O&M

Over 20GW of solar array aerial visual data was processed by RaptorMaps, and roughly 2.6% of capacity was found to have anomalies that affect power production.

Also on the rise: Greenbacker acquires a significant financial interest in the 150MW operating Aurora solar portfolio. Community choice solar programs save New Yorkers $7 million in seven months. LONGi pits its modules against others in snow load test. American Battery Factory announces giga-plans. UL and NREL released a report on cybersecurity certification recommendations. Vibrant Clean Energy study details approaches for Michigan to reach carbon neutrality. Wood Mac analysts help install solar in Puerto Rico.

Also on the rise: Powin Energy signed a supply agreement with Borrego for 800MWh of Powin’s Stack750 storage solution. Rigid trackers may be best for large-format modules. Koch subsidiary DEPCOM expands portfolio to 650MWh. Over the next two years utility-scale solar and battery energy storage will combine for 60% of the capacity added to the grid. NASA’s 1.5 billion-mile Psyche asteroid mission will be solar-powered. IREC and partners announce on-line training courses for residential plan review and permitting.

The company brings EPC, O&M, EMS, LTSA to utility-scale solar plus storage or standalone storage projects.

The Bird Control Group’s autonomous laser system reduces bird populations from inhabiting specific areas by more than 70%. In many cases, bird activity was reduced by more than 99%.

California Public Utilities Commission approves 6,396MWh of new and incremental utility-scale battery energy storage systems.

Also on the rise: Convalt Energy steers arounds obstacles on its way to solar manufacturing in New York. NABCEP and EnergySage release survey for solar installers. Recycled silicon used in PERC solar cells. Michigan DTE seeks 500MW of renewables. Grazing sheep under solar increases carbon sequestration. Robot dog monitors PV plant. Greenback acquires several installations in Massachusetts.

A robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics monitors a solar park by walking between the panel rows following a programmed route. It uses its built-in thermal vision system to generate thermographic reports on the status of the different PV plant components.

Also on the rise: Aerial inspection and site data service provider, Heliolytics, acquired by NovaSource. Solar panel recycling firm teams up with Solaris. Investment gets Texas PV developer IndustrialSun ready for launch. Community solar moves forward in Illinois. International team of researchers develop solar-powered hydrogen energy platform.

Also on the rise: Enel project joins portfolio of energy + storage installations in Texas. ESS microgrid to provide critical backup to fire-prone region of California. AES acquires Community Energy Solar, bringing U.S. pipeline to more than 40 GW.