People on the move: Mayfield Renewables, First Solar, Meteomatics Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

Net metering hangs in the balance in New Hampshire A group of interested parties, including the state’s utilities and the Granite State Hydropower Association, agreed on a settlement that calls for the rate to stay the same for two years.

Northvolt closes Cuberg’s ops, shifts lithium-metal battery R&D to Sweden Three years after acquiring U.S.-based Cuberg, Swedish battery maker Northvolt has decided to shut down the California unit and move future lithium-metal battery R&D to Sweden.

PV module cooling tech based on single-channel containing nanofluids Scientists in Mexico have conceived a new solar module cooling tech that can reportedly improve PV power generation by up to 2%. The system uses nanofluids embedded in an aluminum single-channel attached to the back of the panel.

GM signs agreement to match assembly plant power demand with solar The automaker entered a 15-year, 180 MW solar power purchase agreement (PPA).

Mayfield Renewables announced that Jacob Betcher has been appointed as its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. Betcher is an accomplished engineering professional and proven business leader having been an engineering manager at Generac Power Systems and COO at Apricity.

First Solar announced that Brian Willis is the new manager, corporate communications & external relations. Will was previously director of communications at Pioneer Public Affairs and at Zero Emission Transportation Association.

Meteomatics, the weather intelligence and technology company , is expanding work with U.S. energy companies and investors with the appointments of Durjoy Mazumdar as North America’s head of sales and Chris Hyde as senior sales manager for North America. Mazumdar and Hyde will lead Meteomatics’ continued expansion into the U.S. energy market, as it equips companies and investors with hyperlocal weather intelligence to predict energy demand and consumption in real-time.

ThinkLabs AI, Inc., a startup focused on developing technology to help enhance electric grid planning and operations through a combination of intelligent automation and AI, announced the appointment of five new senior team members:

As the chief technology officer at Thinklabs AI, Neal Vali drives the company’s overall technology strategy and vision. Prior to Thinklabs AI, Neal was the Head of Data and ML Engineering at GE Vernova, where he played a pivotal role in redefining Grid Orchestration using cloud-native solutions.

Gang Zheng, director of research and development at ThinkLabs, worked as the director of autonomous grid orchestration and senior manager of WAMS at GE. There, he led a software development and delivery team across the U.S. and Canada, focusing on product development, project delivery, and user support. His team successfully delivered key projects such as real-time distribution system state estimation, distribution model validation, and an oscillation source location system for power grids.

Chaitanya Baone, head of product at ThinkLabs brings over 12 years of experience in power and energy management products across T&D grid planning and operations, microgrids, EV smart charging and energy storage optimization. Baone has a proven track record of driving growth through innovation and has held leadership roles in R&D, engineering and product management organizations across GE, Eaton, Rivian and Itron.

Surendranath (Suren) Vallabhajosyula is the head of machine learning & data engineering at ThinkLabs. In this role, he is responsible for defining and building the company’s machine learning platform, overseeing application design, architecture, security practices, and infrastructure for multi-cloud data and machine learning applications. Before joining ThinkLabs, Suren served as the senior director of architecture and data platforms at Toyota Financial Services (TFS). There, he spearheaded the development of a secure, scalable, multi-tenant global data platform to support various data and machine learning initiatives.

Before becoming the Head of Finance at ThinkLabs AI, Vimali Pathmanathan, CPA, CA worked for GE Vernova and Opus One Solutions (acquired by GE Vernova in 2022) for seven years. She held key roles as controller and director of finance, playing a pivotal role in financing and acquisition activities.

California advances flexible demand that can absorb renewable power  With flexible demand appliance standards for pool controls set to take effect in California next year, the state is now developing standards for electric storage water heaters, to be followed by standards for five more types of appliances.

PV systems can now support grid as fossil fuels decline A new report by the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaics  Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) says that existing PV systems have the technical capabilities to provide various frequency-related grid services.

Google invests in 800 MW solar project in Illinois The Double Black Diamond Solar project may be the largest solar installation east of the Mississippi when complete in 2025.

The Hydrogen Stream: U.S. companies, institutions present hydrogen plans As the hydrogen project in Appalachia moves on, American Airlines confirms its commitment to hydrogen aircrafts. Meanwhile, a Scottish distillery might soon run on hydrogen for whisky production.

Startup Enteligent secures $6 million to scale solar EV charging The company offers a DC-to-DC electric bidirectional electric vehicle charger that allows EVs to charge directly from solar panels without the need to convert to AC.

Natron Energy announces $1.4 billion sodium ion battery factory in North Carolina The company will open a 24 GW annual production facility, creating over 1,000 jobs.

Most states with renewables targets are meeting them Nearly all states with a renewable portfolio standard have met or nearly met their current standard. Four states have yet to meet their solar carve-out requirements.

U.S. module manufacturers seek “critical” retroactive tariffs Led by First Solar and Hanwha Q Cells, U.S. solar module manufacturers have filed allegations with the Commerce Department, citing “critical circumstances” and suggesting increased module imports due to their previous lawsuit filings.

12 GW of utility-scale solar deployed in first half of 2024, doubling 2023  The Energy Information Administration reports that 20.2 GW of electricity generation capacity was deployed in the U.S. in the first half of 2024, with solar energy leading and energy storage also seeing significant deployments. Fossil fuel retirements exceeded new fossil constructions more than tenfold.

We must onshore the supply chain With the introduction of the American Tax Dollars for American Solar Manufacturing Act earlier this month, senators are trying to close this work-around and put American manufacturing back on a level playing field. 

U.S. solar car race success for two Canadian teams Solar car teams from Canada outperformed in two categories of the latest Electrek American Solar Challenge.

Sage Geosystems begins construction of 3 MW geothermal storage facility for ERCOT grid Company draws on oil and gas drilling tech to get renewable energy from dry rock formations.

The myth of meaningful and equitable energy access What it takes for low-income households to truly benefit from community solar.

Form Energy iron-air battery in Maine granted $147 million The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting Power Up New England with $389 million of federal funding. As part of the Power Up New England program, Form Energy is to deploy an 85 MW/8500 MWh multi-day battery system in Lincoln, Maine.

What to look for in tracker monitoring technology Software can boost production and mitigate risks.

Global solar module prices fall amid weak demand In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week  pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Which solar inverter manufacturers are most financially stable?  Sinovoltaics, in its latest financial stability ranking of inverter manufacturers lists Hoymiles, Eaton and others at the top. 

