Neglected PV Maintenance Fuels Fire Risk

S-5!, the industry leader in metal roof attachments, introduces its new clamp for solar carport applications, extending its proven solar attachment technology to canopy and carport structures.

The S-5-CP clamp (“CP” for carport) is engineered to fit both Cee and Zee purlin-framed structures, delivering a secure, non-penetrating attachment for solar applications. Its design offers faster installation, superior strength and long-term reliability, while protecting against corrosion by eliminating the need for drilled holes.

“Carport solar is one of the fastest-growing segments in attachment technology,” said Rob Haddock, S-5! CEO and founder. “The S-5-CP clamp enables engineers and installers to design stronger, simpler and more cost-effective solar carport systems using trusted S-5! technology.”

The clamp pairs seamlessly with S-5!’s PVKIT® solar mounting solution for a rail-less solar panel installation, minimizing parts and labor costs. With a bottom-oriented setscrew, installation can be performed from beneath the canopy—simplifying labor, improving access for wiring and maintenance and allowing on-the-fly adjustments. 

Coupled with an EPDM gasket (sold separately), the S-5! carport system delivers water-resistant performance between modules, reducing the risk of leaks and protecting your property from nuisance water intrusion.

Unlike proprietary, full-system carport packages that often come with premium pricing, the S-5-CP clamp gives engineers and contractors the flexibility to design their own systems and select their preferred purlins and spacings, reducing costs without sacrificing performance.

S-5! attachments are engineered for strength, speed and longevity to support solar installations on carports and overhead canopies with water-resistant connections and exceptional resistance to wind uplift and downslope forces—all backed by decades of engineering expertise and field performance.

“From rooftops to carports, our team continues to innovate and adapt our attachment technologies to meet the demands of solar applications,” Haddock added. “The S-5-CP clamp transforms underutilized space into a valuable clean energy resource, an ideal solution for contractors and developers seeking reliable, water-resistant solar integration on canopy-style structures.”

S-5! | www.s-5.com

Exowatt, a next-generation renewable energy company, announced $50m in additional funding to expand U.S. manufacturing and accelerate deployments of its Exowatt P3 systems to energy‑intensive AI data centers and power-hungry industrial sites throughout the nation. The new capital builds on strong market traction and prior financings, reflecting growing demand for reliable, quick-to-market, sustainable power as the AI revolution reshapes U.S. electricity needs.

Exowatt’s P3 is a modular, dispatchable solar system that enables controllable, around‑the‑clock output by storing solar energy in the form of heat and converting it to power during peak demand hours and throughout the night, the Holy Grail of solar energy. Designed for rapid-siting and scale-out, P3 can be co-located at or near load, providing the firm, sustainable capacity that data centers require while reducing dependence on constrained grid interconnection.

“With the support of our investors and partners, our commercial pipeline has a current demand backlog exceeding 90 GWh, spanning U.S. data centers, energy developers and everything in between,” said Hannan Happi, CEO of Exowatt. “This new capital investment will support our scaling efforts for P3 as we continue to announce customers and partners in the months ahead.”

The $50m capital investment was led by MVP Ventures and 8090 Industries and is an extension to Exowatt’s April 2025 $70m Series A round led by Felicis, a leading venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, which also contributed. Additional investors for this extension include The Florida Opportunity Fund, DeepWork Capital, Dragon Global, Massive VC, New Atlas Capital, BAM, Overmatch, Protagonist, StepStone, Atomic, and Bay Bridge Ventures. Exowatt’s initial seed round of $20m included notable angel investors Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, and actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio.

With AI power now a national priority, this funding accelerates Exowatt’s vision for American made, dispatchable solar for data centers across the country, advancing U.S. energy dominance.

“AI demand won’t wait for new transmission interconnections,” said Andre de Baubigny, Managing Director of MVP Ventures. “Exowatt’s dispatchable, American made solar puts firm, clean power at the edge of load—and our investment reflects our conviction in their ability to scale quickly with customers nationwide.”

“Exowatt is converting momentum into megawatts,” said Rayyan Islam, Co-Founder and General Partner of 8090 Industries. “We’re pleased to expand our support as the company scales domestic production and finances deployments, delivering dependable, sustainable power next to data centers throughout the U.S.”

“To stay competitive in the AI era, Florida needs reliable, clean megawatts at speed. We’re proud to support a Florida business in Exowatt that makes that possible,” said Robert Harvey, President and Executive Director of the Florida Opportunity Fund.

Power generation demand from data centers is predicted to increase by 150% by 2030, and Exowatt is powering the next wave of energy innovations.

Exowatt | www.exowatt.com

RWE has completed construction of its first project in Louisiana, the 100 MW Lafitte Solar project located in the Ouachita Parish, outside of Monroe. The project will be fully online and generating energy by the end of the year. Lafitte Solar was enabled through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Meta, through which Meta also receives all environmental benefits associated with the project, including RECs.

The project was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis, local officials from the Ouachita Parish Police Jury and Ouachita Parish Industrial Development Board, RWE leadership and employees and construction partner McCarthy Building Companies (McCarthy).

