The Solar Product Registry Set to Boost Solar Deployment

Electric utilities face mounting challenges from electrification, climate resilience, and affordability concerns. U.S. investor-owned utilities’ capital expenditures have increased from $136.6 billion in 2021 to $167.8 billion, projected for 2023, with 36% of those capital expenditures allocated towards adaptation, hardening, and resilience, on average. Despite this, storm-related outages still cost the U.S. $64.8 billion annually, and a projected $500 billion gap remains in capital to fully harden generation, transmission, and distribution systems against climate threats through 2050.

Utilities are evolving their distribution system planning (DSP) processes to include resilience, decarbonization, and affordability due to extreme weather threats to the grid. However, resilience is not yet fully integrated into many utilities’ DSP. Requirements vary across states, with some focusing only on wildfire mitigation plans. SEPA and Rhizome analyzed utility resilience plans, offering best practices and insights to help utilities better incorporate resilience and guide regulators in refining planning policies and frameworks. Get the report here: https://sepapower.org/resource/resilient-by-design/

SEPA | https://sepapower.org/

Rhizome | https://www.rhizomedata.com/

In what should be a model across the U.S., Nexamp has successfully completed construction on three projects, including the scope of work typically performed by the electric utility, marking a significant advancement in clean energy deployment. The concept, known as self-performance, allows developers to perform certain grid modifications and infrastructure upgrades to reduce both the time and cost required to connect their projects to the grid. 

Working with Central Maine Power (CMP) in Maine and National Grid in Massachusetts, Nexamp took responsibility for procuring the necessary equipment and performing the requisite construction to get three recent projects completed and operating faster. Nexamp and its contractors worked closely with engineers and project managers from CMP and National Grid on each project, ensuring that all technical specs and requirements were met to maintain the utmost attention to safety and reliability.

The first three projects that were part of the self-performance initiative are:

• Hartland Solar, a 1.2 MW DC solar farm in Hartland, Maine
• Barre Road Solar, a 1.3 MW DC solar farm in New Braintree, Mass.
• Summit Farm Solar, a 2.6 MW DC solar farm in New Braintree, Mass.

“Self-performance allows us to take much greater control over the interconnection procurement and construction, enabling us to bring projects online faster and closer to budget,” notes Daniel Passarello, Lead Consulting Engineer, Grid Integration, Nexamp. “By leveraging our construction contractor relationships, we can move much of the interconnection work along in parallel to the build-out of the solar farm rather than having to treat them as separate processes. This ultimately creates opportunities to reduce the number of mobilizations.”

During the self-performance process, Nexamp is able to directly negotiate better pricing and delivery times with its long-standing supplier relationships. Passarello notes that the company orders much of the same utility-required hardware for its own facility in bulk, and if an expedited shipment is needed, the company can go to the supplier directly. “The results are greater visibility, control, and certainty to drive shorter interconnection timelines, create opportunities to save costs, and reduce burden on utilities. This kind of forward thinking makes the continued deployment of clean energy more efficient, leading to lower costs for consumers and increased energy supply to meet our nation’s growing demand,” he says.

Utilities have historically maintained responsibility for construction required to connect a distributed solar project to the grid. With the rapid increase in solar generating capacity, sharing some of that work with private developers is proving to be a benefit. 

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimates that nearly 8 Gigawatts of community solar have been installed in the U.S. through the end of 2024, and that number is increasing rapidly, expected to almost double in the next five years. Finding ways to ensure that these projects are deployed quickly and efficiently is critical, and the organization notes that self-performance is critical to future success.

“We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand for energy,” said SEIA’s Vice President of State Affairs, Sara Birmingham. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers. SEIA congratulates Nexamp for taking this leap and looks forward to collaborating across the industry on solutions to deploy solar faster, strengthen grid reliability, and improve energy affordability for all Americans.”  

In addition to demonstrating the promise of a self-performance program, Nexamp also recently worked with the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2) on a report detailing the important role flexible interconnection plays in getting projects connected more quickly and with fewer required grid upgrades. Flexible interconnection allows distributed solar projects to interconnect to the grid and perform to accommodate grid capacity dynamics, rather than requiring the developer to spend significant sums of money to build additional capacity. Together, these two shifts can significantly improve two of the biggest hurdles to swift deployment: interconnection timelines and costs. This initiative shows that some of today’s challenges for distributed solar, such as cost and deployment times, can be addressed with innovative and collaborative solutions.