Biden issues new proclamation on solar cell tariffs  Tariffs on solar cells remain, but volume increases from 5 GW to 12.5 GW.

What happens when solar is installed without homeowner’s permission A Connecticut couple and several companies including Sunrun have been sued by the state’s Attorney General for forging signatures, faking a voices, and unlawfully installing solar panels on a home without the owners’ consent.

Ebon Solar to invest nearly $1 billion in U.S. solar cell factory The solar cell manufacturing facility is to be located in New Mexico and expected to bring over 900 jobs to the area.

IRA 2-year anniversary: A look at its successes and failures David Burton, attorney with Norton Rose Fulbright and specialist in energy tax law, looks at tax credit transfer, domestic content, energy communities, prevailing wage and more.

A look at IRA successes and failures David Burton, attorney with Norton Rose Fulbright and specialist in energy tax law, looks at tax credit transfer, domestic content, energy communities, prevailing wage and more.

Jimmy Carter, champion of solar energy At the age of 92, President Carter’s dedication to solar energy came full circle when his family decided to convert 10 acres of their peanut farm into a 1.3 MW solar farm.

Making perovskite solar PV circular from the start Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers used a circular economy framework to determine how to scale, deploy, and design metal halide perovskite solar panels to be easily recyclable in the future.

Heliene to procure U.S.-made solar wafers from NorSun The NorSun wafers will be supplied from the company’s planned 5 GW wafer factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

People on the move: Green Lantern, FTC Solar, Perch Energy and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

PNNL unveils Grid Storage Launchpad to bring together researchers to tackle energy storage tech A new building at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory aims to unite researchers and stakeholders to push forward advancements in grid storage technologies.

What happens when solar is installed without homeowner’s permission A Connecticut couple and several companies including Sunrun have been sued by the state’s Attorney General for forging signatures, faking a voices, and unlawfully installing solar panels on a home without the owners’ consent.

Aurora Solar introduces solar models powered by EagleView EagleView brings its geospatial data and imagery library to Aurora’s solar modeling function, helping installers to design, plan and validate solar projects.

Pivot Energy partners with Microsoft to develop up to 500 MW of community solar  The portfolio is planned to be developed in locations across the United States from 2025 through 2029.

Peter Diamandis is joining the Advisory Board of PeroNova, a climate tech company, to develop new uses for this cost-effective and versatile material.

Green Lantern Solar announced the promotion of Jon Sutton to Director of Engineering. Sutton, formerly Green Lantern Solar’s Construction Manager, possesses a wealth of experience in successfully leading complex engineering projects, making him a vital asset to the company’s ongoing success. In his new role, Sutton will lead Green Lantern Solar’s engineering division, ensuring the highest standards of quality and efficiency across all projects.

FTC Solar’s Board of Directors appointed Yann Brandt, a longtime solar executive, as the company’s new president and chief executive officer and a member of the Board, effective August 19, 2024. He joins the company from FlexGen, a leading battery energy storage services and software company, where he most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer since November 2022 and previously as Chief Financial Officer since February 2021. Prior to FlexGen, Brandt served as CEO of Quick Mount PV, a manufacturer of solar racking for residential solar, where he led the company’s reorganization and subsequent strong growth.

Perch Energy, a clean energy technology platform and leading provider of community solar services, appointed Russ Main as its new chief financial officer (CFO) and Jeffrey Battles as senior vice president (SVP) of Technology.

National Renewable Solutions (NRS), a U.S.-based renewable energy company, announced four leadership promotions to charge the company’s growth plans: Lindsey Ransom is now chief commercial officer and will oversee offtake origination strategy, commercial markets and regulatory affairs, policy, ESG and communications functions.  Mike Peck is chief operating officer after having been senior VP operations. In his new role, he will draw upon his 16 years of renewable energy industry experience to lead NRS in strategically improving its operations capabilities. Vineet Parkhe is chief technology officer. He and his team will continue to collaborate across the organization, and drive technical rigor, efficiency and innovation across all aspects of NRS’ business. Ben Klassen is the new chief legal officer. After serving as general counsel since February 2022 he will now focus on risk management and direction of legal strategy as NRS continues to grow its portfolio of renewable energy projects.

Bracewell LLP announced that renewable energy and project development attorney Hans P. Dyke has rejoined the firm’s Washington, DC office as partner in the energy practice. Dyke, a Bracewell partner from 2017 to 2021, returns to the firm after serving as general counsel of Sol Systems, LLC since he left Bracewell in 2021.

Flow Aluminum, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based startup innovating the energy industry with an aluminum-CO2 battery alternative to lithium-ion, announced the addition of Dr. Olaf Conrad as chief technology officer. In this executive role, Dr. Conrad will establish a technology roadmap for Flow Aluminum and lead its technical team in commercializing the product.

Tariffs on solar cells remain, volume increased The Biden administration issued a proclamation stating that the tariff rate quota of 14.25% on solar cells will remain but volume increases from 5 GW to 12.5 GW.

Agrivoltaics for corn Researchers have created a novel model that can help developers asses corn growth in agrivoltaic facilities. They also proposed to use spatiotemporal shadow distribution (SSD) to optimize crop yield and power production.

World’s highways could host 52.3 billion solar panels, say researchers Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Chinese Academy of Geosciences, and Columbia University have concluded that solar-covered highways could meet more than 60% of the world’s annual energy needs.

ChargePoint introduces Omni Port universal EV charger The connector is compatible with all major electric vehicle brands, including Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles.

IRA-driven battery projects face delays amid economic headwinds: report A Financial Times report has found numerous IRA-driven projects announced or under construction have been placed on hold or cancelled, including the battery industry, due largely to an EV slowdown.

Solar inverter manufacturer financial stability ranking updated The latest financial stability ranking of inverter manufacturers from Sinovoltaics lists Hoymiles Power Electronics, Eaton, Enphase, Kstar and Delta Electronics as the top five.

Rhode Island passes new consumer protections for solar industry amid rising concerns Governor McKee has signed new legislation protecting consumers from aggressive sales practices by door-to-door solar salespeople. Compliance includes federal background checks, disclosure of savings documentation, and detailed breakdowns of lease versus cash system pricing.

DCE Solar “roof-friendly” solar mount passes key safety certification The Eco-Top rooftop mounting structure is designed for commercial and industrial rooftops.

