Neglected PV Maintenance Fuels Fire Risk

Ilmatar has started commercial electricity production at its newly completed wind farm in Ii, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The Pahkakoski complex of 30 wind turbines delivers renewable energy to the grid with a nominal capacity of 186 megawatts (MW). The Pahkakoski wind farm is estimated to produce a total of 600 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean, emission-free renewable energy annually. This corresponds to the electricity needs of up to 240,000 apartments or more than 30,000 detached houses. It is a large-scale renewable energy project with significant impacts on the regional economy, the clean energy transition, and Finland’s carbon neutrality goals.

A New Way to Build – Ilmatar Driving Industry Development Forward

Construction began at the end of 2023. To optimize progress, Ilmatar applied the so-called TCI contracting model (Transport, Crane and Installation), where special transports, lifting, and installation work are not included in the turbine supplier’s delivery as is typical. Pahkakoski is one of the first large-scale projects in Europe built using this model.

The turbines at Pahkakoski are among the tallest in Finland, with a tip height of 245 meters. The park is one of the largest single wind farms ever built in Finland.

Petri Ainonen, Ilmatar’s Director of Construction, describes the project as smooth:

“Construction started at the end of 2023. It’s been great to see such a large wind farm completed in less than two years. Pahkakoski is a concrete example of Ilmatar’s ability to develop and build wind farms even in a challenging market. Both Pahkakoski and Korpilevonmäki, completed earlier this year, were the only wind power investments in Finland in 2023. I’m very pleased with how successfully we implemented the new contracting model and once again pushed the industry forward as pioneers. A big thank you goes to Ilmatar’s skilled and committed team and our strong partner network. Shared goals and determination take us far,” Ainonen sums up.

Ilmatar Strengthens Its Leading Position – 22% of Finland’s Wind Power Growth in 2025

Pahkakoski and Korpilevonmäki together represent the most significant addition to Finland’s wind power production in 2025. With these two parks, Ilmatar’s wind capacity has grown from 430 MW to 650 MW – an increase of more than 50%. This equals about seven percent of Finland’s current wind power capacity.

The 30-turbine Pahkakoski wind farm is Ilmatar’s second-largest project. The largest, a 36-turbine park in Alajärvi, South Ostrobothnia, was commissioned in December 2023. Ilmatar now operates 109 turbines commercially.

Currently, Ilmatar has ten wind farms and one solar farm in commercial operation. In total, Ilmatar has more than one gigawatt of renewable production in operation and fully investment-ready. This year, Ilmatar accounts for about 22% of the wind power connected to the grid in Finland, reinforcing its position as a domestic pioneer.

Ilmatar | https://ilmatar.com/

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted verbally in public deliberations on October 29 on a decision that resoundingly rejected practices by Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility, that have prevented the public from benefiting from ratepayer-funded tools that enhance the use of distributed clean energy and electric vehicle (EV) charging in Colorado. The decision, which was significantly shaped by recommendations from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), is a notable example of a Commission using its regulatory powers to ensure that monopoly utilities do not stand in the way of clean energy deployment.

Key outcomes of the decision include:

• Harsh rebuke of Xcel Energy for its “inability or unwillingness to comply… with the statute, our orders, and prior settlements.”^*

• Rejection of arguments by Xcel that grid data needed to effectively site clean energy and EV charging cannot be shared publicly while still ensuring grid security, and a mandate to discontinue related practices hindering public access to and use of this data (including data redaction, non-disclosure agreements, insufficient detail, etc.).

• A mandate that Xcel establish a flexible interconnection tariff for both new electric generation (such as solar and battery storage) and load (such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure), emphasizing the urgency of adopting this tariff to serve customers in a more cost-effective and timely manner.

"The Colorado PUC has shown great leadership in its decision, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring utility accountability to the state’s clean energy and transportation goals,” said Chris Nichols, Interim CEO of IREC. “IREC looks forward to continuing to work with Colorado to maximize public benefit and lower distribution system investment costs.”

This decision is part of a broader proceeding addressing Xcel’s distribution system plans and virtual power plant program. While making decisions about how much and in what manner the utility should invest in its distribution system going forward, the Commission recognized the importance of enabling the flexible operation of load and generation distributed energy resources (DERs) to lower the cost of distribution system investments. This flexibility cannot be achieved without high-quality grid data that identifies where and when the grid is constrained; the Commission’s decision improves access to this data in the formats needed.

Improving Public Access to Vital Grid Data 

The grid transparency portions of the decision centered on Xcel’s hosting capacity analysis (HCA). This tool, commonly displayed as a map, provides a snapshot of the conditions on the electric grid that influence whether new electric generation or load can be safely integrated at a particular location without costly and time-consuming grid infrastructure upgrades. This data helps better inform siting of new projects by providing insights to help developers avoid heavily constrained areas of the grid and propose projects that are more likely to be economically viable.