“The opportunity to lead some of the very first self-performance projects is significant and we’re proud to see the results. CMP and National Grid are each showing the market how adaptability and process improvements make a difference in getting more renewable energy resources onto the grid. Customers in Maine and Massachusetts are the real beneficiaries of these three projects today, as they now are able to join tens of thousands of other Nexamp community solar subscribers in saving money and supporting the expansion of clean energy,” added Nicholas Burica, Sr. Director of Grid Planning, Nexamp. 

Nexamp | www.nexamp.com

Boston-based Electrified Thermal Solutions, a leader in electrified heating and thermal energy storage solutions, and HWI, A member of Calderys, one of the leading suppliers of refractory products and services in the United States, announced a strategic manufacturing partnership. The collaboration will develop and produce electrically conductive firebricks (E-bricks) which will be used in Electrified Thermal's Joule Hive Thermal Battery.

The Joule Hive Thermal Battery takes in electricity, then converts and stores it as heat through the E-bricks at temperatures up to 1,800°C (3,275°F), hot enough to power even the most demanding industrial processes. This capability allows customers to deliver consistent, high-temperature heat using renewable electricity at lower cost than traditional fossil fuels.

The E-bricks will be manufactured at HWI's production facilities, combining Electrified Thermal's technology, developed at MIT, with HWI's 160 years of refractory expertise. By leveraging this strategic collaboration, Electrified Thermal and HWI will demonstrate a viable pathway to reduce costs and mitigate emissions across energy-intensive industries. Electrified Thermal's first commercial-scale demonstration is expected to be operational in 2025, with the goal of deploying 2 gigawatts of electrified thermal power by 2030.

"Industrial heat represents one of the most challenging frontiers in the world's effort to address climate change. The majority of energy used annually for industrial heating worldwide comes from burning fossil fuels," said Daniel Stack, Co-Founder and CEO of Electrified Thermal Solutions. "To make a meaningful impact at global scale, we needed a solution that could be produced rapidly through existing supply chains. Our partnership with HWI transforms what could have been a manufacturing bottleneck into a powerful scaling advantage, allowing us to meet the multi-gigawatt demand we're seeing from industrial customers worldwide."

Ben Stanton, Director, Applications Technology for Thermal Markets, EEC and C/I Network, at HWI, highlighted the technical synergy behind the partnership: "For generations, HWI has been developing advanced refractory solutions for the most demanding applications in industry. Electrified Thermal's E-Brick material is a breakthrough in refractory technology that maintains the high-temperature durability required by customers, while also generating the heat to run their processes. This partnership aligns perfectly with our Group's commitment to supporting our customers through their energy transition journey."

The industrial sectors increasingly seek viable pathways to reduce emissions while maintaining reliable performance, and this collaboration offers both benefits while providing opportunities to expand production throughput.

Bruno Touzo, Global Vice President of Innovation & Technology for Calderys Group, concluded: "Leveraging our extensive global network, deep expertise in refractory materials, and established supply chains, we are well-positioned to support the design and rapid scale-up of E-brick manufacturing. This collaboration aligns closely with our broader innovation strategy and enables us to respond effectively to the growing demand from industries transitioning to cleaner energy solutions."

Electrified Thermal Solutions | www.electrifiedthermal.com

HWI | www.thinkhwi.com

NEMA President and CEO Debra Phillips issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s release of a comprehensive strategy to ensure the U.S. achieves AI supremacy through American energy dominance, support for next-generation manufacturing, and other tactics:

“In an era when artificial intelligence, manufacturing, electrification, and everyday demand for energy are testing the limits of America’s electric grid, federal policy that affects our nation’s power generation, transmission, and distribution capabilities must keep pace. President Trump’s new blueprint – America’s AI Action Plan – is a welcome development for the electroindustry.

“The Plan underscores the criticality of a modernized and resilient power grid, determining that the United States must explore solutions like advanced grid management technologies. Electrical manufacturers are at the forefront of this transformation – deploying reconductoring solutions, digital substations, and data center strategies that optimize grid capacity and enhance reliability. 

