Navigating the Complex Landscape of Energy Storage Permitting

Despite renewable energy installations hitting a new peak, jobs in the sector only increased by 2.3% from 2023, reaching 16.6 million in 2024. The newly released Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) highlights the increasing impact of geopolitical and geoeconomic frictions, as well as growing automation, to the renewable energy workforce. 

As in previous years, uneven development continues across the world. China remains the preeminent force in both deployment of generating capacities and equipment manufacturing, mainly due to its integrated, large-scale supply chains that deliver equipment at unmatched prices. 

In 2024, China created an estimated 7.3 million renewable energy jobs, or 44% of the global total. The EU followed suit with the same total as in 2023 at 1.8 million jobs. Brazil’s renewables employment runs to 1.4 million, while India’s and the United States’ barely grew from around 1 million to 1.3 million and 1.1 million, respectively.

Commenting on this trend, IRENA Director-General, Francesco La Camera, said, “Renewable energy deployment is booming, but the human side of the story is as important as the technological side. Governments must put people at the centre of their energy and climate objectives through trade and industrial policies that drive investments, build domestic capacity, and develop a skilled workforce along the supply chain. The geographical imbalance of the job growth reminds us to get international collaboration back on track. Countries that are lagging behind in the energy transition must be supported by the international community. This is essential not only to meet the goal of tripling renewable power capacity by 2030, but also to ensure that socio-economic benefits become lived realities for all, helping to shore up popular support for the transition.”

In terms of employment by technology, solar photovoltaics (PV) retains the lead, owing to the continued rapid expansion of installations and panel manufacturing plants. The industry employed 7.3 million people in 2024. Asian countries hosted 75% of the world’s PV jobs with China garnering the bulk of the employment at 4.2 million.

Liquid biofuels follow after solar PV, creating 2.6 million jobs in 2024 with 46.5% of the total jobs generated in Asia. Hydropower came in third place with 2.3 million jobs, and wind follows with 1.9 million jobs. 

Beyond the numbers, this edition of the annual report underscores the need for more inclusion and equity in the renewable energy workforce. A just transition demands that no population groups—such as women and people with disabilities—are left at the margins. The renewables-based energy future must be shaped by diverse talents and perspectives. To this day, both groups’ potential remains under-utilised, which calls for deliberate, multifaceted and systemic action.

ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo highlighted that “A just transition to a renewables-based future must be grounded in inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunity. As countries scale up renewable energy investments and job creation, we have a particular responsibility to ensure that accessibility for persons with disabilities – who too often face barriers to inclusion in labour markets despite their skills, experience and talent - is built into every stage of policy design and implementation. This requires accessible training systems, inclusive hiring practices, and workplaces that accommodate, welcome and respond to diverse needs and respect every worker’s rights. Disability inclusion is not only a matter of justice; it is essential for resilient labour markets and sustainable development. By removing barriers to equality and promoting decent work, we strengthen economies and ensure that the energy transition truly works for all.”

Fostering a culture that respects diversity and upholds inclusion and fairness requires sustained, inclusive policy frameworks including accessible education and training, labour market services, and other measures. Designing and shaping such policies requires that all stakeholders have a seat at the table, especially those who are all too readily sidelined. Discriminatory practices and outdated social and cultural norms must be left in the past for the energy transition to truly drive more successful economies for all members of the community.

This 12^th edition of the Annual Review is part of IRENA’s extensive analytical work on the socio-economic impacts of a renewables-based energy transition. This is the 5^th edition developed in collaboration with ILO. Building on its expertise on the world of work, the ILO contributed the report’s chapter on inclusion of people with disabilities. 

Read the full report here.

IRENA | https://www.irena.org/

SolaREIT, the leading solar and battery storage real estate investment company, announced the expansion of its revolving credit facility to $80 million through an increased commitment from Atlantic Union Bank (NYSE: AUB) and their syndication partner, EagleBank (NASDAQ: EGBN). Atlantic Union Bank serves as sole book runner and administrative agent for the facility, leading the structuring and syndication efforts. 

This marks the fourth upsize of the facility in three years, reflecting confidence in SolaREIT's business model and the increasing demand for storage and solar land financing solutions. The facility provides SolaREIT with additionalcapital to meet demand from solar and battery energy storage developers. The company's innovative financing solutions help developers and landowners maximize the value of their real estate assets while advancing clean energy deployment. 