Near $1 billion solar cell factory announced in New Mexico Ebon Solar will invest $942 million in a solar cell manufacturing facility, bringing over 900 jobs.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Solar+storage microgrids to provide reliability for Northern California tribes Solar-plus-storage microgrids to be built, owned and operated by three tribes in Humboldt County, California are expected to reduce outages by 90% at a lower cost than undergrounding power lines.

CleanCapital acquires 13 MW brownfield portfolio The two projects include Steel Sun II, located on the former Bethlehem Steel site on Buffalo’s waterfront and the Homeridae project, one of two solar arrays in Olean sited on a former oil refinery and tank farm.

SEG Solar opens 2 GW module factory in Houston Ribbon-cutting event marks $60 million investment in U.S. solar manufacturing.

Wood Mackenzie: U.S. community solar to double in five years  Cumulative community solar installations are forecast to increase from less than 7 GW installed today to over 14 GW by 2029.

Tesla usurps Sungrow as lead BESS producer globally in 2023 Sungrow has lost its crown as the “lead producer” in the battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market to Tesla, according to the Wood Mackenzie report ‘Global battery energy storage system integrator ranking 2024’. Tesla claimed a 15% global market share in 2023.

SunPower goes bankrupt The company, one of the longest running solar companies in the U.S., spun off its manufacturing business in 2020 to focus more squarely on rooftop solar as demand surged. Since then, demand cooled considerably, and, under a high interest rate environment, the strategy proved fatal for the company.

Goldman Sachs invests $440 million in renewable independent power producer  The strategic investment in BrightNight will support the development of utility, commercial, and industrial solar and energy storage projects.

More money is going into solar than all other forms of generation combined, reaching $500 billion in 2024 The International Energy Agency projects that solar will attract more investment than all other electricity generation sources combined. Global energy spending is set to surpass $3 trillion for the first time this year.

Republicans request continuation of IRA post-January Eighteen Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to preserve the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) if their party takes control of the political reins in January.

Sunrun stock rises on strong cash generation in Q2 earnings The residential solar and energy storage provider increased its battery attachment rates and net subscriber value of its customers.

U.S. government announces resources to protect solar customers  Treasury, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission have partnered on developing consumer advisories and educational resources to help people navigate the solar buying process while avoiding deceptive practices.

O&M executives seeking underperforming solar assets Zack Hobbs and Casey Gilley are seeking to purchase, repower and maximize solar power farms that asset owners don’t have the time or resources to redevelop.

Republicans request continuation of IRA post-January Eighteen Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to preserve the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) if their party takes control of the political reins in January.

New bidding strategy for PV asset owners operating in spot market Conceived by an international research team, the new bidding strategy applies to the day-after and the intraday markets. It uses a technique that transforms results from probabilistic models into actual scenarios. Their method showed its ability to yield increased revenues and reduced imbalance.

Jera Nex acquires U.S. solar sites from Lightsource bp Jera Nex has purchased two US solar arrays totaling 395 MW from Lightsource bp. The acquisition marks Jera Nex’s first deal since it launched in April. Lightsource bp will continue to manage assets and provide maintenance services at the projects.

U.S. DOE announces $1.45 billion loan for Qcells solar panel factory The Department of Energy announced a conditional commitment to loan Qcells for its Georgia factory producing solar ingots, wafers, cells, and panels.

Array Technologies unveils wireless tracker system that requires no trenching The SkyLink Tracker System runs on solar power and stows when storms are detected by its snow and hail response systems.

Sunrun stock rises on strong cash generation in Q2 earnings The residential solar and energy storage provider increased its battery attachment rates and net subscriber value of its customers.

Harris names clean energy advocate Governor Tim Walz as VP pick The Harris-Walz ticket wins on climate, according to clean energy supporters.

Quantum algorithm for photovoltaic maximum power point tracking Researchers have developed a quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm for maximum power point tracking that reportedly generates 3.33% more power in higher temperature tests and 0.89% more power in partial shading tests compared to conventional swarm optimization algorithms.

New discovery paves the way for more efficient perovskite solar cells Researchers from University of Texas have used computational methods to study the formation of polarons in halide perovskites. The findings revealed topological vortices in polaron quasiparticles.

SunPower goes bankrupt The residential solar installer has filed for bankruptcy, among the largest in a series of major bankruptcies in the industry.

Atlanta Motorsports Park goes solar The motorsports club with an F1-style track is installing a solar array that is expected to power about 60% of its operations.

A drone’s eye view helps find the perfect solar site Drone Drafting brings an array of aerial sensors to project planning and engineering.

$500 billion into solar in 2024 The International Energy Agency projects that solar will attract more investment than all other electricity generation sources combined. Global energy spending is set to surpass $3 trillion for the first time this year.

Generac acquires microgrid controller specialist Ageto The company previously known for generators and battery backup systems, moves further into the C&I market with the acquisition of Ageto.

U.S. startup develops 28%-efficient perovskite-silicon tandem solar module PeroNova specializes in metal halide perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells made with its novel stability-enhancing interfacial treatment. It is targeting a range of applications including space and rooftop markets.

New battery sizing approach for virtual synchronous generators, control-based grid-forming inverters A group of researchers outlined a new methodology to determine the minimum power rating of energy storage systems (ESSs) used for emergency under-frequency response. The ESS size must be calculated to maintain the frequency within the standard operating range.

Liquid metal battery storage specialist Ambri emerges from restructuring After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the calcium-antimony liquid metal battery startup incubated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has now confirmed the closing of the sale of its assets.

Solar array installed for mission to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa The Europa Clipper mission will send a craft the size of a basketball court to Europa, a moon considered a potential habitat for life.

Goldman Sachs invests $440 million in renewable independent power producer The strategic investment in BrightNight will support the development of utility, commercial, and industrial solar and energy storage projects.

Rethinking renewable energy control systems to create a smarter grid  New cloud computing technology can leverage industrial IoT protocols and extend the capabilities of SCADA with a software-first approach.

Nextracker posts 50% year-over-year revenue growth The solar tracker manufacturer increased its fiscal Q1 2025 revenue to $720 million, up from the previous year’s revenue of $480 million.

IEA PVPS certifies that floating PV systems have small carbon footprint Floating systems cause slightly more CO2 emissions than land-based solar systems, mainly because of the additional components for the structure. But overall, they also perform very well from a climate perspective.