“As electricity demand is projected to increase 50% by 2050, NEMA members are ready to meet the moment and deliver innovative technology solutions manufactured here in the United States. NEMA welcomes the Plan’s vision for a more robust domestic manufacturing base and a skilled workforce. These priorities reflect NEMA’s efforts to scale production of manufactured goods that meet federal Build America, Buy America (BABA) domestic content requirements.” 

National Electrical Manufacturers Association | makeitelectric.org

With the introduction of a new 16 port ECO Unmanaged Switch and Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) media converter, WAGO is making connecting and communicating more cost effective.  

Ideal for small to medium-sized networks, the 16 port ECO Unmanaged Switch features a slim design and speeds of 1 GB/s per port. Its DIN-rail adaptor for any cabinet simplifies installation and delivers high vibration and shock resistance. Automatic transmission rate detection and identification of the transmit and receive lines provides plug-and-play operation to help save time during commissioning. 

Fiber optic communication over long distances may not always be available, so WAGO is introducing their Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) media converter as a viable alternative. This converter enables Ethernet communication with a bandwidth of 10 Mbit/s with shielded twisted pair cabling over a range of 3280 feet. Connect the converter simply and quickly to a levered CAGE CLAMP® connector using new or existing cables. With high heat, shock, and vibration resistance, this converter can be operated with a supply voltage of 12 to 48 VDC and only consuming 3 watts.

WAGO | www.wago.us

AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous systems, revealed Skyfall—a potential future mission concept for next-generation Mars Helicopters developed with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to help pave the way for human landing on Mars through autonomous aerial exploration. The concept is heavily focused on rapidly delivering an affordable, technically mature solution for expanded Mars exploration that would be ready for launch by 2028. 

Skyfall is designed to deploy six scout helicopters on Mars, where they would explore many of the sites selected by NASA and industry as top candidate landing sites for America’s first Martian astronauts. While exploring the region, each helicopter can operate independently, beaming high-resolution surface imaging and sub-surface radar data back to Earth for analysis, helping ensure crewed vehicles make safe landings at areas with maximum amounts of water, ice, and other resources. The data Skyfall collects could also advance the nation’s quest to discover whether Mars was ever habitable.

The concept would be the first to use the “Skyfall Maneuver”–an innovative entry, descent and landing technique whereby the six rotorcraft deploy from their entry capsule during its descent through the Martian atmosphere. By flying the helicopters down to the Mars surface under their own power, Skyfall would eliminate the necessity for a landing platform–traditionally one of the most expensive, complex and risky elements of any Mars mission.

This new Mars Helicopter concept leverages AV and JPL’s prior success as co-developers of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter program, which was executed on time and on budget and completed 72 historic flights at Mars’ Jezero Crater in just under three years–outperforming flight targets by more than 14 times and longevity targets by more than 32 times expectations. True to its name, Ingenuity showcased American innovation and space superiority by achieving the first powered flight on another world, introducing the speed and data collection capability that aerial operations bring to the Red Planet. 

“Skyfall offers a revolutionary new approach to Mars exploration that is faster and more affordable than anything that’s come before it,” said William Pomerantz, Head of Space Ventures at AV. “Thanks to a true partnership between industry and government, we’re expanding the unprecedented success of Ingenuity. With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct–making humanity’s first footprints on Mars meaningfully closer.”

Skyfall builds upon AV’s expertise in multi-domain autonomous systems and proven capabilities as part of the Ingenuity program, including its lightweight aircraft structure suitable for the thin atmosphere of Mars. As part of the public-private partnership, JPL plans to transfer some components of its Ingenuity work to AV for the new mission, commercializing many of the proven avionics, flight software, and modeling techniques that have worked on Mars.

“Ingenuity established the United States as the first and only country to achieve powered flight on another planet. Skyfall builds on that promise, providing detailed, actionable data from an aerial perspective that will not only be of use planning for future crewed missions, but can also benefit the planetary science community in their search for evidence that life once existed on Mars,” said Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AV. “From ground to air to sea and now to space, our fleet of uncrewed systems is unleashing American drone dominance across all domains and inspiring the next generation of American scientists, engineers, and explorers to ensure that dominance persists for generations to come."