Andrew Flanagan, CEO, RWE Clean Energy: "Lafitte Solar is RWE's first project in Louisiana, and will provide low-cost, homegrown energy to the Louisiana grid and generate enough electricity to power 17,000 local homes and businesses. By providing affordable and reliable electricity, we are strengthening Monroe's power supply while supporting the community's growth and resilience."

Generating Local Impact

Over its operating lifetime, Lafitte Solar is projected to generate approximately $32 million in regional tax revenue — supporting public schools, law enforcement and emergency services. Construction of Lafitte Solar was completed in collaboration with RWE's EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) partner McCarthy, supporting more than 150 full-time jobs on the project at its peak. During construction, workers supported local businesses and restaurants, and shopped at area stores, amplifying the project's economic impact.

Joe Holyfield, President, Ouachita Industrial Development Board: "Lafitte Solar brought jobs and investment to Ouachita Parish at a crucial time. Our local businesses felt an immediate benefit, and we look forward to sustained growth as energy projects like these strengthen our region's future."

Amanda Yang, Head of Clean and Renewable Energy, Meta: "We're thrilled to see the Lafitte Solar project reach this important milestone — not only adding clean energy to the grid locally but adding jobs to the local economy. Projects like Lafitte Solar are essential to achieving our clean energy goals while strengthening communities."

RWE remains dedicated to supporting local schools and families. The company partnered with Roy Neal Shelling, Sr. Elementary School, providing donations to support classroom resources, while its construction partner McCarthy supplied toys during the holiday. RWE and McCarthy remain committed to improving the quality of life for children in the local area by funding a new playground being built at Tanglewood Community Park. Additionally, RWE and McCarthy together provided one of the largest holiday food donations the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana has received, supporting families throughout Monroe during the Christmas season.

Supporting Sustainable Land Use

Lafitte Solar's site design features natural and native vegetation around the perimeter, promoting biodiversity and habitat conservation to benefit the project's land and surrounding farmlands. The project will also incorporate agrivoltaics, using a flock of over 600 sheep to maintain healthy vegetation onsite. This practice not only protects local farmland but deepens partnerships with regional farmers, demonstrating how renewable energy coexists with agriculture.

RWE | americas.rwe.com

Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world's leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, announced a new partnership with Green Mountain Power (GMP) in Vermontto launch innovations benefitting customers through technology and grid transformation. GMP selected Enphase to join its groundbreaking home battery lease program where customers have back up power when they need it and share stored energy during peak usage times so GMP can reduce costs for everyone.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Enphase to bring cutting-edge technology directly to our customers – strengthening the grid, improving reliability, and driving down costs,” said Mari McClure, president and CEO of GMP. “These innovative solutions are already helping customers stay powered through increasingly severe storms and grid events. We’re expanding access so more people can enjoy true energy independence and resilience, transforming the grid into a dynamic, two-way system – interconnected, adaptable, and stronger together.”

GMP’s battery lease program is a significant part of its growing 75 MW virtual power plant, which is now Vermont’s largest dispatchable energy source and peaking plant, helping to reduce costs for all GMP customers while boosting resiliency and grid flexibility. GMP and Enphase also expect to partner in bringing Vermonters the latest innovations, including access to Enphase’s bidirectional electric vehicle charger. The IQ® Bidirectional EV Charger is expected to launch in 2026 and will enable electric vehicles to power homes if the grid is down or send power to the grid during peak demand, adding another form of energy storage to GMP’s growing suite of flexible home energy offerings.

GMP’s battery lease program will offer eligible customers a ten-year lease of two IQ® Battery 10C™ systems at $55 per month or a one-time payment of $5,500. All products in the 4th-generation Enphase® Energy System – including the IQ Battery 10C, IQ® Meter Collar, and IQ® Combiner 6C – come with Enphase’s industry-leading 15-year warranty, 24/7 customer service, and access to the Enphase® App for advanced system performance monitoring. Enphase also recently announced first shipments of the IQ Battery 10C supplied from manufacturing facilities in the United States that meet the new domestic content requirements.

“We are pleased to be selected by Green Mountain Power, one of the nation’s most innovative utilities, to help create a cleaner, more resilient, and reliable grid for Vermont,” said Badri Kothandaraman, president and CEO of Enphase Energy. “Our IQ Battery systems feature advanced technology that is being deployed by utilities around the world as a flexible tool to create value for both their grids and the homeowners they serve. This program gives GMP customers an affordable, dependable source of back up energy that supports the grid while delivering the resilience and peace of mind that comes with knowing their home can stay powered when it matters most.”

Enphase Energy | https://enphase.com/

Wiesbauer GmbH & Co. KG has added an additional Grove GMK6300L-1 to its fleet. The new GMK6300L-1 will be deployed at the Wiesbauer site in Mannheim, working with six other Grove cranes with capacities from 60 to 300 t. It is the fourth GMK6300L-1 in the Wiesbauer fleet, replacing an older GMK6300L-1 that will be moved to the Bietigheim site in the future. The crane was sold to Wiesbauer by KranAgentur Werner. 

