Not all solar panels are created equal, according to the Ultra Low-Carbon Solar Alliance
As the world accelerates towards decreasing carbon emissions, so too should the solar industry’s supply chain. This was the idea that has led to the founding of the Ultra Low-Carbon Solar Alliance, which officially launched today.
Off-grid solar funding concentrated in just three companies
With a previous 50-50 split between equity and debt investment funding for the off-grid market shifting to 84% debt, and commentators stating most of this year’s backing was agreed before the onset of Covid-19, fears are mounting about the prospects for the sector.
US corporate solar market grew by 1.3 GW in 2019, reaching 8.3 GW total
SEIA’s Solar Means Business report finds that low prices and climate change commitments continue to drive strong corporate interest in solar and storage. Apple, Amazon and Walmart lead the list of top players.
US residential solar set for a record-breaking year — despite and because of 2020
Over the course of this strange year, American residential solar companies such as Sunrun, Vivint, SunPower and Tesla claimed they could weather the Covid storm with remote selling and new online strategies. It turns out they were right. BloombergNEF forecasts that Americans will install 3 gigawatts of solar on residential rooftops in 2020.
Regulators question Ameren’s math in net metering case
The utility is looking to move forward with a new rebate structure worth half the value of net metering, despite regulators’ orders to keep the rate in place until questions about the calculations Ameren is using to justify the new rate can be answered.
Community solar under attack in Colorado
Solar advocates appeal to the courts as the state’s utilities and Public Utilities Commission move to cut bill credits to community solar subscribers — and potentially open the door to further reductions.
Clean energy funding roundup: minigrids, nanogrids, microreactors and batteries
Investors continue to invest and clean energy entrepreneurs continue to innovate — despite, or because of, global setbacks.
New Jersey regulators approve year two of the state’s community solar pilot, double capacity
150 MW of capacity are available for development in 2021, with at least 40% of all approved projects required to reserve at least 51% of their capacity to serve low- and middle-income households.
The challenge of perfect operating data
In this series of articles, Power Factors’ Steve Hanawalt will look in-depth at the four major pitfalls in solar asset monitoring applications, before discussing proposed solutions for fixing these problems—once and for all.
Nuclear ‘not an effective low carbon option’
Researchers in the UK have analyzed 25 years of electricity-production and carbon emissions data from 123 countries. Their findings show renewables are considerably more effective than nuclear in reducing carbon emissions from energy generation and that the two technologies tend to get in each other’s way when considered in a joint approach.
