Renewable energy and the free market economy
How the heavy-handed federal government is straying from its free market ideals and slowing down the renewable energy industry. Take FERC’s recent mandated Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) in the PJM market, for example.
Permitting utility-scale battery energy storage projects: lessons from California
There are three distinct permitting regimes that apply in developing battery energy storage projects, depending upon the owner, developer, and location of the project.
Covid-19 made my solar panel installation business stronger
Last month was the biggest sales month in our history. Here are three lessons I’ve learned.
Solar panel recycling: Turning ticking time bombs into opportunities
With the average lifespan of a solar panel at roughly 20 years, installations from the early 2000s are set to reach end-of-life. Will they end up in landfill or be recycled? The cost of recycling is higher than landfill, and the value of recovered materials is smaller than the original, so there’s limited interest in recycling. But given the presence of heavy metals, if waste is managed poorly, we’re on track for another recycling crisis.
Three signs that battery energy storage is mainstream today
With the inclusion of battery energy storage into new building codes and safety standards, it’s obvious just how mainstream storage is today.
Analysis: California’s report on RPS costs and savings needs an update
A new report from the California PUC documents the uneven workings of the state’s 100% renewable portfolio standard — and the need for better data on cost savings.
The financial and social struggles of getting large solar projects financed
The pre-life of the Spotsylvania solar energy project has been riddled with financial and societal difficulties. As much as these issues have made a quagmire of development, it also provides a case study on the logistics of getting such a large project built.
Solar canopies can put PV panels in some new and interesting places
A major advantage of this design is the ability to string cables over a longer distance without the support needed in traditional racking approaches.
Permit and Google data show major residential solar players best suited to weather lockdown
Permitting and Google search data show substantially more resi solar installs in Q1 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. Data suggests that major national installers, leveraging online sales, are better positioned than most to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
A renewable path to Hawaii’s recovery
Given Hawaii’s audacious renewable energy goals it seems logical that industries such as solar can help be a big part of that recovery.
