Sunrise brief: First Solar plans to add still more production capacity as global demand grows
Also on the rise: Startup invents battery breakthrough, Arizona is tapped for a Li-ion battery plant, solar PV shipments were up 33% in 2020 as demand rose and prices fell, and groups press DOE to move TVA off of fossil fuels.
Groups call on DOE to draw a roadmap for TVA to shift to renewables
TVA currently has no plan to achieve emission-free power and that is frustrating advocacy groups along with a handful of TVA member companies.
Sunrise brief: Senate votes to advance a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill
Also on the rise: New Jersey regulators vote to offer new net metering incentives, Mechatron Solar receives a patent for a gearless dual-axis tracker, and GEBs may save gobs of money for building owners and power providers.
New Jersey regulators adopt new net metering incentives
The Successor Solar Incentive Program emerged from a mandate to replace the state’s existing solar program with incentives that encourage solar development while minimizing ratepayer cost.
Renewables generated a record amount of electricity in 2020, EIA says
All forms of renewable energy, including solar, moved into second place in terms of electricity production.
Solar 101: How to calculate your solar system’s payback period
The simplest way to model the payback period is to divide the project’s costs by its expected annual production number. That’s a good start, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Tesla deployed 1.72 GWh of energy storage and 177 MW of solar energy in the first half
In its Q2 earnings statement, Tesla said it is working to improve its Solar Roof installation capabilities and aims to reduce their installation time “dramatically.”
Sunnova and SolarEdge partner to provide grid support services in New England
The two will provide voltage support for utility National Grid in a move to show that distributed resources can unlock additional value to ratepayers.
Storage paired with solar shows steady growth, Berkeley Lab says
The report pegged the cost of adding storage to PV on the order of $700-1,300/kWh of storage capacity and the present-value benefit to the host customer of roughly $500-1,000/kWh.
Tesla Powerwalls in California join the movement to create virtual power plants
Made up of distributed residential energy storage, these “plants” stabilize the grid and often end the need for new fossil generation. Tesla customers in California are the latest to join the movement.
