Is California trying to kill the community-scale generation market?
The community-scale market segment has been plagued by ongoing policy neglect, and otherwise poor policy choices. Will policymakers heed the track record of demonstrated failure and finally create new programs that address previous problems?
The new SunPower: CEO Tom Werner on disintegrating a PV firm and software eating solar-plus-storage
“It’s what we’ve talked about for many years — it makes sense to produce energy where you use it. And it makes sense that it would be intelligent and easily optimized. The new SunPower will focus exclusively on accomplishing that.”
Hanergy named in class action complaint by ex-employees at Alta Devices
“Hanergy…is not above the rule of law, and this is not China. In abruptly closing the Alta plant, defendants violated the federal and California WARN Acts, which require at least 60 days written notice of termination where a plant is shut down and/or mass layoffs occur.”
Mystery solved? Active Tesla roof tiles come from New York? Passive tiles from China?
All of this guesswork would be unnecessary if Telsa press relations related to the press. And why does Elon Musk insist that the solar glass is made entirely in Buffalo, New York?
Virginia is a state to watch on renewables
A once red state’s embrace of a renewable portfolio standard could be a boon to ratepayers. The Virginia Clean Economy Act is currently working its way through Virginia’s General Assembly and, if passed, would be the most ambitious clean energy policy in the state’s history.
Does Tesla make solar glass roof tile in its Buffalo, New York factory? Or in China?
Elon Musk has spoken of the “exponential” ramp-up of its solar glass tile at the Buffalo factory. But pv magazine has found indications that the solar tile product is coming from a Chinese source.
Stem, a behind-the-meter energy storage company, is for sale
Stem, a behind-the-meter energy storage startup that has raised hundreds of millions, is up for sale, according to reports in SparkSpread.
More Tesla solar roof tile installations in the wild, a photo gallery update
We discover two more Tesla solar roof tile installations this week and update a few more. That leaves 998 more roofs to document this week, given Elon Musk’s claim of 1,000 roofs per week by the end of 2019.
DC Solar owners plead guilty to Ponzi scheme, face long prison terms
The owners of DC Solar pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in a Ponzi scheme that pulled in more than $900 million. Jeff Carpoff faces up to 30 years in jail, while Paulette Carpoff confronts up to 15 years.
Report: the commercial opportunity for off-grid solar power in Africa is $24 billion per year
On a continent where 600 million people have no access to electricity, “The combination of solar and fintech is driving an economic transformation.”
