Full-year revenues nudged up despite tough comparisons with the end of 2019 for the final quarter of last year. The inverter maker expects to log revenues of $385-405 million in the current three-month window.

Also on the rise: TVA allows local power companies to charge new fees to solar customers, Southwest Power Pool launches an imbalance market, and J.D. Power rates EV charging satisfaction.

The utility has launched a new program, Quick Connect, aimed at accelerating the process for turning on new residential solar systems.

Also on the rise: A coalition of 600 groups urges President-elect Biden to halt utility service shutoffs due to the pandemic, Harrison Street expands its solar owneship portfolio, and a Florida real estate developer eases its way into the solar sector.

For the first time since LevelTen Energy began tracking the market, solar PPA offer prices rose in 2020, with Q4 2020 prices 11.5% higher than a year earlier.

NASCAR raceways have become one of the sporting world’s most fervent adopters of solar energy, with one project under development that’s set to become the largest solar installation at any sporting venue across the globe.

Off-taker Cargill called the advancement of the Prairie Wolf project an “exciting step forward” on the company’s path to achieving its sustainability goals.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has been ordered to procure a total of 3.75 GW or renewables and 1.5 GW of energy storage.

The program, which allows large-scale customers to offset power purchases by securing renewable energy directly from project owners and energy suppliers, has been successful so far in North Carolina.

Also on the rise: Volta Energy fund nets $72.6 million for battery and storage startups, and Brooklyn libraries add rooftop solar to power safe-haven emergency services.

Also on the rise: Partners target battery weight in commercial EVs, Complete Solar becomes more complete, drivers can get a Slurpee and a jolt at a PG&E-backed charging location, and JinkoSolar inks a silicon supply deal.

Imports from South Korea and the U.S. dwindled, year-on-year, ensuring Germany’s Wacker and the Malysian unit of Korean company OCI will supply the bulk of the world’s non-Chinese solar polysilicon this year.

SolarEdge’s e-Mobility division will supply Fiat with full electrical powertrain units and batteries for the automaker’s E-Ducato light commercial vehicle. 

Also on the rise: Enevate and Highview Power fuel growth plans with additional investors, and a new venture targets Li-ion battery recycling for fleet vehicles.

Analyst firm Guidehouse Insights recently ranked Powin as a leading utility-scale energy storage system integrator.

“This was time well spent,” said a spokesperson for the state Department of the Environment. But environmental groups have raised concerns about the delayed report.

HOAs could still complain about some things related to solar, but could no longer ban them outright.

In an attempt to reduce installation time and cost, S.B.617 would allow for remote inspections and approvals of residential solar and solar-plus-storage systems in jurisdictions with over 10,000 residents.

Developers expect a pair of solar energy bills will propel rapid growth in Keystone State solar. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many national developers are already hiring.

The ERCOT market has served Texans well, producing low energy costs and the nation’s leading market for renewable energy. This same system also failed the state’s residents and businesses spectacularly in a moment of great need.

Data firm Lium concluded that ERCOT “probably needed at least another 17 GW of generation” to meet demand as cold winter weather settled in over the state.

Also on the rise: ERCOT orders rolling blackouts as 30 GW of resources are forced out, PNM shareholders OK merger with Avangrid, location is key when talking about DERs, and Dominion claws back from a big ice storm.

The Biden administration and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are moving quickly to advance energy and climate initiatives. To sweeten the pot, ARPA-E is offering $100 million in funding.

Also on the rise: ARPA-E offers $100 million in R&D funding, California hunts for generation resources for this summer, and CIT Group helps arrange financing for a handful of BESS capacity.

Also on the rise: Researchers find big errors in how U.S. cities report GHG emissions, and scientists peer inside cycling Li-ion batteries to learn how the technology can be improved.