Students from University of Michigan win solar car race The eight-day Electrek American Solar Challenge 2024 created three new champion solar car teams with the student-run University of Michigan team coming in first, followed by Canada’s École de technologie supérieure and the Illinois State University solar car team.

Chinese solar cell prices fall amid oversupply In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

The evolving art and science of agrivoltaics At Bluewave, integrating solar technology with traditional farming practices isn’t just a concept, it’s the new standard. Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable solar development, shares insights on the transformative journey of agrivoltaics within the industry.

Renewables “cheaper and faster” than methane, says nation’s largest utility NextEra’s Q2 2024 quarterly earnings report shows significant growth in the company’s renewable pipeline. However, the group, which is typically exacting, refused to put a hard number on their future demand growth expectations.

Battery fire shuts down California highway A utility-scale battery delivery overturned on a highway after the truck carrying the batteries collided with a car, overcorrected, tipped to the side and dumped its cargo, leading to a fire that lasted more than 24 hours.

Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

Massive 900 MW solar project designed to preserve agricultural land Brookfield Renewable Partners filed a notice of intent for a 900 MW solar project in Oregon that will be installed in ribbons along the edge of a field to allow for continued agricultural use of the land

Three small changes that can make a big difference to your energy bills  There are a few ways to make efficiency-minded changes at home that reduce energy bills now and in the future.

8 GW of solar-plus-storage at resilience hubs in California could save lives Solar and storage at almost 20,000 community sites across California could help protect its population during power outages, especially during heat and smoke events, a study found.

Battery fire shuts down California highway A utility-scale battery delivery overturned on a highway after the truck carrying the batteries collided with a car, overcorrected, tipped to the side and dumped its cargo, leading to a fire that lasted more than 24 hours.

Senate committee approves bill to improve permitting of energy projects The bipartisan legislation is designed to speed up permitting by setting deadlines and doubling production targets for renewable energy permitting on federal lands while not compromising environmental review or community needs.

Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

Data center power loads threaten corporate net-zero goals The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2026, data centers will consume more than 800 TWh annually, more than double their consumption in 2022.

Acquisition of Avantus complete KKR, a leading global investment firm, acquired the utility-scale solar and storage developer and closed a $522 million development facility to advance Avantus’ pipeline.

Hail risk may bring financial instability to solar projects To ensure sustainability and financial viability, the solar industry needs a critical reevaluation and enhancement of both technical protective measures and financial risk management practices for solar installations in hail-prone regions.

The evolving art and science of agrivoltaics At Bluewave, integrating solar technology with traditional farming practices isn’t just a concept, it’s the new standard. Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable solar development, shares insights on the transformative journey of agrivoltaics within the industry.

GIS and data platform raises $11 million to accelerate clean energy development  Paces reports that its software streamlines the traditionally manual process of site selection and project due diligence by consolidating and interpreting spatial, zoning, permitting, interconnection, and environmental data.

Renewables “cheaper and faster” than methane, says nation’s largest utility NextEra’s Q2 2024 quarterly earnings report shows significant growth in the company’s renewable pipeline. However, the group, which is typically exacting, refused to put a hard number on their future demand growth expectations.

AI-enabled solar installation robot Maximo the robot will soon help to construct the 2 GW Bellefield solar project in California. 

California state grant advances 2 GWh iron flow battery deployment plans The Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s long-duration battery energy storage project in partnership with ESS Tech, Inc. has been awarded a $10 million grant from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate the capability of iron flow battery technology.

Can the grid cope with the surge in electricity demand? The grid needs to modernize to meet a booming demand for electricity, which is only predicted to grow even further in coming years. IEC Standards are key to help with the transition.

Sunnova forges two new partnerships with home energy financers The residential solar and energy storage “adaptive services” provider partnered with EV charging and home energy financers.

Massive 900 MW solar project designed to preserve agricultural land Brookfield Renewable Partners filed a notice of intent for a 900 MW solar project in Oregon that will be installed in ribbons along the edge of a field to allow for continued agricultural use of the land.

Six states offer grants to help local governments automate solar permitting  Solar trade groups in Washington, Colorado and Minnesota advocated for grant programs to speed permitting for rooftop solar, using software such as SolarAPP+. Three other states also offer grants, with two requiring automated permitting.

Community solar needs to embrace urban rooftops and brownfields RE+ Mid-Atlantic solar conference panel: While developers prefer greenfield projects, state regulators target other project sites.

Reactive power management key to advancing grid stability  A look at the regulatory frameworks and practical applications, underscoring the essential role of reactive power management in maintaining a stable and efficient power grid.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management advances over 6 GW of solar projects  Once complete, the projects would generate enough electricity to power roughly 2 million homes.

U.S. clean energy tax credit market to reach $25 billion in 2024  A mid-year report from tax credit marketplace Crux showed that deal volume is expected to come in higher than previously expected at $20 to $25 billion this year.

MIT scientists optimize perovskite solar cell components Researchers at MIT have enhanced the stability of Spiro-MeOTAD in perovskite solar cells, achieving over 1,400 hours of high-temperature testing with minimal degradation in a lower efficiency cell.

WoodMac says global solar tracker shipments grew by 28% in 2023 Global tracker shipments reached 92 GWdc last year, according to WoodMackenzies’ latest report. The US accounted for the majority of the global market, with three US-based manufacturers, Nextracker, Array Technologies and GameChange Solar, ranking as the three largest shippers in the world.

Interview: My experience as a battery energy storage homeowner What is it like being a residential solar and energy storage prosumer living in California? Ahmad Faruqui, economist-at-large, shares his perspective with pv magazine USA .

Wafer prices near bottom, size evolution and capacity globalization continue In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Tesla continues scaling up energy storage business in China The announcement of Tesla’s battery factory in Shanghai marked the company’s entry into the Chinese market. Amy Zhang, analyst at InfoLink Consulting, looks at what this move could bring for the US battery storage maker and the broader Chinese market.

Residential solar company SunPower stock crashes 70% The company’s share price fell below $1 as it announced it is halting some operations and ending its lease and power purchase agreement offerings, among other actions.

How long do residential solar panels last? Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of this series, we look at the solar panels themselves.

U.S. Senators introduce comprehensive energy permitting reform act Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) released the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, promising to accelerate the permitting processes for energy and mineral projects of all types in the U.S.

