Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In the first seven months of 2026, Turkiye generated 61% of its electricity from renewable sources. Since hydro and solar generation have seasonal peaks, that rate may not be maintained through the end of this year, but renewables are anyway central to the country’s grid now. In July, solar electricity generation soared to 15% of the total, up by half again over last year’s average. The country’s sunny summers are ideal for solar energy generation. Already by the end of 2025, wind and solar alone supplied 22% of the country’s electricity, according to the Ember energy consultancy. Türkiye also is rich in hydroelectric power, its biggest single source of renewable energy, and has small amounts of geothermal and biofuels. Türkiye’s solar capacity doubled between 2023 and 2025, an impressive achievement by any measure. Remember that Türkiye’s energy appetite, as a fast-growing economy, is enormous and has been growing 5% a year. So renewables not only have to replace existing coal and gas, they have to meet substantial new demand. While Türkiye and Morocco lead the greater Middle East region in wind and solar, Türkiye is toward the bottom of the pack among the big electricity...

Tamil Nadu-based Cleantech Solar has commissioned 36 MWp of open-access solar projects for clients across the automotive, industrial manufacturing, and engineering sectors. Cleantech Solar said in a press release, about suppling power at the facility from its 200 MWp renewable energy park in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. Power from the newly commissioned projects will be supplied under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). The projects also strengthen Cleantech Solar’s presence in Tamil Nadu and support its growing portfolio of blue-chip C&I customers. The projects were executed ahead of schedule, demonstrating the company’s ability to provide safe, repeatable, and reliable power solutions that meet its clients’ manufacturing requirements. In 2025, Cleantech Solar setup 80 MWp open-access solar projects for industrial clients at its 275 MWp solar park in Tamil Nadu. It supplied the power from this project to Singapore- based firm captive projects to corporate clients to meet their manufacturing energy needs. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Executive Officer at Cleantech Solar, said, “This commissioning at our Thoothukudi park reflects the continued trust that leading corporates place in Cleantech Solar’s ability to deliver bankable, high-quality renewable energy solutions in Tamil Nadu. It is pertinent to note that these projects have been delivered in record...

Global biofuels production is projected to surge by nearly 70% by 2030 as major producing countries raise their fuel-blending mandates in response to the energy crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict, a study co-authored by British think tank Chatham House and Forest Stewardship Council has found. Biofuels like ethanol, which typically originate from food crops or animal feed and are mixed with gasoline or diesel, become more cost-competitive as crude oil and gasoline prices spike. Several countries, including the U.S., the EU, Brazil, India and Indonesia have adopted or proposed higher biofuel blending mandates since the outbreak of the conflict in late February. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) "Set 2" rule for 2026 and 2027 in April, establishing the highest renewable fuel volume mandates in the 20-year history of the program. The mandate raises biomass-based diesel volume requirements to 5.4 billion gallons for 2026 and 5.7 billion gallons for 2027, up from 3.35 billion gallons in 2025. EPA estimates that meeting the new requirements will require about 6.07 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel in 2026 after accounting for exports and other fuel that does not generate compliance credits. The EPA...

Decon Corporation, an Australian infrastructure services company specializing in telecommunications network design, electrical contracting, and clean energy technology, has completed the first month of a proof-of-concept trial of its lightweight, flexible solar laminate panels wrapped around the north facing side of a 40-meter-high nbn Fixed Wireless monopole. The trial allows renewable energy generation to be integrated into an existing site with minimal impact on structural loading and aims to demonstrate how installing onsite solar generation to power fixed wireless towers can help improve network reliability and resilience while reducing energy demand. Combined with existing battery storage and other energy saving features, the bendable solar laminate solution is designed to run sites equipped with the solar sleeve solution for up to 12 hours during a power outage, and maintain connectivity for nearby customers. Early results indicate the system can generate the equivalent of up to 40% of the site’s total power demand during daylight hours, depending on weather conditions. Decon Corporation Chief Executive Officer Brett Matheson said a key differentiator of the solution is Decon’s patented mounting technology, which enables solar laminate systems to be integrated onto existing monopoles in a practical, scalable and repeatable way. Nbn Chief Technology Officer Guy...

