Ben Zientara
Why Chemical and Materials Science Engineers Are the Unsung Heroes of Solar Innovation
For most of the solar industry’s modern history, progress has been framed as a story of physics. Higher efficiencies came from better cell architectures, improved passivation schemes, and optimization of semiconductor performance. That framing was accurate for a long time. As photovoltaic technologies approach their theoretical efficiency limits and global manufacturing capacity reaches unprecedented scale, […]
Maine becomes third state to pass plug-in solar legislation
The Pine Tree State joins Utah and Virginia in advancing a law that establishes rules for small plug-in solar generation devices.
FlexGen moves to expand offerings with acquisition of Clean Energy Services
The move will see CES added as a subsidiary of the parent company, enabling continuation of service to existing customers and opportunities for expansion.
Rooftop solar now accounts for one fifth of Puerto Rico’s generation capacity
Distributed solar additions have vastly outpaced all other forms of generation as the territory’s overall power generation capacity continues to grow.
Dimension Energy announces $650 million in new financing for community solar
Contributions from five partners will support a 132 MW portfolio of 25 community solar projects across four states.
Rhythm Energy expands renewable electricity plans to commercial customers in Texas
The Houston, Texas-based retail energy provider’s PowerShift Business plan aligns lower prices with common operating hours, while the All-Business plan offers a standard flat rate.
Qcells launches turnkey solar and storage program for new home construction
The company’s vertically-integrated offering unites its manufactured products, financing, installation support and long-term monitoring in a single package for U.S. homebuilders and buyers.
OneEthos acquires solar customer experience platform Bodhi
The companies say their integrated software platforms will provide solar installers with a way to offer a holistic customer experience that carries through all parts of the solar sales and installation process, and beyond.
Berkeley Lab releases series of reports on regulatory barriers affecting microgrids
The three-part report series from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory aims to guide community leaders and developers through the complex legal and regulatory hurdles that often stall the development of local microgrid projects across the United States.
New report finds adoption of solar permitting best practices eludes even the best states
The all-new Solar Permitting Scorecard grades all 50 states on how well they support straightforward residential solar permitting. The report finds that bureaucratic barriers significantly increase costs in all states, with only two states managing to earn a “B” grade.