WoodMac says global solar tracker shipments grew by 28% in 2023 Global tracker shipments reached 92 GWdc last year, according to WoodMackenzies’ latest report. The US accounted for the majority of the global market, with three US-based manufacturers, Nextracker, Array Technologies and GameChange Solar, ranking as the three largest shippers in the world.

Interview: My experience as a battery energy storage homeowner What is it like being a residential solar and energy storage prosumer living in California? Ahmad Faruqui, economist-at-large, shares his perspective with pv magazine USA .

From ESS News

Electric vehicle and energy storage maker Tesla initiated its Megafactory in Shanghai in December 2023 and completed the signing ceremony for land acquisition. Once delivered, the new plant will span an area of 200,000 square meters and come with a price tag of RMB 1.45 billion. This project, which marks its entry into the Chinese market, is a key milestone for the company’s strategy for the global energy storage market.

As demand for energy storage continues to grow, the China-based factory is expected to fill Tesla’s capacity shortage and become a major supply region for Tesla’s global orders. Moreover, as China has been the largest country with newly installed electrochemical energy storage capacity in recent years, Tesla is likely to enter the country’s storage market with its Megapack energy storage systems produced in Shanghai.

Tesla has been scaling up its energy storage business in China since the beginning of this year. The company announced its construction of the factory in Shanghai’s Lingang pilot free trade zone earlier in May, and signed a supply deal of eight Megapacks with Shanghai Lingang Data Center, securing the first batch of orders for its Megapacks in China.

Currently, China’s public auction for utility-scale projects saw fierce price competition. The quote for a two-hour utility-scale energy storage system is RMB 0.6-0.7/Wh ($0.08-0.09/Wh) as of June 2024. Tesla’s product quotes are not competitive against the Chinese manufacturers, but the company has rich experiences in global projects and a strong brand impact.

To continue reading, please visit our ESS News website.

How long do residential solar batteries last? Multiple factors affect lifespan of a residential battery energy storage system. We examine the life of batteries in Part 3 of our series.

Energy storage opportunities in Mid-Atlantic region await clear state policies Panelists at RE+ in Philadelphia said storage deployment in the PJM region lags others, but doesn’t have to.

U.S. engineers develop ChatGPT algorithm to design solar cells OptoGPT is a new algorithm that harnesses the computer architecture underpinning ChatGPT. Its creators say that it will enable researchers and engineers to design optical multilayer film structures for a wide range of applications, including solar cells.

People on the move: Origis Energy, EVPassport, and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

California replacing nuclear with solar plus storage Clearway Energy has secured financing for the 200 MW Luna Valley Solar & Storage facility and the 113.5 MW Dagget energy storage project in California. These projects have signed PPAs that are part of a collection of projects being developed across the state intended to replace the potentially retiring Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

Heliene and Premier Energies announce U.S. solar cell factory Heliene is a solar module provider operating in North America, while Premier Energies is the second largest solar cell manufacturer in India.

Origis Energy hired capital markets leader Deborah Kross. Most recently at Wells Fargo as managing director, portfolio manager for power, utilities and renewables, Deborah brings two decades of project finance leadership in North America to her new position at Origis as the senior vice president of Capital Markets.

Paul Subzak was hired as vice president of engineering at Affordable Wire Management.

EVPassport announced Liz Howard has been appointed chief financial officer; John Gilbrook has been named senior vice president, North American sales; and Brian McKinnon has joined as vice president of channel partnerships and alliances.

Additional job moves provided by EnergeiaWorks:

• Michael Schutz is starting a new position as Market Sector Leader, Renewable Energy & Power Delivery at Bowman Consulting.
• Evan Wilson announces the newest addition to his CanREA Alberta team – Radha Rajagopalan.

North America’s leading renewable energy search firm

How long do residential solar inverters last? Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar inverter. In Part 2 of our series, we look at solar inverters.

GADS reporting required for far more solar facilities in 2025 With the North American Reliability Corporation’s Generating Availability Data System’s requirement dropping for 100 MW to 20 MW solar installations, many more solar installers will need to comply.

California community action agency breaks ground on vehicle-to-grid solar project The 1.5 MW ground-mount solar farm will be installed on a fixed-tilt racking system. Excess energy will be stored in a Nuvve-branded pre-validated battery energy storage system (BESS) integrated with Nuvve’s vehicle-to-grid platform.

ReCreate unveils details of U.S. solar cell, module factory The new venture is expected to bring 2 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity to the US market within 18 to 24 months.

How long do residential solar panels last? Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of this series, we look at the solar panels themselves.

New design for antimony trisulfide solar cells promises 30% higher efficiency An international research team has proposed a series of optimization techniques for antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) solar cells that may reportedly increase the efficiency of these PV devices to over 11%. The resulting new cell design is said to significantly improve band alignment control and parameter optimization.

Trina Solar probing potential breaches of TOPCon patents Trina Solar says it has started evaluating potential violations of some of its patents for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) tech. One of the patents focuses on the number of busbars and their width in TOPCon solar panels.

Reducing solar project timelines and costs with integrated switchboards Utility-scale solar projects can be developed more rapidly and cost effectively through the use of integrated switchboards, said a report from Castillo Engineering, Recon Corporation, EPEC and ReBoSS.

U.S. Senators introduce comprehensive energy permitting reform act Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) released the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, promising to accelerate the permitting processes for energy and mineral projects of all types in the U.S.

DOE’s Liftoff Plan: Three actions utilities can implement While it may take more time for solar energy to become an integral part of power generation across the U.S., utility companies can prepare now to capitalize on the opportunities ahead as the DOE initiative moves to transform the grid for generations to come.

The Hydrogen Stream: Europe could miss 2030 hydrogen targets The European Court of Auditors says the European Union will likely fail to achieve its 2030 renewable hydrogen goals, while the US Department of Energy and Arches have agreed to build a $12.6 billion hydrogen hub in California.

DOE offers conditional loan guarantee for 200 MW solar, 285 MW storage in Puerto Rico Two solar-plus-storage projects in Puerto Rico eligible for a loan guarantee would double the territory’s utility-scale solar capacity.

Canadian government extends heat pump grant scheme The provincial government of Prince Edward Island, Canada, has signed an agreement with the Canadian federal government to implement the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) program. The scheme offers grants to low- and medium-income households to install heat pumps and has nationally delivered more than 7,000 units to date.