Xcel was first directed to invest ratepayer funds in developing an HCA in 2021; the data it published has been plagued with issues that hinder its use. These include presenting data without the detail needed to make effective siting decisions; excessive data redaction; and forcing users to sign, in the words of the Commission, a “commercially unreasonable” non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to access unblurred HCA maps or tabular data (among many other issues). Despite recent requirements from the legislature that Xcel publish a detailed hosting capacity map for load as well as generation, Xcel refused to make the load map available to the public. The Commission rejected Xcel’s arguments that these practices are necessary to protect the security of the electric grid and voted that it publish unredacted data without requiring an NDA from users, in addition to requiring improvements in the granularity of data.

Describing the significance of improvements in the level of HCA detail Xcel will now have to provide, IREC Regulatory Engineer Midhat Mafazy explained, “[the current level of detail] is like being told there’s traffic on Interstate 55 somewhere between Chicago and St. Louis. It’s vague and not very useful. Developers need more granular data that pinpoints where constraints are and why congestion is happening. These improvements will make the data massively more useful for deploying clean energy and EV charging infrastructure, and smarter grid planning overall.”

A Pathway to Flexible Interconnection 

The Commission also voted to require Xcel to develop a policy for flexible interconnection and energization. Flexible interconnection is a new paradigm for connecting generation or load projects to the grid with the option to fluctuate the amount of power they send to or pull from the grid as system capacity changes. Xcel had proposed a very limited application of flexible interconnection on specific sections of its grid for specific projects and had no concrete plans for flexible load. IREC argued that the proposed project eligibility was far too limited and recommended a formal tariff that defined eligibility, review criteria, and implementation steps. The Commission’s decision reflects this recommendation.

Flexible interconnection is gaining attention as states grapple with the need to quickly bring more power generation online to meet demand. Commissioner Megan Gilman contextualized the importance of flexible interconnection, noting: “One of [our] state goals is getting DERs, getting new customers and loads, connected… in a cost-effective and timely manner… Flexible interconnection clearly is one tool that could be available… Limiting that option, dragging [their] feet, acting like a more narrow option is… all that’s necessary… gets to the bigger question..., of ‘Does it appear The Company is actually strategically trying to meet those state goals?’”

Effective Exercise of Regulatory Authority 

This decision is a notable example of regulators exercising their responsibility to hold monopoly utilities accountable for noncompliance and failure to deliver on important services for their ratepayers. In fact, the Commission discussed the possibility of exploring new financial incentives or penalties to drive compliance. In its deliberation and decision-making, the Commission demonstrated its seriousness about meaningful improvements from Xcel.

IREC commends the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for establishing concrete steps for Xcel Energy that will improve Coloradans’ utility service. The decision is a positive step towards holding Xcel Energy accountable for customer needs and achieving broader State of Colorado clean energy and transportation goals. A formal written order documenting the verbal decisions from the public proceeding is expected in December.  

IREC | irecusa.org 

* Quote from Commissioner Eric Blank.

PowerFlex, a leader in onsite clean technology solutions in North America, announced it has surpassed three significant milestones: more than 500 MW of commercial solar installed, over 50 MWh of battery energy storage deployed, and more than 50,000 EV chargers under management. These achievements underscore PowerFlex’s momentum in delivering onsite integrated solar, storage, and EV charging solutions orchestrated by its adaptive energy management platform, PowerFlex X.

PowerFlex’s portfolio spans close to 1,000 sites across North America and has delivered 170 million electric miles through its charging network—enough annual clean energy to power 100,000+ U.S. homes. PowerFlex is one of the largest installers of commercial solar in the United States and manages the nation’s second largest Level 2 EV charging networks. Combined, its solar and energy storage projects offset approximately 460,000 metric tons of CO2 each year while reducing its customer energy bills.

“Reaching these milestones reflects years of focused execution by our team and partners,” said Raphael Declercq, Chief Executive Officer of PowerFlex. “By unifying solar, storage, and EV charging on PowerFlex X, we’re helping organizations achieve tangible cost savings and emissions reductions today—while building toward the digital grids of tomorrow.”

“PowerFlex combines Silicon Valley innovation with EDF power solutions’ global energy expertise,” said Tristan Grimbert, President & CEO at EDF power solutions. “Today’s achievements demonstrate the strength of this model and our commitment to accelerating reliable, customer‑centric clean energy across North America.”

