 60°C.
• Long cycle & calendar life: Operation up to 10,000 cycles at 100% DoD.
• No critical materials: No lithium, nickel, cobalt or copper.
• High Power capabilities: 15 minute charge & 5 minute discharge rates.

"This RAMP award is a major step forward—not just for UNIGRID, but for the future of safe, sustainable, and affordable energy storage in California," said Erik A. Wu, CTO at UNIGRID and Principal Investigator of the award. "We are grateful to the CEC for recognizing the value of our technology and supporting our mission to bring next-generation sodium-ion batteries to market."

As energy demands continue to rise, UNIGRID's sodium-ion batteries offer a compelling alternative for grid resilience and distributed energy storage without the safety and supply chain risks of lithium-ion.

UNIGRID | https://unigridbattery.com/