Sunrise brief: California community solar in peril

Shedding light on tandem perovskite solar cell progress  Perovskite tandem devices are at the front of the queue for commercialization but their characterization presents technical challenges.

Grid analysts challenge Bonneville Power’s pace in adopting advanced conductors  As the White House encourages utilities to use advanced conductors to help interconnect new renewable generation, the federally-owned utility Bonneville Power is moving slowly to use the high-capacity conductors, analysts said.

Less than 3% of farmland could power the Midwest An analysis by the Center for Rural Affairs illustrates how using a small fraction of Midwest farmland for solar energy could meet significant renewable energy goals by 2050, dramatically enhancing the financial stability of farms, and challenging traditional views on land use.

Technology-neutral proposed tax credit called ‘game-changing policy’ The U.S. Treasury Department has issued further proposed guidance on the IRA, detailing a path to support a broad array of technologies–including solar– with tax credits, and clarifying many additional tax-related items in its latest guidance.

CPUC’s revised proposed decision could decimate California’s community solar market Just as an increasing number of states are implementing pro-active community solar policies, the California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote on a revised proposed decision that fails to seize on the opportunity to create a vibrant market, according to the Coalition for Community Solar Access.

DOE funding available for distributed energy resource operations software The Department of Energy announced $31 million in funding for research to improve distribution level grid operations of solar, wind, energy storage, and other inverter-based resources.

REC introduces 640 W commercial solar panel The new product contains heterojunction cell technology (HJT) with up to 22.5% efficiency.