$7 billion federal ‘Solar for All’ program faces vendor and compliance challenges A group of panelists at the RE+ conference in Philadelphia, panelists provided updates on the EPA-administered Solar for All Program, which extends solar access to low income households.

Massachusetts passes pro-solar and energy storage reforms The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill to put time limits on solar permit processing, streamlined appeals processes, energy storage procurement goals, and more.

Elastocalorics could replace heat pumps, air conditioning systems Elastocalorics have the potential to replace current air conditioning and heating systems, offering significant energy savings when paired with technologies such as photovoltaics.

First Solar probes potential infringement of TOPCon patents First Solar says it is evaluating potential infringement of its patents for its TOPCon tech, secured through the acquisition of TetraSun in 2013. The U.S. thin-film solar module manufacturer has not named the companies involved or given a timeline for the investigation.

Solar corporate funding drops to $16.6 billion in H1 High interest rates, an uncertain rate trajectory and timeline, increasing trade barriers, supply chain challenges, concerns about the presidential election’s impact on the sector, and constantly evolving trade policies have created a climate of uncertainty.

First Solar commissions 1.3 million square-foot R&D facility The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation in Lake Township, Ohio includes a high-tech pilot manufacturing line allowing for the production of full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules.

Intersect Power closes $837 million in financing for three battery systems in Texas Each project comprises 86 Tesla Megapacks and will provide a capacity of 320 MWh of battery storage with a two-hour duration.

S&P Global launches daily spot market price assessment for solar panels The tool has been billed as the world’s first independent daily spot market price assessment for solar panels. S&P Global says it has been launched to aid transparency in technology pricing as solar modules become increasingly commoditized.

Generac awarded up to $200 million from DOE for solar and storage in Puerto Rico The funds seek to build energy resilience in Puerto Rico, where hurricanes and other extreme weather frequently leave residents without power.

North American solar power purchase agreements rise 3% in Q2 LevelTen Energy released its quarterly PPA Price Index Report, showing an increase in prices following a modest drop in Q1.

People on the move: Swift Current Energy, Lightsource bp, WTS Energy, and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

50 states of solar policy moves, Q2 2024 Q2 2024 saw 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico take a total of 182 distributed solar policy actions.

Grid operator PJM to start talks on regional transmission The nation’s largest grid operator told renewables trade groups that it will launch a transmission planning process ordered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Utah developer rPlus secures $1B in financing for 400 MW/1600 MWh solar-plus-storage project  The Green River Energy Center will supply power for PacifiCorp.

Peak Energy secures $55 million Series A funding to manufacture sodium-ion batteries The company plans to deliver its first systems in 2025 and open a full-scale production facility in 2027.

U.S. residential solar down 20% in 2024 A webinar hosted by Roth Capital Partners looked at the health of the residential solar market and forecasts for next year.

Swift Current Energy announced that Brian Dee has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO). Brian, a seasoned energy executive, joins Swift Current as the company prepares to own and operate more than 1 GW of renewable energy projects by the end of this year and invest in its market-leading, multi-technology development pipeline. Most recently, Brian served as CFO of Atlantic Power & Utilities, an independent power producer with operations across North America. His nearly two-decade track record at the company includes $6 billion in capital raises and $4 billion in acquisitions and divestitures.

Lightsource bp appointed Emilie Wangerman as our chief operating officer (COO) of the United States and member of our executive team, effective immediately. Wangerman will lead the growth and development of our ambitious U.S. portfolio, strengthening our market position as a leader in the region. She has been an integral part of Lightsource bp since joining in late 2017 to significantly accelerate expansion into the U.S. market. During six years under Emilie’s leadership, the business development team executed more than 4GW of power contracts with a wide range of power purchasers that include universities, utilities and well-known brands such as McDonald’s, eBay, Verizon, and Amazon. Over the last seven months, Emilie has been acting as interim COO of the U.S.

Additional job moves provided by EnergeiaWorks:

• Ryan Morphett has joined WTS Energy as their newest Director of the U.S. business

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Utility-scale agrivoltaic installation in Ohio is now operational Savion developed the 180 MW solar power plant located in Madison County, one of the first operating utility-scale solar sites to integrate soybeans, alfalfa and forage crop production within the array.

Solar trade group sets standards for ethical solar practices The Solar Energy Industries Association seeks public comment on two standards designed to ensure transparent, ethical solar sales practices and to raise the bar for safety and durability of rooftop solar and storage installations.

With acquisition of Lyra, Aurora adds automated permitting to its toolbox Lyra provides permit packaging software that automates permit-ready solar designs.

Trial by fire: Inside Sungrow’s thermal event testing Sungrow says the industry needs to do more to increase public confidence in lithium-ion battery storage.

Solar electricity “a good idea” for 83% of poll respondents Support for solar electricity has declined by 8% since 2013, according to a recent RMI poll.

Solar nears 9% of U.S. total electric generation capacity The monthly energy infrastructure update from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shows solar accounted for nearly 80% of capacity additions in May, continuing its dominance of new-build generation.

Mission Solar introduces modules for C&I and utility-scale The residential solar panel manufacturer introduced large format bifacial solar modules for larger projects.

Enphase Energy releases EV charger for commercial fleets The CS-100 provides up to 19.2 kW of continuous power output and enables the fleet operator to set up charging schedules using the Enphase proprietary COSMOS interface.

SolarEdge aims to qualify for U.S. domestic content incentive The company has brought over 1,500 new jobs to the U.S. through contract manufacturing facilities.

Protecting smart inverters from cyberattack The National Institute of Standards and Technology has flagged a cybersecurity risk for smart inverters, and is developing guidelines to prevent cyberattacks.

Generac introduces residential EV charger The Level 2 charger offers between 25 and 30 miles of charge per hour.

Texas solar shines through Tropical Storm Beryl In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the Tropical Storm Beryl caused a large but temporary dip in solar generation potential across Texas on July 8. However, cross-referencing with grid operator reports revealed that very little production went offline due to the storm, showing the resilience of Texas’ solar infrastructure.

IEA-PVPS identifies 456 patents in PV module recycling The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme’s (IEA-PVPS) latest report on solar panel recycling offers a comprehensive review of all existing technologies in this market segment, from pure mechanical recycling to innovative techniques such as as light pulse treatment, water-jet cleaning, pyrolysis, and chemical treatments.

