Utility Scale PV

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.”

A year after its launch, the residential portion of SolarTogether joins commercial, industrial, and government portions in being fully subscribed, with the waiting list also at 100% capacity.

Also on the rise: Developers scrap an 850 MW solar project after local objection, Rivian plans a second EV plant in the U.S., Ohio regulators consider another 470 MW of solar, and more.

Local opposition forced the action, but the same developers are moving ahead with a nearby $1 billion solar-plus-storage project.

The Clearview Solar I project and the Union Solar project are both set to have hearings in mid-August, bringing the total amount of utility scale solar proposed or approved this summer alone to 1,938 MW.

Also on the rise: A solar-friendly infrastructure bill is facing early tests in Congress, the NAACP develops solar power principles to address inequity, and more energy storage enters service in California.

In the thread-the-needle world of the evenly divided Senate, success or failure may hinge on the actions of two senators and one gatekeeper whose name you may have never heard.

The 415 MW Radian project in Texas and the 313 MW Athos III project in California are expected to begin construction later this year, and will enter service in 2022.

Also on the rise: An insurer warns the solar industry about wildfire risks, Hawaiian Electric’s storage incentive program goes live, and solar energy jobs were lost in the pandemic year but are coming back, DOE says.

A GCube report says that the solar industry must institute widespread wildfire mitigation and monitoring practices, or else it stands to suffer major financial losses in the coming years.