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in St. John’s on Monday to announce a new agreement on Churchill Falls and other electricity projects in Labrador, alongside N.L. Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier ...

Work to build a 43,000 panel solar farm is to begin in November, after a contract was signed with a carbon-neutral developer. The farm will power 9,400 homes, and will be built on farmland to the south of Barkham, Berkshire, owned by Wokingham Borough Council. The facility is expected to go live and start generating electricity in September 2027, with full connectivity expected by 2029. Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, the council's executive member for finance and governance, said signing the contract with Equans was an "important step forward for the council". She said the the project would also "bring new walking and cycling links, increased biodiversity and hundreds of new trees, creating a lasting legacy for local communities". The farm is also set to generate more than £1m income for the council every year, according to the authority. The authority has worked with local charity Freely Fruity to plant about 1,000 fruit trees on the site. In January, the council said it expected the farm to be built 10 years ahead of schedule. In 2021, a tenant cattle farmer who worked on the land was told to leave to make way for the solar farm. Andrew Lake rented High Barn Farm from...

The project is expected to generate more than 200 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power more than 21,000 homes and avoid an estimated 96,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, supporting Michigan’s transition to a cleaner energy future. On October 8, NorthStar Clean Energy will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony bringing together project partners, customers, local officials, community leaders and stakeholders to celebrate the project’s completion and recognize the collaboration that made Hart Solar possible. Beyond generating clean energy, the Hart Solar Project is helping strengthen Michigan communities through significant economic investment and local partnerships. The project created more than 300 construction jobs and made significant contributions to Michigan’s economy during development and construction, while also providing a long-term source of tax revenue to support local services and infrastructure. As a result of the project, Hart Township also received roughly $600,000 via EGLE’s Renewables Ready Communities Award Program to fund community improvements that will benefit residents for years to come. Additionally, the CMS Energy Foundation granted a local food bank, Lakeshore Food Club, $100,000 to further support community well-being and access to essential resources. “Hart Solar is an important investment in Michigan’s energy future and demonstrates how...

Offshore wind farms are growing in number, with many experts saying this renewable source of energy is vital to tackling climate change. But many of the same experts caution that responsible construction is required to avoid potentially large impacts on marine ecosystems as farms proliferate in the coming years. On one hand, offshore wind farms can provide an ecological boon by acting as de facto marine reserves that limit fishing, including harmful practices like bottom trawling. They can also be refugia for fish like sharks and rays, crustaceans and other species, as their structures act as artificial reefs. But offshore wind farms also have a host of negative impacts across their life cycle, from construction to decommissioning. Birds and bats risk collision with offshore wind turbines and loss of habitat to farms, while some marine mammals avoid wind farms or change behaviour due to their presence. Over the past two decades, offshore wind farm numbers have increased, particularly in China and Europe, and research into the ecosystem effects hasn’t kept pace. A 2025 paper underlines that 86 per cent of possible impacts on ecosystem services remain “unknown.” Long-term data is lacking to understand how biodiversity and ecosystems respond to wind...

As India expands its clean energy capacity, finding land for solar projects is becoming a challenge. This is driving interest in innovative solar solutions that can generate power without needing more land. The recently approved PM Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) is a step in this direction, aiming to develop 5,000 MW of floating solar capacity on reservoirs and other inland water bodies across the country. However, India’s water infrastructure has more to offer: the country’s vast canal network — one of the largest in the world — is another under-explored avenue to generate solar power. Built over existing irrigation and water-supply canals, canal-top photovoltaics (CTPV) provides a unique approach to turn them into clean energy assets. In CTPV, solar panels are mounted on specialised structures built over canal stretches. Unlike floating solar systems, where panels are installed on floating platforms on water bodies, CTPV systems use elevated structures above the canals. Systems can be built based on the canal’s width, design, and orientation. The elevated structures may span the canal or can be installed along the canal banks. In all cases, the design must allow unobstructed water flow. Advantages of CTPV Similar to floating solar, the biggest advantage of CTPV...