While other U.S.-based module manufacturers have struggled this year, the California-based company has quietly been expanding.
Markets & Policy
Montana guts PURPA
A ruling by state regulators reduces contract prices significantly and secures these prices for only five years in the territory of NorthWestern Energy.
Installations
New Hampshire holds the line on net metering, orders solar value study
The decision keeps 100% net metering for systems under 100 kW. Under previously approved legislation, New Hampshire would double its net-metering cap while utilities work with other solar stakeholders (including consumers) to determine the true value of solar that will be used to create the next generation of solar tariffs.
Markets & Policy
Energy storage target approved by New York legislators
New York is following the lead of California, Oregon and Massachusetts, which have set mandates for energy storage deployment.
Installations
Destroy the industry to save it? Another report warns of Section 201 case’s potentially devastating effects
GTM Research’s latest report predicts a 50% to 60% overall reduction to solar installations if trade action is taken, with the utility-scale sector taking the most significant hit.
Installations
Eicke Weber: Trump’s border wall could host 5 GW of PV capacity
The former head of Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE said in an interview with Spiegel that, although the proposed U.S. border wall should reach a length of only 2,000 miles, this would be enough to build a huge PV installation. With a solar LCOE ranging from $0.03 to $0.05/KWh the PV plant could be amortized in five to six years.
Markets & Policy
EnergyWakeup: CALSEIA’s Bernadette Del Chiaro on policy & politics
In this latest podcast from Yann Brandt’s EnergyWakeup, we bring you an interview with California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA) Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro on politics in the state, and how this affects the market.
Installations
Trump now says SOLAR will pay for the Mexican wall
First it was Mexico. Then it was the U.S. taxpayer (reimbursed by Mexico). Now President Trump says he’s going to cover the wall in solar panels – generating energy and paying for itself.
Breaking new ground
Central America’s solar boom: Central American nations have emerged from obscurity to a leading role in the deployment and integration of large amounts of renewable energy. But the Energy Transition in this region is just beginning.
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Press Releases
Nuance Energy Receives $3 Million Investment from Tabuchi Electric to Accelerate Growth in North America
Nuance Energy’s Unique Value Proposition in Ground-mount Solar will Enable Tabuchi to Expand its Reach in Distributed Generation Solar+Storage.
Top New Home Builders Choose SunPower to Advance California’s Net Zero Compliance Goals Before 2020
SunPower Installs Solar at 1,000th New Home Community
NYSERDA Board of Directors Appoints Alicia Barton President and CEO
Kate Fish and Sukanya Paciorek Join NYSERDA Board of Directors
Advanced Energy Roadmap Shows How Next Governor Can Drive Economic Development While Making Virginia’s Energy More Secure, Clean, Affordable
Today, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) announced it has delivered a policy memo to the Virginia gubernatorial campaigns of Republican nominee Ed Gillespie and Democratic nominee Lt. Gov.
Installations
Featured
Louisiana retroactively fixes solar tax credit
The state's house and senate have passed a bill to ensure that PV system owners who installed solar by the end of 2015 actually get the tax credit they were promised.
A new approach to unlocking the corporate solar market without virtual net metering
In this guest post for pv magazine USA, Soltage Senior VP Marc Miller looks at the Contract for Differences (CfD) model as a way to further expand corporate adoption of solar, particularly in states that do not have Virtual Net Metering policies.
...NextEra plans deeper moves into solar
The world’s largest wind and solar asset owner has identified opportunities for 9-10 GW of solar as it expands into renewables and away from risky conventional merchant generation.
...Spruce sells $250 million in solar and energy efficiency loans
This is the second sale of loan assets for the company, which has experienced significant staff reductions and turnover in its executive positions.
...Manufacturing
Featured
Shoals Technologies earns investment from Oaktree Capital
The company announced an investment partnership with the Power Opportunities Group of Oaktree Capital Management that will help the company expand its international business on its current portfolio in addition to joining the energy-storage market.
Silicor low-cost silicon may foster greater cell efficiency
Silicor Materials is striving to demonstrate that its low-cost PV silicon production process should help boost efficiency records in the near future. The company performed its own attempt at producing a mono PERC cell with greater efficiency, and hit a 20% level on the first try, company officials say.
...Seraphim Solar earns confidence of financing firms
In an atmosphere where U.S.-based solar module manufacturers are dropping like flies, it’s nice to see one ramping up production to meet ever-increasing demand for U.S.-made modules.
...Tesla moves one step closer to Solar Roof deployment
Underwriters Laboratories certified the product last week, which should allow Elon Musk to keep his promise to roll the product out this summer.
...United States informs WTO of trade petition investigation (ITC notification embedded)
The U.S. International Trade Commission has informed the WTO that it is moving forward with its investigation into whether Suniva and SolarWorld deserve “global safeguard” protection from their competitors.
...Markets & Policy
Featured
DOE grid study release delayed until July
Secretary Perry’s promised study of whether renewables are shutting down baseload coal and nukes and potential impacts on reliability will have to wait until July.
Cheap gas and renewables are making merchant power untenable (w/ charts)
A new report by Power Research Group and Wilkinson Barker Knauer finds that cheap natural gas, wind and solar make it impossible for merchant plants to recover invested capital, and threaten the basic operation of wholesale power markets.
...Business as usual: Energy Department awards $32 million in small-business grants
Despite having the sword of Damocles hanging over the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), it is still doing its job – encouraging small businesses to innovate in the clean-energy economy so that if the industry is ever no longer under siege, it will not have fallen irreversibly behind the rest of the world.
...Optimism and concern at the REFF Wall Street conference
While there were many good indicators at ACORE’s 14th REFF Wall Street conference, there are worries around the Suniva Section 201 trade case.
...Silicon Ranch to build 200 MW-AC of solar for Georgia Co-ops
The portfolio of four solar projects will provide low-cost electricity for 38 co-ops in the state, and builds on existing projects developed by the two companies.
...Technology
Featured
Army all in on PV solar, awarding a $6.5 million contract
Four research partners have won a contract from the Army Research Laboratory's Army Research Office to develop flexible, more powerful solar modules to provide soldiers in the field reliable electricity.
Scientists blast Jacobson 100% wind, water and solar plan for errors
A new paper by leading scientists is taking a popular plan for 100% wind and solar to task for “errors, inappropriate methods, and implausible assumptions”
...No, Virginia, wind and solar are not a threat to grid stability
A new report commissioned by Advanced Energy Economy disproves a number of myths about U.S. grids and electricity markets.
...Texas researchers develop new method for solar desalination
A team of researchers from Rice University in Houston, Texas has developed a new method for using solar power to desalinate sea water. Part of a federally funded research effort into water treatment , the team has developed a system utilizing a combination of membrane distillation and nanophotonics to turn salt water into fresh drinking water.
...New alloy could pave the way for new CPV designs
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new semiconductor alloy that can capture near-infrared light in the leading edge of the visible light spectrum. This could be a major step forward in the development of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology.
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