John Fitzgerald Weaver
Uncle Sam supporting cheap gallium arsenide, 30% efficient perovskite, and more
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy has awarded $50,000 to 20 teams that advanced to the semifinal stage of the American Made Solar Prize. The teams will now have 90 days to design a proof of concept.
Like peanut butter and jelly, wind+solar in a 1.2 GW deal
NextEra and KKR have partnered on a portfolio of ten operational wind+solar assets, totaling 860 MW of wind and 328 MWac of solar, in a $900 million convertible equity finance deal.
U.S. energy storage deployed grows 80% despite shortages
Wood Mackenzie reports that the United States deployed 311 MW / 777 MWh of grid connected energy storage in 2018, growing 44% and 80%, respectively. The company also noted industry headwinds as market shortages clipped demand, and slowed pricing decreases.
Fossils going hard after solar in Spotsylvania
Large scale solar power development is under attack by fossil fuel interests, with the Spotsylvania, Virginia project by sPower being focused on by right wing news websites and “think tanks”.
Sunrun breaks 100 MW, heavy investment ongoing
The nation’s largest residential solar company noted higher than expected revenues, an increased net present value of its installations, and a hold of installation costs under $2/W – but also a strong operating cost increase and a Wall Street misinterpretation on expected earnings per share.
If not bifacial, then what?
JinkoSolar has launched a new bifacial solar module with a clear backsheet manufactured by Dupont to compete with standard glass on glass bifacial solar modules, as well to break into new markets where bifacial might not have fit in.
Enphase is making money again
Enphase noted $92 million in revenue in Q4’18, and over $106 million in cash on hand as the company reported quarterly and annual positive operating incomes – its first in years. Enphase is completely booked for all of Q1 and seemingly into the late spring months.
This one weird trick gets 4 percent more from solar panels
MoreSun, after an investment from Energy Innovation Capital, will begin full-scale commercial deployment. The solar module film projects a 3.4 to 4.7 percent increase in electricity production on utility scale solar projects after application.
The Golden State is officially a third renewable, and it’s not stopping there
California has passed its 33% renewable energy target two years before the 2020 deadline. The state’s next renewable milestone is at 44% by 2024, a 33% growth in just over five full years.
pvMB 2/25/19 solar in… Alaska?
Hello and thank you for starting your Monday with the pv magazine morning brief. Today we’ll be looking at Solarize Philly’s third round of request for proposals, a proposed energy storage grant fund in Utah, the symbiosis between farmers and large-scale solar and everything else you need to take on this week in the solar industry.
