Sunrise brief: Solar deployment needs to accelerate by 3-4x: Biden administration

Also on the rise: Solar imports are being detained by border agents, First Solar breaks ground in its 3.3GW Ohio plant, and partners turn to blockchain to help expand module recycling efforts.

August 18, 2021 David Wagman

Image: Black & Veatch

Solar deployment will need to accelerate 3-4x to reach decarbonization goals, DOE says. Large-scale decarbonization of the electricity sector could move solar from 3% of generation today to over 40% by 2035.

Solar modules are being detained by customs agents, reports suggest. An order issued in late June instructed customs agents to detain solar shipments containing silica-based products sourced from a Chinese firm and its subsidiaries. Three solar players may already have been impacted.

Perovskite-silicon tandems could rapidly scale solar. Halide perovskites combined with conventional silicon could help solar break the 26% efficiency barrier, disrupting the technology without disrupting business systems.

Partners turn to blockchain to expand solar module recycling. The technology is being developed in Japan and should be able to inspect solar modules to provide data on traceability and components used.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh on a tour of a First Solar facility in Lake Township, Ohio, on August 17.
*Image: First Solar*

First Solar breaks ground on 3.3 GWdc production facility. The new facility in Ohio is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2023 and represents a $680 million investment.

Former Rockefeller subsidiary acquires 270 MW solar project. The move represents one of the first steps in the company’s transition away from it’s fossil fuel history and towards embracing renewable generation.

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