Guest Post

As we strive for an equitable and sustainable energy future, addressing safety and toxicity challenges are driving the search for innovative, lithium-free battery technologies that can offer comparable performance without compromising safety or environmental impact.

A pilot project uses remanufactured lithium batteries from electric forklifts to power lighting in a Phoenix park.

The solar industry is booming, and so is the demand for skilled workers. Over 263,000 people are already employed in solar across the U.S., but the industry needs to reach more than a million by the end of the decade.

With hailstorms in the United States and Australia severely damaging solar arrays – including “golf-ball sized” hail at the 350 MW Fighting Jays project in Texas in March 2024 – insurers are raising premiums and reducing or canceling hail coverage. Everoze Partner Simon Mason discusses the challenges the industry faces in minimizing its hail risk exposure.

The allure of the open road is strong in the United States, where highways can snake through breathtaking landscapes. Recreational vehicles (RVs) make adventuring easy but powering portable homes with diesel generators is a poor solution for today’s travelers. Briter Products President Avanti Lalwani tells pv magazine how her company is putting solar on wheels.

By prioritizing the combination of electrification and digitization, what Schneider Electric calls Electricity 4.0, we can ensure that technology and other critical sectors like buildings, industry, and transportation run efficiently and are powered with the cleanest possible energy mix.

High interest rates, excess warehouse inventory, and falling component prices have created a perfect storm for solar distributors since October 2023. BayWa re Solar Trade CEO Frank Jessel explains how the industry can embrace true digitalization to better navigate this volatility.

In a weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the impact of Hurricane Milton on solar production will be minimal outside the southeastern United States, as the system quickly moves offshore.

Data-driven strategies and advanced analytics are revolutionizing solar operations and maintenance. These insights are supported by a study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on availability and performance loss factors for U.S. PV fleet systems.

As we introduce more renewable energy into the mix, we must also address these challenges to ensure a reliable grid that can support the nation’s clean energy goals. Nick Tumilowicz, director of product management, distributed energy management at Itron offers four solutions.