The addition of the 300 t all-terrain crane to the existing fleet underscores Wiesbauer's standing as a premier full-service provider for heavy-duty projects in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The GMK6300L-1 impresses with an 80 m main boom that lifts 14 t at a radius of 28 m at full boom extension. The boom is complemented by a 12/21 m long bi-fold swingaway jib, which is hydraulically adjustable from 5° to 40°. The Allison transmission, complete with an additional hydraulic retarder, ensures optimum driving characteristics and high efficiency. Additionally, the crane is equipped with state-of-the-art features, including LED work lights and a boom head camera system.

Wiesbauer has been a loyal Grove customer since purchasing their first Grove crane in 1965, relying on the proven technology from Wilhelmshaven for decades. The new crane will further enhance the existing fleet, strengthening the company’s competitiveness in industrial, construction, and infrastructure projects.

Manitowoc | https://www.manitowoc.com/

RWE has completed the installation of the foundations for the 1.1-gigawatt Thor offshore wind farm in the Danish North Sea. In September, the final of 72 monopiles for the wind turbines was installed. At the end of last week, RWE finalised the installation of the associated secondary steel structures - including boat landings, main access platforms, and internal cassettes. The completion of the secondary steel installation was achieved in less than six months using Van Oord’s offshore wind installation vessel, MPI Adventure. Offshore works were coordinated from the Danish Port of Thyborøn. To protect the foundations from the harsh conditions at sea until the turbine towers are mounted, innovative reusable hard covers have been installed. RWE already placed the 2,600-tonne offshore substation topside on its jacket foundation in July of this year.

Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Executive Officer RWE Offshore Wind: “Our Thor project is progressing very well, with offshore works on schedule. We look forward to starting turbine installation next year, which will mark the next major milestone in delivering Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. I would like to thank our partner, Norges Bank Investment Management, as well as our suppliers and colleagues for their dedication to collaboration, quality, and safety.”

The turbine installation works are scheduled to be carried out from the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark, starting in spring 2026. Thor will be the first offshore wind farm in the world to use 36 steel turbine towers that have been manufactured with a lower carbon footprint. In addition, some of the turbines will be equipped with recyclable rotor blades. When fully operational in 2027, Thor offshore wind farm will be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households.

The wind farm’s operations and maintenance plan envisages creating 50 to 60 local jobs at a new RWE service building at the Port of Thorsminde. Construction of the new RWE service building is already underway and is scheduled to be finalised by the beginning of 2026.
Thor offshore wind farm is a joint project between RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%). RWE is in charge of construction and operations throughout the lifecycle of Thor offshore wind farm.

Leading global player in offshore wind

RWE already has 19 offshore wind farms in operation globally, including Rødsand 2, located south of the Danish island of Lolland. In addition to Thor in Denmark, the company is currently building three major offshore wind farms: the Sofia offshore wind farm (1.4 GW) in the UK, the Nordseecluster (1.6 GW, RWE share: 51%) off the German coast and OranjeWind (795 MW, RWE share: 50%) in the Netherlands.

RWE | https://www.rwe.com/en

First Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV: FHYD) (OTC Pink: FHYDF) (FSE: FIT) ("FIRST HYDROGEN" or the "Company") is encouraged by the European Commission's announcement of its first call for hydrogen suppliers under the newly launched Hydrogen Mechanism, a supply-and-demand matchmaking platform within the European Union (EU) Energy and Raw Materials Platform. The initiative is designed to accelerate the growth of Europe's emerging clean-hydrogen economy by directly connecting hydrogen buyers with producers and project developers. 

First Hydrogen is pleased by the EU's proactive measures to stimulate hydrogen projects and adoption. This provides a pathway to de-risk projects, identify offtake partners, secure commercial commitments and engage with EU-based financial institutions. The platform will help companies like First Hydrogen advance its hydrogen-fuel-powered vehicles and green energy production projects (via small modular reactors) in Europe. 

The H2 Matchmaking Platform aims to resolve one of the sector's longstanding barriers: the lack of binding offtake agreements, which has slowed final investment decisions for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen projects across the EU. The EU aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and become independent from Russian fossil fuel before 2030.

Key features include:

• Purpose: streamlines the process for producers and buyers to identify commercial partners, enabling early-stage project financing and guiding broader infrastructure development.
• Process: Aggregates voluntary data on both supply and demand for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives.
• Scope: Open to both domestic European and international hydrogen suppliers, broadening markets access for qualified companies.
• Participation: Companies may now register on the platform to submit supply offers and review demand requests. 

"Europe continues to demonstrate strong leadership in building a robust hydrogen economy," said Balraj Mann, CEO of First Hydrogen Corp. "First Hydrogen has developed and trialed hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered light commercial vehicles (FCEVs) and is working on green energy production opportunities in the UK, EU, and North America."

First Hydrogen | www.firsthydrogen.com