"We're thrilled to continue our partnerships with Atlantic Union Bank and EagleBank to provide financing solutions to energy storage and solar developers. This expanded facility demonstrates the financial community's confidence in our business model and team," said Laura Pagliarulo, CEO and Co-founder of SolaREIT. "This year is a critical year for developers, and the need for reliable, flexible financing solutions is acute. This increased capital allows us to continue scaling our support for solar and storage projects across the country as developers look to complete projects on an accelerated timeline." 

"This fourth expansion of SolaREIT's credit facility demonstrates both their excellent execution and the robust demand for solar and storage land financing," said John Lester, SVP and commercial relationship manager at Atlantic Union Bank. "We're proud to continue growing our partnership with a company that's helping accelerate clean energy deployment through innovative real estate solutions." 

“EagleBank is pleased to support SolaREIT as they continue to scale their renewable energy real estate platform,” said Toby Haggerty, SVP and C&I Relationship Manager at EagleBank. “Their approach and established presence in the sector make them a strong partner, and we look forward to continuing to work together.”  

Energy storage and solar development require significant real estate investment. SolaREIT partners with developers and landowners to provide capital solutions that optimize land value and support project development. The company's practical, streamlined financing options deliver maximum flexibility based on clients' individual needs, financial goals, and vision for their land. SolaREIT has provided real estate financing for the land under $5 billion in projects since its founding.   

SolaREIT | https://www.solareit.com/

Atlantic Union Bank | https://www.atlanticunionbank.com/

Eagle Bancorp | https://www.eaglebankcorp.com/

Nextpower (Nasdaq: NXT, formerly Nextracker) and Abunayyan Holding announced the completion of the incorporation of the previously announced joint venture, Nextpower Arabia, headquartered in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new joint venture will accelerate the deployment of utility-scale solar power plants across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, supporting national and regional renewable energy transformation objectives and Net Zero targets.

As part of the new joint venture, the partners also announced a new advanced manufacturing facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Nextpower Arabia will provide advanced tracker systems, yield management, and control solutions for installation on large-scale solar projects across the MENA region.

The facility is expected to enable total manufacturing and localized supply chain capacity of up to 12 GW per year, supporting the creation of up to 2,000 jobs and development of local engineering and technical talent within the Kingdom. Currently under construction on a 42,000-square-meter site, the production facility is anticipated to open in Q2 of calendar year 2026 and will manufacture Nextpower’s comprehensive portfolio of solar tracking systems, adding up to 600 employees (watch the video).

Khalid Abunayyan, Chairman of Abunayyan Holding, said, “Making energy and water supply readily accessible, sustainable, and affordable is essential to the continued economic and social development of Saudi Arabia and our partners across the region. It is also central to the core values and DNA of Abunayyan Holding. Partnering with Nextpower, a true pioneer in the international solar energy community, strengthens our role in advancing Saudi’s clean energy vision by localizing advanced manufacturing and technologies, building local capacity development, and creating lasting value for generations to come.”

Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextpower, said, “Saudi Arabia is a strategic market for Nextpower as we expand our ability to serve customers across the Middle East. The Kingdom is making significant progress in advancing the energy transition, and we’re proud and honored to support these monumental initiatives with proven solar technology and trusted local partnerships. Abunayyan Group’s regional expertise and alignment with our business focus make them the right partner to help deliver greater value, faster, for customers in the region.”

Turki Al-Amri, Abunayyan Holding CEO and Nextpower Arabia Chairman and CEO, said, “Our manufacturing facility represents the first step in our strategic vision to strengthen and localize the solar supply chain for our partners across the MENA region and enhance collaboration to deliver highly efficient and cost-effective clean energy. By sourcing core materials such as Saudi-produced steel through our strategic partners and manufacturing locally, we are supporting economic diversification and industrial growth that is at the foundation of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Nextpower Arabia combines the deep regional expertise of Riyadh-based Abunayyan Holding with the global solar technology leadership of Nextpower. Abunayyan Holding brings more than 75 years of experience developing and privatizing the operation of critical water and energy infrastructure across Saudi and the MENA region. The company was a key driver of the consortium behind the founding and growth of several development arms and forming joint ventures that bring leading technology to the region.