Volytica, Sinovoltaics launch new analysis service for 100% battery pack review at factory  The newly launched BESSential analysis goes deeper than traditional Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), which is performed at the container level. The service evaluates each battery energy storage system pack down to the cell level and detects and corrects thermal, electrical, and capacity imbalance issues.

Global solar installations to nearly quadruple by 2033 Wood Mackenzie forecasts 4.7 TW of solar capacity to be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for about 50% of the growth.

U.S. manufacturer Toledo Solar closes business The Ohio based thin-film solar module producer was sued last year by First Solar, which alleged that Toledo Solar sold Malaysian-made First Solar modules under the Toledo name. It has announced it will cease operations.

Solar tariffs could “unintentionally cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry”  A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and the American Council on Renewable Energy shows how antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) tariffs create cost issues not just for imported solar panels, but for U.S.-made solar panels as well. 

Solar panel cleaning with electromagnetic waves Three companies, including Massachusetts startup Sol Clarity, are experimenting with electrodynamic screen systems to clean solar panels using minimal electricity and no water.

Solar supply chain, technology trends, and policy update A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) provides the latest on global and regional solar supply chains, technological trends, and market impacts from policy.

Anker launches new all-in-one home storage solution Anker has developed a new all-in-one home storage solution with up to 30 kWh of capacity, available in single-phase and three-phase configurations.

Residential PV power forecasting method based uniquely on direct radiation Researchers in Spain have created a novel PV forecasting method that uses only direct radiation as a parameter. They found it to be “comparable, if not superior” to four established forecasting techniques. The method could help homeowners with PV systems decide when to use electricity-intensive appliances and cleaning systems.

Solar panel cleaning with electromagnetic waves Three companies, including Massachusetts startup Sol Clarity, are experimenting with electrodynamic screen systems to clean solar panels using minimal electricity and no water.

Amazon hits 100% renewable energy goal seven years ahead of schedule The retail giant matched 100% of the electricity used in its operations with investments in renewable energy in 2023.

All-perovskite tandem solar cell based on tin-lead perovskite achieves 27.8% efficiency Scientists in the United States have fabricated an all-perovskite tandem solar cell that reportedly shows reduced interfacial energy loss in the cell’s top device. It was built with a hole transport layer based on a compound known as P3CT that was doped with lead iodide.

Indiana’s largest solar power plant about to come online Mammoth North Solar is a 400 MW agrivoltaic installation that is the first phase of Doral Renewables’ 1.3 GW solar complex.

People on the move: SolarEdge, SEIA, Mitsubishi Power Americas, and more  Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

World’s first anode-free sodium solid-state battery Researchers at the Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion have created a new sodium battery architecture with stable cycling for several hundred cycles, which could serve as a future direction to enable low-cost, high-energy-density and fast-charging batteries.

Researchers build 16%-efficient mini perovskite solar module resistant to UV light-induced degradation A U.S. research team has built a 15 cm2 perovskite solar module with improved stability and efficiency thanks to a polymer hole transport layer that reportedly improves the panel stability and efficiency.

With great (solar) power comes great responsibility Consumer protection and transparency are the keys to reigniting industry growth. Josh Levine, vice president of marketing, EnergySage shares his perspective

Organic solar cell gains counterintuitive efficiency boost from entropy A research team at the University of Kansas found that organic semiconductors known as non-fullerene acceptors demonstrate a high solar cell efficiency due to a reversed heat flow.

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Global energy storage fleet to surpass 1 TW/3 TWh by 2033 According to the latest forecast from Wood Mackenzie, the global energy storage market (excluding pumped hydro) is on track to reach 159 GW/358 GWh by the of 2024 and grow by more than 600% by 2033, with nearly 1 TW of new capacity expected to come online.

Solar for small-scale brewing  Researchers in Spain have investigated the potential of using photovoltaic (PV) or photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems in microbreweries and have found that PVT systems can cover more energy demand but have a longer payback time.

U.S. manufacturer Toledo Solar closes business The Ohio based thin-film solar module producer was sued last year by First Solar, alleged that Toledo Solar sold Malaysian-made First Solar modules under the Toledo name.

Transfer switch for home solar power integration Nature’s Generator now offers a 50-amp, 12-circuit switch to manually power up selected circuits from backup system.

Solar tariffs could “unintentionally cede U.S. leadership in the solar industry” A report from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and the American Council on Renewable Energy shows how antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) tariffs create cost issues not just for imported solar panels, but for U.S.-made solar panels as well.

The Hydrogen Stream: Hydrogen power plants feasible but inefficient, says CATF The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) says in a new report that dedicated clean hydrogen production and use is often a costly, inefficient decarbonization strategy for the power sector, while American Airlines says it has signed a deal with ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines.

Battery storage deployment in Canada kicks into gear  The deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Canada is picking up the pace, with the announcement of a 705 MWh battery storage system delivery to Nova Scotia by Canadian Solar’s e-Storage and various other projects in provinces across the country. However, this surge cannot come quickly enough says Energy Storage Canada.

Vineyard installs solar to keep distillery warehouse cool  The 55kW system is expected to produce more than .06 MWh a year and will help keep the vineyard’s distillery storage warehouse at the optimal temperature of 50 to 60 F throughout the year.

California approves 525 MWac of solar and 320 MW of geothermal Southern California Edison received approval from the State of California to proceed with power purchase agreements for three solar power projects and two geothermal projects from startup Fervo Energy.

How grid operators and renewable energy producers can use batteries to develop a flexible energy system As the urgency of mitigating the impacts of climate change intensifies with each passing year, it is the collective responsibility of grid operators and renewable energy producers to spearhead the transition to a renewable energy system.

Global solar installations to nearly quadruple by 2033 Wood Mackenzie forecasts 4.7 TW of solar capacity to be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for about 50% of the growth.

TrendForce says 210 mm module shipments surpassed 260 GW in Q1 Market intelligence platform TrendForce says 210 mm n-type technology is “set to spearhead a new industrial revolution.” It expects 210mm modules to account for 78.29% of the large-format module market this year, increasing to 82.51% by 2027.

Aggreko Energy acquires C&I solar developer With the acquisition of Infiniti Energy, Aggreko expands its commercial and industrial development portfolio.

Enphase begins shipping U.S.-made microinverters for commercial applications The IQ8P-3P commercial microinverters support up to 480 W of peak output power for three-phase commercial installations, and they’re compatible with a wide range of solar modules up to 640 W.

