Higher Power PV Modules Drive Up BOS Costs

Hydrogen heating technology company HYTING has commissioned its second customer installation, deploying two air-heating units delivering a combined heat output of 80 kW (2 x 40 kW) at a production facility in Markkleeberg, in the German state of Saxony. This represents a significant step forward in the company’s commercial rollout, with capacity eight times higher than in HYTING's first installation. It also marks the customer debut of HYTING’s 50 kW heat generator platform, which features a 10:1 turndown ratio for continuous modulated heat output. 

The facility in Markkleeberg is shared by two companies: BURO GmbH, which uses it to manufacture sheet-metal components on laser cutting and punching systems, and Südmetall Schließsysteme GmbH, which assembles electronic locking systems. Each of the two HYTING air-heating units serves one of these production areas, enabling tailored temperature distribution throughout the building. 

The system operates in a hybrid configuration alongside a heat pump. The heat pump manages the base heating load, while HYTING's units cover peak demand during periods of high heat requirement or low ambient temperatures. This strategy significantly reduces grid connection capacity and demand charges – in this case by 70% – and enables smaller sizing of the heat pump, reducing both capital expenditure and operating costs, as the heat pump runs continuously at its optimal operating point. Customers can reduce operating costs from day one and achieve a return on investment within approximately three years. 

In the first phase of the installation, hydrogen is sourced from a nearby supplier. However, a further milestone is planned for later this year when BURO's subsidiary H2 Green Planet GmbH – which develops and manufactures electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen – intends to install an on-site electrolyser. This would make the site one of the first commercial buildings to generate and consume its own green hydrogen for heating, at a target production cost of €4-6/kg. 

Tim Hannig, Founder and CEO of HYTING, said: “Our second installation marks a significant step up for us, in terms of scale and as proof-of-concept of what hydrogen air-heating can do for commercial and industrial buildings. At 80 kW, this is not only our most powerful installation so far, but it also demonstrates the effectiveness of our modular design by delivering that total heating capacity with two units. And with H2 Green Planet planning to bring on-site hydrogen production to the facility later this year, we are seeing the full picture coming together: clean heating, powered by locally produced green hydrogen, with a compelling business case from day one.” 

“As a company with more than 50 years of engineering expertise, we know that the clean energy transition will only succeed if it’s affordable and cost-efficient. HYTING's technology shows that it’s already possible today by covering our peak heating demand without adding to our electricity load or our carbon footprint. And through H2 Green Planet, we are taking the next logical step: producing our own green hydrogen on site. This is what a practical, commercially-grounded approach to decarbonisation looks like,” said Jürgen Burger, CEO, BURO. 

Market-ready technology 

The Markkleeberg installation follows another milestone for HYTING, with its 50 kW heat generator receiving Gas Appliance Regulation (GAR) certification. GAR-certification is mandatory and must be issued by an independent accredited laboratory: HYTING once again chose Kiwa to perform the stringent evaluation and subsequent approval of its technology. Kiwa is one of the sector’s longest-established test houses, has a worldwide network of laboratories, and also performed the GAR-certification of the 10kW heat generator. 

Additionally, HYTING has proven the exceptional reliability of its technology by successfully passing 2,500 hours of durability testing conducted by one of the world’s leading engineering service providers. The test simulated the thermal loading imposed by 10 years of normal operation, and was completed without any problems or failures, or any wear to safety-critical components. This ably demonstrates how effectively HYTING’s technology can supersede incumbent fossil fuel heating systems. 

HYTING's technology is based on a proprietary flameless catalytic process in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen from ambient air to generate heat. There are no CO2, NOx, or particulate emissions – the only by-product is water vapour. The technology does not use flammable concentrations of hydrogen at any operating point, making it inherently safe. Its compact, modular design means units can be combined to meet higher heating demands, and the technology is suitable for both new installations and retrofits. 

The urgency of decarbonising commercial and industrial heating has never been greater. European Commission figures show that buildings account for 40% of all energy consumed in the EU and 36% of its greenhouse gas emissions, with heating accounting for a large proportion of that. Yet despite this, the EU Buildings Climate Tracker finds that the sector is more than 40% behind the pace of decarbonisation required to meet 2030 climate targets. The EU's Hydrogen Strategy explicitly identifies heating in commercial and residential buildings as a key application for hydrogen infrastructure, and recognises that for many buildings, hydrogen offers a viable and complementary pathway alongside electrification to replace fossil fuels. 

