Google, together with Cypress Creek Energy, has broken ground on the Steel River Energy Center in Mississippi County, Arkansas. The project is expected to become the largest solar facility in the US when fully operational in 2029, says Google. The technology giant is serving as an anchor investor and power offtaker for the first two phases of the project, which will add 1.6 GW DC of solar and 1.9 GWh of battery energy storage to the regional grid. The full three-phase development will deliver 2.5 GW DC of solar generation and 2.9 GWh of battery storage, enough to supply electricity to more than 315,000 Arkansas homes annually. The project will use 100% US-made structural steel sourced from nearby facilities in Arkansas.
US-based utility-scale solar and storage projects developer Avantus has announced the start of commercial operations at its Aratina 1 project in Kern County, California. This adds 200 MW of solar generation and 500 MWh of battery energy storage to the state's grid. The project, which marks Avantus' first operational asset as it expands into an independent power producer (IPP), is backed by long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) for its full output.
Aratina 1 secured more than $500 million in project financing from a lender consortium led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Truist Securities, ING Capital, and Mizuho, along with a $300 million tax equity commitment from Truist Bank. Construction is also underway on Aratina 2, which recently secured more than $525 million in financing. Once completed, the combined Aratina Solar Center will have 350 MW of solar capacity and 952 MWh of battery storage, according to Avantus.
Comstock Metals, the US-based solar panel recycler, has signed a Solar Material Recycling Services Agreement with solar manufacturer Illuminate USA to recycle manufacturing byproducts from the latter’s solar panel factory in Pataskala, Ohio. Under the agreement, Comstock Metals will provide transportation, sorting, and zero-landfill recycling services for a range of solar panel manufacturing materials generated at Illuminate’s US facility. Illuminate USA, which began production in February 2024, has manufactured more than 15 million solar panels at its 1.1 million-square-foot facility. The plant has an annual production capacity of 5. The companies said they will work together over the coming years to recycle multiple streams of solar manufacturing materials. Comstock will provide the services through its recycling network, including its Central Ohio operations. Recently, Comstock announced Cambridge, Ohio, as its national recycling production and logistics site (see Comstock Metals To Build Solar Recycling Plant In Ohio).
Sofab Inks, a perovskite solar startup, has raised $6 million in seed funding, led by Cloudberry Ventures, to expand production of its nanostructured materials for perovskite solar cells. The company said the funding follows a manufacturing reliability breakthrough that aims to improve the durability of perovskite solar cells, which remains a key challenge for large-scale commercialization of this technology.
According to Sofab, its metal-oxide nanoparticle material replaces the conventional C60 fullerene-based layer, which it claims is the largest source of voltage loss in the device. Sofab Inks CEO and Co-Founder Blake Martin says the company’s perovskite cell has demonstrated 22.3% efficiency in 30-cm single-junction perovskite modules. The company plans to use the funding to expand its engineering team and scale manufacturing for commercial-size 1×2 m modules. Sofab also said it is commercially engaged or in late-stage discussions with around 90% of the perovskite industry, including Alpha Precision Systems (APS), Arizona State University (ASU), Energy Materials Corporation (EMC), Halocell, and SunXT, as it targets applications ranging from utility-scale solar to automotive, space and IoT markets.
Heelstone Renewable Energy, a Qualitas Energy company, has reached financial close for three utility-scale solar projects in Illinois, US, with a combined capacity of 86 MW. The portfolio comprises the 40 MW Two Blues Solar project and the 28 MW Snapdragon Solar project in Perry County, as well as the 18 MW Pike Solar project in Fayette County. The projects are expected to begin commercial operations by the end of 2026. Their construction follows the projects' final investment decision (FID) and the signing of EPC agreements with Knobelsdorff Energy.
Heelstone said Stonehenge Capital is providing tax equity financing, while ING Capital LLC arranged the financing package, including a tax equity bridge facility and a construction-to-term loan. The environmental attributes generated by all three projects have been contracted to Meta under long-term corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs). The company said the latest financial close follows two previous financing rounds completed in December 2025 and March 2026 for solar projects with a combined capacity of 206 MW (see North America Solar PV News Snippets).
GameChange Energy has been selected to supply its Genius Tracker solar tracker systems for the 286 MW DC Pepper and Lucky 7 utility-scale solar projects in Texas, developed by Sabanci Renewables. The projects are expected to begin commercial operations in H2 2027. The electricity generated by the projects will be supplied to Meta under a long-term PPA, supporting the company's growing data center electricity demand. According to GameChange Energy, previously GameChange Solar, the projects reflect increasing demand for utility-scale solar linked to AI, cloud computing. and digital infrastructure expansion.
rPlus Energies has commissioned the 125 MW AC Pleasant Valley Solar 2 project and started construction of the 400 MW AC Blacks Creek Energy Center in Ada County, Idaho. These projects expand the company’s presence in the state, where it now has over 1 GW of solar and energy storage projects that are operational, under construction, or under contract. The combined projects represent an investment of more than $750 million.
Gibraltar Industries, the US-based renewable energy services provider, has completed the sale of its Terrasmart solar racking and foundations business to Unirac. This effectively completes its planned exit from the renewables business. The divestiture aligns with Gibraltar's strategy to focus on its residential, agtech, and infrastructure businesses. For Unirac, the acquisition expands its product portfolio beyond residential and commercial flat-roof racking to include ground-mounted, tracker, and canopy solutions for the commercial, industrial, and distributed generation solar markets.
Unirac added that the deal also strengthens its engineering, supply chain, and product development capabilities. Terrasmart's leadership team, including President Ed McKiernan, will join Unirac following the transaction. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Terrasmart became part of Gibraltar's solar portfolio in 2021 when the company acquired TerraSmart and solar software provider Sunfig to expand its presence in the US solar market (see Gibraltar Industries Expands Solar Energy Portfolio). In February 2026, Gibraltar sold Terrasmart's electrical balance-of-system (eBOS) business to GameChange Energy before completing the sale of the remaining racking and foundations business to Unirac.
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock, has agreed to acquire a majority and controlling stake in US commercial solar company Summit Ridge Energy. Founded in 2017, Summit Ridge Energy develops, owns, and operates commercial solar and energy storage projects across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. The company has a portfolio of more than 3 GW of solar and energy storage projects, both operating and under development in the country. GIP said the investment will help Summit Ridge expand its pipeline of solar and battery storage projects, retain a larger share of projects on its balance sheet and strengthen its project acquisition capabilities. Summit Ridge CEO Steve Raeder said the partnership would improve the company's access to capital and support its ambition to ‘lead industry consolidation’ in the US commercial solar market.