Both Ingenuity and the Skyfall concept are part of the broader AV_Space portfolio, which spans ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), space technologies and payloads, and space operations. AV is a leader in long-haul laser communication, offering resilient space-based communication terminals that are faster, more secure, and consume less power than traditional systems. AV’s advanced surveillance, data collection, and rapid analysis capabilities enhance customer situational awareness across various domains and ensure our nation’s space superiority. With its BADGER and WASP ground-based phased array antennas, AV is modernizing and simplifying mission operations while rapidly expanding satellite command and control capabilities for complex SATCOM, telemetry, and electronic warfare missions. 

With NASA’s goal of launching inspiring missions to Mars during favorable launch windows as the planets align, AV has already begun internal investments and coordination with NASA JPL to facilitate a potential 2028 launch.

AeroVironment | www.avinc.com

Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced that it has placed its 80^th U.S. power generation project into operation, marking a major milestone for the company as it provides energy to homes and businesses in 23 states across the country. Over the past six months, Avangrid announced that it achieved commercial operation on three new solar projects in Texas, Ohio, and California, adding nearly 600 megawatts (MW) to the grid, enough energy to power over 100,000 homes. This achievement builds on Avangrid’s commitment to helping the nation meet its growing demand for energy while bolstering the U.S. economy.

“For over two decades, Avangrid has been delivering energy to homes and businesses across the nation, and today that portfolio has grown to 80 facilities spanning from coast to coast,” said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid CEO. “Achieving this milestone comes at a critical time as we work to bring new energy capacity online to meet growing electricity demand from a variety of sources, particularly the construction of new data centers. In just the past six months, Avangrid has achieved commercial operation at three new projects, demonstrating our ability to meet the needs of our customers and bring needed capacity to increasingly strained electric grids. We will continue to collaborate with our partners as we work to secure American energy independence and support jobs and economic growth across the U.S.”

In March 2025, Avangrid announced that it achieved commercial operations at its True North Solar project in Falls County, Texas. This 321 MWdc project is supporting Meta’s operations, including its upcoming data center in Temple, TX. In June 2025, Avangrid announced commercial operations at Camino Solar, a 57 MWdc project in Kern County, California as well as commercial operations at Powell Creek Solar, a 202 MWdc project in Putnam County, Ohio.

Communities across the country realize tangible economic and social benefits thanks to Avangrid’s portfolio of projects. These 80 operating projects supported over 12,000 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced) last year. Additionally, the company’s power generation business contributed $112 million in taxes to state and local jurisdictions, paid $97 million in lease payments, and delivered $2.1 million in community support in 2024. Avangrid, including its power generation business and regulated utilities in the Northeast, has also grown its support of U.S. companies through its supply chain, investing $4.3 billion with U.S. companies last year.

In Oregon and Washington, for example, Avangrid has a large business office, its National Control Center, National Training Center, and approximately 3.0 GW of generating capacity, representing a key region for the company. Avangrid’s operations support approximately 500 jobs and paid nearly $30 million in taxes, combined across both states.

“For many years, Avangrid has been a valuable member of Oregon’s business community and has played an important role in providing Oregonians with reliable energy,” said Angela Wilhelms, president and CEO of Oregon Business and Industry.

“Avangrid has been a leader in the energy industry in the Northwest for many years, with a talented local workforce, innovative operations, and competitive solutions for power customers around the country,” said Spencer Gray, executive director of the Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition. “I congratulate Avangrid on reaching this milestone and continuing its track record of excellence as an independent power generator.”

With energy demand expected to surge over the next decade, largely due to the construction of new data centers, Avangrid’s ability to bring new energy projects is vital. The company already has approximately 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity that supports data centers with an additional 650 MW under construction or will be under construction soon. Avangrid is actively working on new projects that will help meet expected energy demand growth in the coming years.

In March 2025, Avangrid announced its plan to invest $20 billion in U.S. electrical grid infrastructure through the end of the decade. The plan reflects the critical need to invest in energy infrastructure to meet growing demand, as well as the United States’ position as a top investment priority for Avangrid and Iberdrola.

Avangrid | avangrid.com