U.S.-headquartered Nextpower is a global leader in advanced solar tracking systems and software, with over 150 GW of trackers under fulfilment or operational across more than 45 countries worldwide. This total includes more than 6 GW of solar projects across the Middle East and Africa, such as Phase V of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the UAE and 3 GW of Saudi landmark projects, including:

• 405 MWp of the Sakaka Solar Park, the Kingdom’s first utility-scale solar project
• 1,170 MWp Al Kahfah project
• 449 MWp Tabarjal project
• 450 MWp of the Sudair project

Nextpower Arabia is well positioned to support the National Renewable Energy Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which targets increasing the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix by 2030. Localizing manufacturing in the Kingdom will also support Saudi Arabia’s industrialization and export development plans while helping reduce the cost of clean energy for major projects across the region.

According to the Middle East Solar Industry Association’s (MESIA) recent 2025 Solar Outlook Report, cost competitiveness and improving production efficiencies are accelerating solar adoption and government-backed clean energy strategies, with regional solar capacity projected to exceed 180 GW by 2030.

In support of this growth opportunity, Abunayyan Holding and Nextpower anticipate funding the joint venture with approximately $88 million (approximately 330 million Saudi Riyals) in equity and public and private debt financings over the next two years alone. This capital will facilitate the buildout of the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and development of highly skilled technical and engineering capabilities with a track record in operational excellence.

Nextpower Arabia | https://nextpower.com/nextpower-arabia

LF Energy, the open source foundation accelerating the energy transition, announced that its Battery Data Alliance (BDA) project has released the Battery Data Format (BDF), an open, community-driven standard designed to bring order, interoperability, and transparency to the rapidly growing world of battery data. BDF defines a consistent structure for experimental, simulation, and metadata-rich battery datasets making it easier for researchers, industry, and software developers to collaborate and build next-generation tools.

Battery data today is fragmented across institutions, vendors, and platforms. BDF provides a unified schema and ontology-driven approach that enables datasets to be shared, analyzed, and reproduced reliably across the battery ecosystem.

Built on Collaborative Global Research

The development of BDF builds on extensive contributions from leading institutions across academia, industry, and government:

• BattINFO Ontology — BDF is aligned with the terminology and structure defined by the BattINFO Ontology from the Battery2030+ and BIG-MAP projects, ensuring consistent definitions, machine-readable metadata, and compatibility with broader FAIR linked-data practices.
• Faraday Institution’s PyProBE and BDX — Python Processing for Battery Experiments (PyProBE https://github.com/ImperialCollegeLondon/PyProBE) is an open source Python package designed to simplify and accelerate the process of analysing data from battery cyclers. It was created at Imperial College London within the Faraday Institution’s ( https://www.faraday.ac.uk/) Multi-scale Modelling project and has been instrumental in validating BDF’s column naming conventions and metadata definitions. Faraday Institution is funding the modification of PyProBE to adopt BDF-aligned naming, enabling interoperability between BDF and BDX (Battery Data eXchange), the optimised, binary format used by PyProBE to provide file size and processing performance benefits. 
• Microsoft Open Battery Dataset Contribution — Microsoft plans to release a new battery dataset in the BDF format, providing the community with a high-quality reference dataset for benchmarking, tooling development, and educational use.
• Ohm BDF Converter Contribution — Ohm (YC W23) to contribute the Battery Data Format (BDF) converter to the community. This web-based tool enables users to upload raw cycler data files and download a BDF-compliant .csv, streamlining adoption of the BDF standard across laboratories and workflows. Ohm’s converter supports major commercial cycler data formats, is freely available, and is designed to accelerate interoperability and reduce friction in transitioning to BDF-aligned data practices. Ohm is a pioneering leader in PhD-level, industrial AI agents purpose-built for battery science.
• Largest Open Source Battery Data Contribution in the BDF (August 2025) — Collaboration between Empa, ETH Zurich, EPFL, SINTEF produced dataset from 199 coin cell batteries—featuring both NMC//graphite and LFP//graphite chemistries, each tested for 1,000 cycles under fully automated, precisely controlled workflows in BDF

These collaborations reinforce BDF as a standard shaped by real-world data workflows, from experimental cycling and materials characterization to physics-based models such as PyBaMM and BattMo.

Designed for Practical Use Across the Battery Lifecycle

The BDF provides a standard structure for data generated in battery labs. It is expected that adoption of the BDF will empower the battery science community to leverage advances in open source battery models.