PowerFlex’s integrated approach is designed to help commercial and industrial customers:

• Lower operating costs via demand charge management, time-of-use optimization, and smart charging
• Reduce emissions and advance ESG targets with measurable, reportable outcomes
• Improve energy resilience through storage and microgrid capabilities

At the core of these outcomes is PowerFlex X, the company’s energy management platform that:

• Dispatches storage and shifts load based on tariffs and demand drivers
• Orchestrates EV charging to minimize demand spikes and align with onsite solar generation
• Provides transparent data and analytics for finance, operations, sustainability, and fleet teams

As organizations seek cost control, reliability, and decarbonization amid industry consolidation, PowerFlex’s onsite, software-led model provides a bankable path to value today and VPP readiness for tomorrow.

PowerFlex | powerflex.com 

EDF | www.edf-re.com

Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, applauded the Pennsylvania General Assembly for passing legislation that removes the Commonwealth from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a move that will help prevent significant energy bill increases and unlock economic growth across the state.

The House voted 189-14 and the Senate voted 41-9 to end Pennsylvania's participation in RGGI, which was forecast to increase utility bills by an average of 30% by 2030. The legislation now heads to Gov. Josh Shapiro for his signature as part of the state's budget agreement.

"Pennsylvania lawmakers recognized that RGGI was a barrier to affordability, reliability, jobs and economic opportunity for families and businesses across the Commonwealth, and their common-sense bipartisan action leads the way for other states to do the same," CEA President David Holt said. "This decisive vote recognizes RGGI as the de facto tax that it would have become for Pennsylvanians. We urge Gov. Shapiro to sign this legislation and unshackle the state’s energy and let it thrive again as one of the nation’s traditional energy production and export powerhouses."

Pennsylvania is the nation's second-largest natural gas producer and a net energy exporter. Exiting RGGI will allow the state to strengthen regional energy reliability, attract technology sector investment, and keep energy costs affordable for families already struggling with high utility bills. Recent polling shows 78% of Pennsylvanians have experienced higher energy bills over the past two years, with almost as many worried about their ability to afford energy costs.

Two-thirds of those polled supported exiting RGGI, which a previous governor entered Pennsylvania into by executive order. The program never went into effect due to legal challenges which argued that only the legislature could impose a tax. It would have made Pennsylvania the only major oil and gas producing state to undertake such restrictions.

"Getting out of RGGI means Pennsylvania can better compete for the data centers, advanced manufacturing facilities and energy investments that are driving 21st-century economic growth," Holt said. "This bipartisan vote is a win for families, small businesses and the state’s tradespeople, all of whom will benefit from the more affordable and reliable energy Pennsylvania can better deliver now that RGGI’s additional costs and job-killing effects are permanently out of the picture."

The legislation's passage comes as Pennsylvania positions itself to capture more than $90 billion in data center and AI investments recently announced at the Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit. By removing a de facto tax on power generation, Pennsylvania is better positioned to leverage its substantial natural gas resources and nuclear facilities to meet this exponential growth in electricity demand while maintaining affordability and reliability for families and small businesses.

Consumer Energy Alliance | https://consumerenergyalliance.org/

BGE submitted a proposal for 29MW of energy storage in response to an order by the Maryland Public Service Commission and the Next Generation Energy Act. BGE’s proposal for 29MW is the first phase of energy storage deployment under the Next Generation Energy Act. BGE will submit a proposal for an additional 58MW of energy storage by November 2026.   

BGE’s storage systems will charge during low-demand periods and discharge at peak times, during the hottest and coldest days. These systems will improve reliability for thousands of customers in capacity-strained areas and help prevent outages.   

BGE’s proposal marks an important step in BGE’s efforts to support Maryland’s energy storage deployment goals, while bringing new technology to benefit our customers.    

“Battery storage systems provide improved service reliability in our communities while supporting Maryland’s clean energy goals. Strategic investments in battery storage contribute to reliable and safe energy,” said Kristy Fleischmann Groncki, senior manager of Strategic Planning at BGE. “BGE is committed to integrating battery storage as part of our resilient, cost-effective, multi-source energy delivery system.”  

Energy storage is part of BGE’s broader commitment to Maryland’s energy goals. It supports the integration of renewables and reduces reliance on fossil fuels for new generation. As more homes and vehicles electrify, energy storage helps BGE meet rising demand while avoiding the need for new distribution infrastructure. BGE’s proposed projects are part of the Public Service Commission’s Energy Storage Program, which encourages utilities to explore innovative models such as utility and third-party partnerships. 

To date, BGE has completed two battery energy storage projects in Chesapeake Beach, enhancing grid reliability in southern Anne Arundel County and parts of Calvert County. These facilities, developed under Maryland’s Energy Storage Pilot Project Act, provide energy during peak winter hours. These projects enhance grid reliability for more than 9,000 customers and help avoid costly infrastructure upgrades. 

BGE is excited to work with communities and local emergency management services to educate customers and ensure they understand the benefits of deploying batteries as well as the risks and mitigation. Battery storage projects are among the significant Path to Clean investments BGE is making to lead Maryland to a more resilient and sustainable energy future. 

