The making of a clean energy prosumer: Part one
Economist-at-large Ahmad Faruqui shares his personal journey through solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle ownership in California.
Solar and affordable housing developments: What you need to know
Both housing developers and underserved communities alike can benefit from increasing public funding opportunities for solar. As interest in projects that address environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of investment continues to grow, integrating renewable energy in affordable housing projects can provide significant sustainability benefits to developers, municipalities, and end users.
Solar O&M: Why a long-term maintenance plan is essential
The commercial PV industry continues to grow at record rates and shows every indication that it will continue to supplement and even surpass conventional energy production methods in the future. The requirement for professional and experienced operations and maintenance service providers has grown right along with it, as solar is an investment that needs to be protected and cared for.
No end to solar supply/demand imbalance
The solar supply chain problems that began last year with high prices and polysilicon shortages are persisting into 2022. But we are already seeing a stark difference from earlier predictions that prices would decline gradually each quarter this year. PV Infolink’s Alan Tu probes the solar market situation and offers insights.
Energy justice must play a larger role in clean energy transition
Let’s ensure that low-income and environmental justice communities are first in line to benefit from clean energy technologies that reduce their household energy burden and safeguard against the impacts of climate change.
Our nation’s renewables goals are at risk; the US Commerce Department must reject the latest tariff petition
The Commerce Department has the choice to move forward with a baseless petition that will result in massive job losses and set back our clean energy goals or fix its mistake by immediately issuing a negative preliminary determination — speed is of the essence.
Solar investments are scaling up, but inefficient O&M is weighing them down
While costs are everything in the solar industry, sourcing the cheapest O&M contract possible is a dangerous game and such short-sighted sacrifices often end up costing asset owners more in the long run.
Accelerate the energy transition to protect national security
Transitioning to a clean-energy future is not just a matter of environmental stewardship, but an investment in national security.
Evolving requirements in the solar + storage industry
Does it seem like every month there are new or changing requirements for products in the solar and storage industry? How is it possible to make sense of all the changes? This series will consider requirements used for the certification of grid support utility-interactive inverters and how they have and continue to evolve. This article will focus is on grid support utility-interactive PV inverters, regardless of the primary power source. Some of the standards discussed cover more product categories than solely grid support utility-interactive inverters. The rapid growth of the PV and storage industry has been the main driver for the updates covered.
Sunrise brief: Solar supply chain issues–from duties to tariffs to COVID-19 and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Also on the rise: Advanced conductors could enable 27GW more renewable power per year. Solar-powered data server network developed to frame the internet as a natural resource. Stanford flips the switch on new solar array, powering campus with 100% renewables. Project between Maui Electric and Paeahu Solar moves forward. Global tracker provider FTC Solar posts 130% growth in 2021. Newer and larger solar plants perform better, while older plants pick up steam with repowering.