Developed with input from leading scientists and engineers, the BDF addresses two main challenges:

• Data Consistency: With a common format, labs and cycler brands can eliminate the inconsistencies in data structure that arise with each software update.
• Model Compatibility: A unified format means battery model developers can easily adapt their models to accept BDF data, making it possible for scientists to experiment with multiple models without custom coding each time.

The format is defined as open, extensible, and implementation-agnostic, enabling future growth as new chemistries, devices, and data types emerge.

Early software support includes:

• BDF Python Library, for reading/writing datasets and validating metadata
• Conversion tools for transforming vendor-specific formats (e.g., Arbin, MACCOR) into BDF
• Reference visualization tools (web and notebook-based) for quick exploration of BDF datasets
• Conversion to/from BDX to access all PyProBE tools
• Compatibility with leading modeling frameworks (PyBaMM, BattMo) and analysis platforms

Initial Scope of the BDF

• The initial scope is intended to facilitate use and comparison of cycler time-series data.
• The BDF provides a fixed table schema for time-series battery data, which is supplemented with a machine-readable application ontology for integration with the Semantic Web.
• The BDF application ontology is defined as an extension of the BattINFO domain ontology, which provides interoperability within the broader field of battery data.
• An immediate next step will be launching a parallel format for storing metadata for the BDF.
• Future development will focus on formats for other types of lab data such as impedance data.

A Shared Foundation for the Battery Data Community

The Battery Data Alliance aims to make BDF a globally adopted standard and invites companies, universities, labs, and software developers to participate.

“BDF provides a common language for battery data—designed in the open and strengthened by contributions from across the global community. We encourage organizations of all sizes to participate and help advance a unified standard for the battery industry.” – Gabe Hege, Chairperson for the Battery Data Alliance

A public specification, documentation, examples, and reference datasets are available at:
https://batterydataalliance.enexrgy

Organizations interested in participating in the BDF working group or contributing datasets are invited to contact:
[email protected] 

LF Energy | https://www.lfenergy.org

The Linux Foundation | linuxfoundation.org

Accredant Capital is pleased to announce it has advised Segue Sustainable Infrastructure ("Segue") on the sale of a development-complete community solar portfolio in Illinois to Radial Power. The projects, developed by Carson Power, a development partner of Segue, are positioned to deliver clean energy to communities across Illinois.

The transaction reflects the continued strength of the community solar market and demonstrates Segue's successful strategy of capitalizing and de-risking development-stage renewable energy projects to create value for its partners.

Accredant Capital served as Segue's exclusive sell-side financial advisor, running the process that resulted in the partnership with Radial and providing advisory, structuring, due diligence, and negotiation support throughout the transaction process.

NextPower Capital Rebrands to Accredant Capital

Effective January 1, 2026, NextPower Capital officially became Accredant Capital. The rebrand reflects the firm's continued growth and its commitment to delivering accretive solutions for clients. The team, leadership, and service offerings remain unchanged.

Accredant Capital continues to operate as a specialized clean energy investment bank focused on capital raises, M&A advisory, and strategic consulting services across North America. The firm's senior investment bankers leverage extensive industry expertise and proprietary technology to serve renewable energy developers and investors across utility-scale, community solar, commercial, and residential projects.

Segue Sustainable Infrastructure | segueinfra.com

Accredant Capital | accredant.com

GenH2 Corp, a Path2 Hydrogen Company (FRA:PTHH.DE) and leader in liquid hydrogen infrastructure solutions, announced it will collaborate with the Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Centre (FEnEx CRC) to develop a Mixed Refrigerant (MR) cryogenic refrigeration system for deployment at its Kwinana Energy Transformation Hub (KETH) R&D facility, with delivery targeted by the end of 2026.

The Mixed Refrigerant system will utilize a helium–neon refrigerant blend, enabling the examination of performance and behavior of mixed refrigerants deployed in a cryogenic cooling cycle relevant to hydrogen liquefaction. The system will support validation of thermodynamic models and process simulations developed by researchers within the FenEx CRC and determine the accuracy of predicted mixed refrigerant behavior under cryogenic operating conditions.

GenH2 will engineer the system to support a broad range of experimental scenarios, in various pressure and flow rate conditions, enabling the research team to conduct a wide variety of tests. The system will be skid-mounted, providing a compact footprint, efficient use of available space, and flexibility for transport, installation, and future reconfiguration within the R&D facility.

