SolarCity reinstated as intervenor in Nevada grandfathering case
The next hearing to consider grandfathering of solar customers will be held on September 19.
Quality: Minor differences in yield percentage make the difference between good and bad investment
Changing technology, pressure to cut costs, dizzying price slumps and a number of other issues make solar module quality control as relevant as ever. The danger that modules could fail outright remains slim, so module reliability is still decisive for the success of the investment, explains George Touloupas, Director of Technology and Quality at CEA, in preparation of the 4th pv magazine Quality roundtable at SPI.
NEC enters C&I storage arena
NEC Energy Solutions has launched the DSS distributed energy storage platform to enter the commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage segment, offering customers distributed energy management services and a future option of utility services through aggregation.
Melting backsheets, broken cells, and hotspots
Quality roundtable preparation: A case of compromised quality. An operator claims nearly 17% of the modules in his array displayed significant damage after three years. The EPC company concealed the damage from the investor until the warranty had expired. The module manufacturer responded slowly and only out of goodwill.
PID-related performance drop in a solar farm
Some PV panels or batches of modules are susceptible to potential induced degradation (PID), while others are scarcely affected. Currently, many PV farm operators in Europe are experiencing this reality. The third instalment of our “Bring on the Black Sheep” series describes a case in which a module manufacturer behaved in a close to exemplary manner, but the inverter manufacturer made life difficult.
Florida initiative to exempt solar from property taxes passes by wide margin
The measure is a first step to lifting significant obstacles to the development of solar in the Sunshine State.
Washington D.C. is not meeting its solar carve-out
Data published by EIA shows that less than half the district’s solar requirement was met in 2015.
New faces and familiar faces: the pv magazine USA weekly digest
This week saw three new high-profile executive appointments, Berkeley Lab’s annual report showing ongoing solar cost collapses, progress on Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity, and more.
M+W Energy appoints new president
Germany’s M+W Group today announced the appointment of Jim Brown as president of M+W Energy, based in Springfield, New Jersey, replacing Jerry Shinn.
IKEA to build Washington State’s largest rooftop solar array
With the 1.18 MW system, IKEA will have rooftop solar at nearly 90% of its U.S. facilities, for more than 40 MW.