BGE | https://www.bge.com/

Ampion Renewable Energy, a leading provider of community solar management solutions, and Erie County, New York, have enrolled more than 1,400 low-income residents in the Erie County Low-Income Program for Sustainable Energy (ECLIPSE) during its first six months of operation. The program is delivering significant cost savings while expanding renewable energy across Erie County. 

Current enrollees are expected to save a combined $63,000 per year on electricity costs through discounted solar credits applied to their electricity bills. The program offers qualifying residents savings of up to 10% on their electric bills, with no upfront investment or installation requirements. Beyond financial benefits, ECLIPSE is expected to help avoid an estimated 3,600+ tons of CO₂ emissions annually, equivalent to removing over 8.3 million miles of gasoline-powered vehicle travel.

“ECLIPSE seeks to lower the energy burden for households that need relief while expanding access to renewable power,” said Sarah Sanford, Senior Energy Development Specialist and ECLIPSE Coordinator. “Our early results show what’s possible when local government, community organizations, and renewable energy providers work together. Ampion has been an important partner in helping us scale quickly and ensure that community solar is accessible to the people who need it most.”

The program’s success comes from a grassroots outreach strategy built by Erie County and Ampion. The campaign helps reduce residents’ energy burdens through clear, direct engagement. Efforts include community events, direct mail, text messages to eligible households, and in-person events to ensure the message reaches low-income residents in need. Ampion supported these efforts with educational materials, a streamlined online enrollment system, and personalized enrollment assistance. The company’s track record of managing over 1.5 GW of community solar projects ensures Erie County’s program is built for scale.

“We meet residents where they are to ensure we reach as many energy-burdened households as possible,” said Brian Buzby, Community Partnerships Executive at Ampion. “The enrollment numbers reflect both the community's need for energy cost relief and the effectiveness of working closely with local governments to build trust. Our ability to scale programs like ECLIPSE demonstrates that community solar can reach the families who need it while still delivering strong results for developers and communities alike.”

The program remains open to Erie County homeowners and renters who participate in federal or state assistance programs, including the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Erie County and Ampion expect the program’s financial and environmental impacts to grow substantially over the coming year, offering a blueprint for other municipalities nationwide seeking to scale equitable access to clean energy. Residents can sign up for the program at erie.gov/eclipse. 

Ampion | ampion.net

Erie County Low-Income Program for Sustainable Energy | erie.gov/eclipse 

Atlas Renewable Energy, a leading international provider of renewable energy solutions, officially inaugurated the Shangri-La solar project, located in Ibagué, Tolima. It marks the start of operations of its first project in the country.

Shangri-La has an installed capacity of 201 MWp, representing a decisive step in the expansion of large-scale solar energy and in the consolidation of a more sustainable and resilient energy system for Colombia.

Located in the department of Tolima, the project will generate approximately 403.7 GWh of energy per year, equivalent to the energy consumption of over 214,000 Colombian families. It is also expected to offset nearly 161,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually, which is comparable to taking around 34,000 vehicles off the road for a year. This directly contributes to fulfilling national decarbonization commitments and strengthening Colombia’s energy transition.

“Shangri-La’s launch marks a firm step in Colombia's energy transition. This project not only delivers clean and reliable energy to the national grid, but has also been a driving force for employment, training, and development for the communities in Tolima,” shared Rubén Borja, Country Manager at Atlas Renewable Energy in Colombia. “We are proud to have built, in record time, infrastructure that fuels regional progress and reinforces Atlas’s commitment to the country’s energy security.”

During its construction, over 65% of the jobs were created in Tolima, prioritizing local labor. Furthermore, the participation of women in the project’s construction reached 22%, strengthening their role in the sector and fostering their development in technical and operational work, which exceeded the targets set during the project’s development.

As part of its sustainability strategy, Atlas Renewable Energy promoted its flagship “We are part of the same energy” program, through which it fostered gender inclusion and the development of technical skills in local communities. Parallel to this effort, the company has strengthened the social infrastructure in areas of influence, creating spaces for learning, socialization, and community gathering. Every Atlas project seeks to leave lasting legacies, creating real opportunities and well-being for people and their environment.

The Shangri-La Solar Plant is part of a partnership with ISAGEN aimed at developing, building, and operating 1,000 MW of solar projects over the coming years, thereby contributing to Colombia’s energy transition and decarbonization.

“I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for all the efforts put into this project: the financing, its structuring, and especially the hard work of the management and operational teams, as well as the collaboration of the banks and local authorities,” shared Colombia’s minister of Mines and Energy, Edwin Palma, during the project’s inaugural ceremony. “I congratulate everyone who made this great clean energy project possible.”

Atlas Renewable Energy | https://www.atlasrenewableenergy.com/