“This project represents another important milestone in our collaboration with FEnEx CRC to advance the efficiency of hydrogen liquefaction,” said Greg Gosnell, CEO of GenH2. “We are proud to apply our cryogenic expertise in support of research that will generate critical insights into mixed refrigerant performance and help enable scalable, cost-effective hydrogen infrastructure.”

The project builds upon the collaboration announced in November 2024, in which FEnEx CRC and GenH2 agreed to engineer and demonstrate a high-efficiency hydrogen liquefier with production capacity of up to 100 kg/day. The earlier initiative leverages GenH2’s proprietary reverse Brayton-cycle hydrogen liquefaction technology.

“This initiative is part of a project co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) that aims to demonstrate technologies and know-how that can lower the cost of hydrogen liquefaction. We will use this mixed refrigerant refrigeration system to further validate the process simulations and thermodynamic models that have been developed by researchers within the CRC,” said Eric May, CEO of FEnEx CRC. “By examining mixed refrigerant behavior under hydrogen-relevant cryogenic conditions, we will be better positioned to design improved, high-efficiency liquefaction cycles that can be scaled to much larger capacities.”

Together, the liquefier demonstration and the Mixed Refrigerant cryogenic refrigeration system form a complementary research platform at KETH, enabling deeper investigation of mixed refrigerant cooling cycles and supporting the development of more efficient and scalable hydrogen liquefaction technologies.

Delivery of the Mixed Refrigerant system in late 2026 will further strengthen the Kwinana Energy Transformation Hub’s role as a leading center for clean energy research and hydrogen export technology development.

FEnEx CRC | https://www.fenex.org.au

GenH2 | https://genh2.com/

Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (“Comstock” and the “Company”) and Comstock Metals LLC (“Comstock Metals”), a leader in the responsible recycling of end-of-life solar panels with the only certified, North American, zero-landfill solution, announced that it has received its Written Determination Permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection – Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management (NDEP-BSMM), for the processing of waste solar panels and photovoltaics for its industry-scale materials recovery facility located in Silver Springs, NV. This timely and final required approval results in a fully permitted operation and facility and keeps our scale up plans for commissioning this industry-first, large scale processing facility in Silver Springs, NV, right on schedule.

On January 5, 2026, Comstock Metals received a similar notification of approval for the associated Air Quality control permit. These last two permits, represent the complete scope of required regulatory approvals for commissioning the scale up of a facility designed for processing more than 3 million panels per year from one, continuous production line, representing up to 100,000 tons per year of waste materials being processed. This facility integrates technologies for efficiently crushing, conditioning, extracting, and recycling metal concentrates from photovoltaics. The Company previously ordered all of the equipment and received deliveries during Q4 2025 and remains on schedule for receiving the rest of the equipment, installing, testing, and commissioning this first of its kind industry-scale facility during the first quarter of 2026.

“We appreciate BSMM’s collaborative engagement in issuing the first industry-scale Written Determination permit for solar panel recycling, a key regulatory milestone that enables Nevada’s only zero-landfill, high-volume, end-of-life solar panel recycling solution serving the broader region,” said Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, President of Comstock Metals. “This authorization aligns with our original permitting timeline and reflects the effectiveness of our regulatory strategy, the strength of our relationships with regulators, and the successful execution of a complex, first-of-its-kind permitting process.”

Many of the U.S. solar panels have been deployed in the southwestern U.S., primarily California, Arizona, and Nevada, with decommissioning of these solar panels occurring now, accelerating supply and increasing the demand for environmentally responsible end-of-life solutions. Comstock has positioned itself to ensure the safe deconstruction and productive reuse of these important materials. Establishing our platform in Nevada establishes the leading solar recycling position over more than half the U.S. market for end-of-life panels and establishes a platform for rapid expansion across the rest of the United States.

“Comstock Metals is setting the global standard in solar panel recycling by creating a scalable, reliable, efficient, and optimized network of decommissioning, collecting, aggregating, storing and full-recovery processing (and ultimately refining) nodes designed and built for speed and scale,” said Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of Comstock. “Most of the industry is still getting their heads around the magnitude of inevitable end of life panel dilemma, measured in the billions of panels, while we deploy and deliver a full end of life solution.”

Comstock I www.comstock.inc