Solar project developers face opposition from Joshua Tree conservationists
The site of the Aratina Solar Center in Kern County, California, is home to western Joshua trees, and therefore the developer has to comply with the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act that was enacted in July 2023. Incidental Take Permits authorize renewable energy developers to remove trees with an option to pay a standard mitigation fee rather than complete mitigation actions.
Fronius unveils residential string inverter for rooftop solar
The Fronius Gen24 inverter comes to North America after success in Europe.
Vermont becomes first state with Climate Superfund Act
The Vermont legislation intends to hold fossil fuel corporations responsible for climate change.
PVRadar offers solar project risk assessments factoring in historical climate data
PVRadar Labs has expanded its software platform to include PV project risk assessment functionality, reportedly enabling more realistic performance estimates based on historical climate data.
Sunrise brief: ‘Misguided’ CPUC vote may derail California community solar
Also on the rise: Are false pretenses driving solar cell tariff case? Long-duration energy storage poised to outcompete lithium-ion batteries. And more.
In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week
pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.
Long-duration energy storage poised to outcompete lithium-ion batteries
While most long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies are still early-stage and costly compared to lithium-ion batteries, some have already or are set to achieve lower costs for longer durations, finds BloombergNEF.
Gulf heat dome and polar set stream shape solar outcomes in May
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that a strong polar jet stream and a record-breaking heat dome in May resulted in a stark contrast in irradiance patterns across North America. The western and central USA, along with Mexico, experienced higher than normal irradiance, while the Gulf and East Coast regions faced lower irradiance.
TCL Zhonghuan reveals plans to acquire majority stake in Maxeon
Chinese wafer manufacturer TCL Zhonghuan says it wants to invest around $197.5 million to increase its stake in Maxeon from 22.39% to at least 50.1%. A Maxeon spokesperson told pv magazine that the plan would place the company in a solid financial position.
Are false pretenses driving solar cell tariff case?
Global manufacturer Canadian Solar challenges prevailing support for tariffs among solar manufacturers, questions the accuracy of capacity estimations, and adverse financial effects.