The broader hydrogen market is growing rapidly, providing an encouraging backdrop for technologies such as HYTING's. The International Energy Agency’s Global Hydrogen Review 2025 report shows that worldwide hydrogen demand reached almost 100 million tonnes in 2024 – and that low-emissions hydrogen production is set to increase more than fivefold by 2030 compared to 2024 levels, as committed projects come online. As costs continue to fall and infrastructure develops, the expanding supply of blue and green hydrogen will make it increasingly accessible to commercial and industrial building operators – strengthening and supporting the wider rollout of HYTING’s heating technology. 

HYTING | https://www.hyting.com/en

DNV has launched RuleAgent, an AI-powered tool that helps maritime professionals access DNV’s rules and standards faster and with greater clarity. Designed to reduce the time customers spend navigating regulatory material, it enables users to ask natural‑language questions and receive targeted results. Fully connected to DNV’s rules and standards database, RuleAgent provides complete traceability to DNV’s official sources.

Maritime regulations are continuously evolving. Navigating the more than 30,000 pages of DNV’s rules across multiple documents, chapters, and editions can be complex and time consuming. By presenting content in real time, RuleAgent enables users to identify the relevant rule paragraphs quickly, reducing the time spent searching across multiple documents.

Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Interim CEO Maritime at DNV said: “Digitalization continues to reshape maritime operations, and DNV is committed to leading this development in a responsible and practical way. By applying advanced AI to our rule framework, we are strengthening how our customers access trusted technical knowledge. This supports more efficient decision making and helps the industry navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.”

RuleAgent works by searching directly in DNV’s rules and standards database and highlighting relevant paragraphs for the user. It then provides short summaries and links to the official sources so that users can verify the content and apply their professional judgement to the results. When customer vessel information is available, the tool uses the specific vessel’s ship type and class notations to narrow the search and present more targeted regulatory guidance.

Martin Borge Heir, Project Manager for RuleAgent at DNV said: “Whether you are an experienced professional or a new user, you can now leverage AI to explore DNV’s regulatory framework and become familiar with the requirements applicable to your business. Our aim is to provide a trusted reference for rule‑related questions, with faster navigation, targeted results, and clear traceability to official sources.”

RuleAgent covers Rules for Ships (RU SHIP), Rules for Offshore Units (RU OU), and reference documents such as Class Guidelines (CG), Class Programs (CP), Statutory Interpretations (SI), Standards (ST), Offshore Standards (OS), and Recommended Practices (RP), with further expansion planned. It has been piloted with selected customers to validate performance and refine the user experience.

DNV | https://www.dnv.com/

Stardust Solar Energy Inc. (TSXV: SUN) (OTCQB: SUNXF) (FSE: 6330) ("Stardust Solar" or the "Company"), a globally expanding renewable energy company supporting the installation, development, training, and deployment of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar solutions across international markets, announced the launch of a new franchise territory serving the Greater Halifax and Dartmouth region of Nova Scotia.

The new territory will be operated by Sheldon Bixby of Pevco Electric Inc., a well-established electrical contractor in the region. Operating as Stardust Solar Halifax, the new franchise expands Stardust Solar's presence in Atlantic Canada while strengthening the Company's growing North American installation network.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is the largest population centre in Atlantic Canada, with more than 480,000 residents across the Halifax-Dartmouth metropolitan area. The region's growing population, rising electricity costs, and strong solar fundamentals make it an increasingly attractive market for renewable energy adoption.

Nova Scotia receives approximately 1,800-2,000 hours of sunshine annually, while solar installations in the Halifax region can generate approximately 1,073 kWh of electricity per kilowatt of installed solar capacity each year, making solar energy both practical and economically viable for homeowners and businesses. Combined with electricity rates around $0.18/kWh and full retail net-metering programs, solar systems in the region can achieve payback periods of approximately 8-11 years, positioning Halifax as one of the stronger solar return-on-investment markets in Canada.

"Expanding into the Halifax-Dartmouth market represents another step forward in Stardust Solar's strategy to scale renewable energy solutions across North America," said Mark Tadros, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stardust Solar Energy Inc. "Atlantic Canada offers a strong opportunity for solar adoption, supported by rising electricity costs, favorable net-metering frameworks, and growing demand for energy independence."

"Our franchise model combines experienced local operators with Stardust Solar's national training, brand, and operational platform," Tadros added. "This approach allows us to scale solar deployment efficiently while building recurring revenue through franchise royalties, equipment supply relationships, and long-term customer engagement. Expanding into markets like Halifax supports our strategy to grow a distributed network of solar installation partners as we continue our global expansion."

Sheldon Bixby, Owner of Pevco Electric Inc. and new operator of Stardust Solar Halifax, highlighted the opportunity for solar growth in Nova Scotia.