The secret to keeping a highly renewable island grid stable It may seem counterintuitive to operators who are familiar with traditional grid management methods, but the key to stabilizing the destabilizing effects of more renewables on the grid is–more renewables.

Time to talk solar curtailment It’s time to assess curtailment, as rising amounts of excess generation are being wasted in several markets. This can be problematic for the solar industry but Toby Couture and David Jacobs, coordinators of think tank Global Solar PV Brain Trust, argue that curtailment is not always bad.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week  pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

California city to install pop-up solar canopy with EV charging  The City of Campbell contracted with Paired Power to install its Pairtree solar canopy.

Tesla battery deployment jumped way up while Megapack is down Tesla revealed a significant increase in energy storage deployment, officially reporting revenue for 9.4 GWh of deployed storage products.

Experts consider speedy utility-scale interconnection in Texas going nationwide Some experts shared data to back up their praise for the “connect and manage” approach used by Texas grid operator ERCOT, while others speaking on an industry panel explained their reservations.

Public input sought for large-scale solar project in Arizona  According to the application submitted by developer EDF Renewables, the proposed Socorro project will sit on 3,066 acres on nearly 6,000-acres of public land and it would produce up to 350 MW of solar energy along with battery energy storage.

Yotta Energy launches ‘panel-level storage’ package for C&I solar U.S. storage and inverter specialist Yotta Energy says its new package has several advantages compared to conventional C&I solar storage solutions.

Lithium-ion battery fire safety starts with the manufacturer Fluence America’s president says stakeholder and first responder engagement is necessary to keep failures from becoming newsworthy events.

Lithium-ion battery fire safety starts with the manufacturer Fluence America’s president says stakeholder and first responder engagement is necessary to keep failures from becoming newsworthy events.

How to speed interconnection studies Automation of interconnection study processes is already underway and has room to grow, said executives from Pearl Street Technologies and Nira Energy on an industry panel. Other panelists discussed developing the engineering workforce.

Tesla battery deployment up 157%; Megapack pricing down 44% In its latest quarterly press release, traditionally focused on vehicle production, Tesla revealed a significant increase in energy storage deployment, officially reporting revenue for 9.4 GWh of deployed storage products.

Michigan legislation bars homeowners associations from banning solar House bill 5028 currently sits on Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for signature, and once signed will grant condominium owners the freedom to generate solar energy on their rooftops.

All solar cell efficiencies at a glance – updated The research group led by Professor Martin Green has published Version 64 of the solar cell efficiency tables. There are 19 new results reported in the new version.

The importance of measuring albedo at solar sites As bifacial modules proliferate, estimations of albedo are becoming more important and with developers not prepared to install weather stations to assess solar resource, a popular option has become third-party, on-site measurements over periods as short as a day. Is this an acceptable compromise between costly on-site measuring and less accurate satellite data? Everoze’s Stefan Mau discusses the potential benefits and limitations of this approach.

Rhode Island passes energy storage act The act sets a storage procurement goal for the state requires utilities to create an interconnection tariff that values the flexibility benefits of energy storage.

University solar projects model institutional responsibility With a goal of achieving net neutrality by 2030, the University at Buffalo is not just generating clean energy with its solar installations, but serving as an example of how solar can become part of the landscape.

Public input sought for large-scale solar project in Arizona According to the application submitted by developer EDF Renewables, the proposed Socorro project will sit on 3,066 acres on nearly 6,000-acres of public land and it would produce up to 350 MW of solar energy along with battery energy storage.

U.S. household energy can wield 15 GW to affordably meet electricity demand A report from Deloitte showed how distributed energy resources (DER) can help the U.S. meet its climate goals while improving the functionality of the grid.

Google invests in Taiwanese solar developer New Green Power Google has made a capital investment in Taiwan-based New Green Power, in a deal that grants the U.S. company the rights to procure up to 300 MW of solar assets.

PV market eyes recovery amid falling module prices Martin Schachinger, founder of pvXchange.com, says that solar module prices are falling across the board, while batteries and inverters are hitting historically low prices due to market oversupply.

AEG unveils hybrid inverters for high-voltage PV systems The new three-phase hybrid inverter series includes five versions with power ratings of 6 kW to 15 kW. They feature efficiencies of up to 98.2% and a maximum input voltage of 1,000 V.

Trina Solar begins mass production of 430-455 W full-black modules Trina Solar says it has launched mass production of 430 W to 455 W full-black PV modules. The Vertex S+ panels have efficiencies of up to 22.8% and weigh 21 kg, with a 1.6 mm x 1.6 mm dual-glass design.

UL Solutions introduces new testing protocol for residential battery storage systems The latest test method addresses the fire propagation behavior of a residential battery energy storage system if a thermal runaway propagation event leading to an internal fire were to occur during the system’s lifetime.

Rutgers University studies co-locating solar energy with crop production The university is working with SolarEdge to study the practices of agrivoltaics, or co-located solar and farming.

Sinovoltaics updates North American solar module manufacturing map The latest North American manufacturing hub report from Sinovoltaics maps current and planned capacity for 95 plants in the region’s PV module supply chain. The report tracks announcements of current and future capacities at plants producing PV modules, cells, wafers, ingots, polysilicon, and metallurgical-grade silicon.

Carbon removal necessary for solving climate crisis By combining a rapid shift to 100% clean energy with large-scale deployment of carbon removal solutions, we can create a true climate restoration future – one with a healthy, livable planet for generations to come.

Roadmap to designing an efficient community solar program The Coalition for Community Solar Access released a Policy Roadmap that offers legislative guidance including model legislation.

New Mexico solar output drops amid heatwave-induced storms In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that summer weather and a heat dome have brought increased irradiance to both US coasts. As a result, much of the continental United States saw irradiance moderately above average, 5-10% above historical June averages, with the increase most notable along the East Coast.

Solar modules prices trend lower on weak demand, oversupply In a new weekly update for pv magazine, OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a quick look at the main price trends in the global PV industry.

Dimension Energy plans $1.1 billion community solar buildout by 2025 Dimension plans to develop 500 MW of community solar assets by the end of next year.

Smart inverter adoption is generally slow nationwide, says Sunrun executive To greatly increase hosting capacity for distributed solar and storage, Sunrun executive Stephen Rymsha calls for faster adoption of smart inverters using default settings, along with related consumer protections, and ultimately a plug-and-play experience for customers buying rooftop solar.