Genius hackers attempt to blackmail defunct thin-film solar company
MiaSolé has been the victim of a ransomware attack by a group that has previously targeted Michigan State University, Columbia College of Chicago, Toll Group and Bolloré. What do hackers hope to gain from a defunct company with financially-troubled ownership?
Morning Brief: Renewables continue to break records despite Covid-19, beyond net metering
Also in the brief: net metering under attack, Clir Renewables’ new asset optimization platform, Roll-A-Rack is seeking beta testers and more.
Panasonic and Span team up for home battery backup and energy management
Span’s ambition is to “transform the electrical panel into an intelligent gateway” and help expand the adoption of solar, EVs and storage like Panasonic’s residential battery.
Improving distributed battery programs with load control
While Vermont’s Green Mountain power is paving the way for utilities recognizing customers as generation resources, the company’s BYOD battery program falls just short of maximizing value and load control.
Engie, Enel X and Tesla head Guidehouse’s list of leading distributed storage integrators
Guidehouse Insights has released a report evaluating 15 DES integrators and ranking the top-10 among them, with a special focus on companies shifting away from origination and development towards acting as pure-play integrators.
Morning brief: Solar on the family farm, LIPA shutting down steam, PG&E emerging from bankruptcy
Also in the brief: product announcements from GAF Energy, REsurety and Point Load Power.
Job moves: Helena Kimball promoted to CEO at Cthulhu-backed solar startup; plus Strata, sPower, KCE, Borrego, Sunpro
Executive and boardroom moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy VC.
Span wins $10.2 million to modernize the home electrical panel, ease shift to solar, storage and EVs
“The standard electrical panel has not seen major innovation for nearly a century.”
Trump’s mysterious cybersecurity order bans bulk-generation gear from ‘adversaries’
Although it doesn’t seem to impact solar directly, energy storage might be threatened. “The order leaves more questions than it answers,” according to Norton Rose Fulbright. What is motivating the administration? China? Why now?
Solar inverters vs. cyberattacks
A U.S. research group is developing inverters and cybersecurity standards to protect solar installations from cyberattacks. The researchers said that inverters can shut down if they are hacked, or contribute to grid instability and result in the overcharging of batteries, while potentially creating problems that we still don’t know how to address.