"The Halifax and Dartmouth region is experiencing steady population growth and increasing energy demand, and more homeowners and businesses are looking for ways to control their electricity costs and transition to clean energy," said Bixby. "Partnering with Stardust Solar allows us to combine our local electrical expertise with a nationally recognized solar brand, accredited training programs, and proven installation systems. With Nova Scotia's strong net-metering policies and rising electricity prices, we are confident solar adoption will continue to accelerate across the region."

The Halifax territory marks another step in Stardust Solar's strategy to expand its installation network and build a diversified renewable energy platform. As electrification and digital infrastructure drive rising global electricity demand, distributed solar will play an increasingly important role in strengthening energy resilience. Through expansion into markets with strong solar fundamentals, Stardust Solar continues to scale its installation network, training programs, and solar infrastructure development platform.

Stardust Solar Energy I www.stardustsolar.com

Alectra Utilities plans to invest approximately $28.6 million in capital renewal and system enhancement projects across Brampton in 2026, supporting reliable electricity service, accommodating continued growth and strengthening the city’s local electricity grid.

Brampton is one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario, with increasing demand for electricity driven by new housing, business development and the growing use of electric vehicles. The planned work for 2026 focuses on renewing deteriorating infrastructure, meeting growing electricity demand and modernizing the grid to ensure safe and reliable service for customers.

“Brampton continues to grow at a rapid pace, and reliable electricity is essential to supporting that growth,” said Chris Hudson, Senior Vice President, Network Operations and Safety, Alectra Utilities. “This investment will strengthen critical infrastructure, help reduce the risk of outages and enable us to respond faster when service disruptions occur.”

Renewing deteriorating infrastructure to improve reliability

Alectra will continue renewing equipment nearing the end of its useful life to strengthen day-to-day reliability for homes and businesses, including $9.4 million to replace aging infrastructure such as poles, transformers and switchgear.

Expanding the grid to support new customers and development

To keep pace with population growth and new development, Alectra will invest $600,000 to connect new customers across Brampton.

Modernizing the grid for faster restoration

Alectra will invest in upgrades that improve how quickly crews can identify issues and restore power, including a $6.2 million investment to modernize substations and deploy new automated devices by replacing outdated controllers with automated switches, improving restoration speed during disruptions. An additional $1.0 million will be invested to deploy additional automated devices that enable faster response to grid disturbances and help minimize the impact of outages.

Upgrading underground cable to reduce disruptions

Alectra will also invest $6.0 million to replace and rehabilitate underground cables using cable injection technology, extending cable life and helping prevent outages.

Alectra’s investment in Brampton is part of a coordinated, multi-year approach to strengthening electricity infrastructure across the communities it serves.

Alectra | alectrautilities.com/improvingreliability

ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), a global leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions announced the launch of two new offerings: ChargePoint Premier Care and the ChargePoint Support Portal. These services will deliver a world-class customer experience for charging providers. ChargePoint Premier Care offers personalized services with a dedicated expert committed to optimizing your charging operations. The ChargePoint Support Portal is a self-service hub designed to give station owners the visibility, control, and knowledge to resolve issues more efficiently.

“Premier Care and Support Portal bookend ChargePoint’s service offerings for charger management,” said JD Singh, Chief Customer Experience Officer at ChargePoint. “Premier Care allows businesses to streamline operations with our industry-leading team, whereas the Support Portal makes operations easy and intuitive for those who prefer to fully manage their own charger base.”

Premier Care is a “white glove” service for customers with a large charger base or an intricate set of operational needs, effortlessly delivering operational efficiency. With this service, customers receive revenue reports, proactive tracking, and full-service network optimization. A dedicated ChargePoint expert will provide case management, support with charger configurations, produce detailed reporting and more.

Initially included with all ChargePoint Cloud Plan Subscriptions, the new Support Portal aims to simplify technical assistance by minimizing process management and dependance on support queues. Key capabilities of the portal include:

• Comprehensive case management: Users can create and manage support cases as well as track parts and labor progress directly within the portal.
• Enhanced analytics: The Support Portal provides access to case analysis tools and downloadable custom reports.
• A robust knowledge database: Easy access to how-to guides and troubleshooting steps.

ChargePoint Premier Care and the ChargePoint Support Portal are now available, joining ChargePoint Assure and ChargePoint Safeguard Care in the company's portfolio of support solutions. Learn more about ChargePoint support services HERE.

ChargePoint | https://www.chargepoint.com/

ION Minerals (ION or the Company), a leading private holder of brine-borne lithium mineral interests in North America, highlights significant expansion across its diversified lithium resource portfolio in the United States and Canada.

