Consumer Protection

As California’s energy crisis rages, one company has been paying customers handsomely to to power down in times of peak strain on the grid.

Outside of a 12-month promotional period where customers don’t have to make payments on the system, Mosaic’s newest offering, PowerSwitch Zero, also includes a contactless sales tool and and installer partnership product.

Evergy Ventures, Arctern Ventures, Shell Ventures, Greycroft, Lerer Hippeau, Box Group, and Falkon Ventures invested in the software and fulfillment platform that helps salespeople sell solar.

“Considering how off-track current plans are from where the science tells us we need to be to address the climate crisis, these plans are not in the best interest of Floridians,” says the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Stranded gas assets could raise customer bills, the group notes.

The long-awaited overhaul of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 is upon us, bringing with it substantial changes to the policy that has benefited over 30% of today’s solar facilities. What these changes will mean for American solar moving forward remains to be seen.

The patent monopoly is at odds with the global need for battery storage technology and if this norm continues, technology will not be able to be released in time to keep up with current climate goals.

Also in the brief: solar pros running for elected office, Longroad Energy has announced a partnership with Maine’s Unity College, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation has chosen a management platform for its distributed generation program and more.

While solar modules are often defined first and foremost by their capacity, higher module capacity doesn’t necessarily translate to a more efficient system, or even a longer-term yield. Understanding this and reflecting this idea onto customers can be key to delivering the right technology.

Also in the brief: a letter calling for electric grid infrastructure, transportation and equity and environmental justice has been delivered to key members of the House, Clir Renewables has secured a $1.25 million loan with Silicon Valley Bank, 580 businesses call on congress to include clean energy in a the next stimulus package and more.

Product piracy is a well-known threat in many industries, and in solar the risk posed by poor quality products from disreputable manufacturers making their way onto rooftops and other PV installations should not be underestimated. With manufacturers investing in solutions to protect against inferior products bearing their logo, pv magazine looks at the size of the problem.