ION has strategically expanded its acreage footprint through disciplined acquisitions, targeted leasing, and focused geological evaluation. The Company now controls just over 280,000 mineral acres across three project areas, positioning ION as a premier developer of lithium resources critical to the North American battery supply chain.

Project Area 1: East Texas – Smackover Formation

ION controls nearly 50,000 mineral acres strategically located between Tetra Technologies’ Evergreen Brine Unit and Standard Lithium’s Reynolds Brine Unit in Southwest Arkansas and Standard Lithium’s Franklin Project in East Texas, where reported resource densities range from 47–60 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) per acre.

The acreage establishes a commercial-scale position within one of North America’s most actively advancing brine development corridors, benefiting from strong regional resource validation, established brine production history, and increasing commercial momentum in adjacent projects.

Project Area 2: Texas Panhandle – Brown & White Dolomite Formations

In the prospective Texas Panhandle region, ION also controls nearly 65,000 mineral acres, where internal analysis of public and proprietary data estimates as much as 2.4 million tonnes of LCE in place.

The position sits within a nearly 500,000-acre Area of Interest and provides a path to large-scale commercial development potential.

Project Area 3: Saskatchewan – Duperow Formation

ION recently acquired just over 165,000 mineral acres in Southeast Saskatchewan, establishing a significant position in the rapidly emerging lithium brine play targeting the Duperow Formation.

Based on preliminary geological data and independent analog assessments, the Saskatchewan acreage is estimated to contain as much as 2.5 million tonnes of LCE potential. The project targets multiple productive benches within the Duperow Formation, with drilling and testing currently slated to begin in Summer 2026.

“With this portfolio expansion, we have materially strengthened our position as a scaled, diversified, lithium developer, and advanced our mission to responsibly unlock lithium resources that will help fuel the North American battery supply chain,” said Justin Love, Chief Executive Officer of ION Minerals. “The newly acquired Saskatchewan – Duperow position complements our existing strategic landholdings in the Texas Panhandle and Texas Smackover, placing ION among a select group of developers across the continent with meaningful scale and asset diversification.”

Lithium remains foundational to electric vehicle batteries, grid storage systems, and broader electrification initiatives. U.S. and Canadian policymakers continue to emphasize domestic critical mineral development as a matter of economic and energy security. ION’s just over 280,000-acre land position across Saskatchewan and Texas provides exposure to large-scale brine systems in jurisdictions aligned with long-term domestic supply chain development.

ION Minerals | https://ionminerals.com/

SOLARCYCLE, a technology-based solar recycling company, has entered into an exclusive recycling services agreement with Prologis, a global logistics real estate company and a large operator of rooftop solar systems. 

The agreement covers the recycling of end-of-life solar panels and related equipment across Prologis’s U.S. portfolio. Prologis has more than 1 gigawatt of installed solar and battery storage capacity across its properties. 

By establishing a single recycling provider, the companies aim to create a consistent process for handling retired solar assets at scale. The arrangement is expected to provide SOLARCYCLE with a predictable volume of materials, allowing for more efficient facility planning and investment in recycling technology. The company said this can improve material recovery rates and reduce processing costs over time. 

“Prologis has set the standard for distributed solar deployment at scale,” said Suvi Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of SOLARCYCLE. “This agreement allows us to plan around one of the largest rooftop solar portfolios, which helps us drive operational efficiencies, improve our technology and continue reducing costs toward landfill parity. This is the type of win-win feedback loop needed to meaningfully scale circular infrastructure and support the next generation of facilities.” 

Prologis has backed SOLARCYCLE through its strategic investment arm, Prologis Ventures, which focuses on early- and growth-stage companies building technologies across supply chain and transportation, proptech and construction and energy and sustainability. The company said the agreement addresses a growing operational need to manage aging solar equipment and reduce landfill disposal as its installed base continues to expand. 

“We’ve built one of the largest distributed solar portfolios in the country, and managing it responsibly requires a full lifecycle approach, from development through end of life,” said Alta Yen, Head of Energy, U.S., Prologis. “This partnership reflects a deliberate strategy to scale efficiently while putting consistent, high-quality solutions in place as our portfolio continues to mature.” 

The partnership reflects a broader industry shift toward managing the full lifecycle of solar infrastructure. As early generations of distributed solar systems begin to reach end of life, owners are facing increasing pressure to establish reliable, cost-effective recycling solutions and demonstrate responsible materials handling. 

Under the agreement, recovered materials will be processed for reuse within domestic supply chains, supporting efforts to reduce waste and recover valuable components from solar equipment. 

SOLARCYCLE | www.solarcycle.us