SGIP Step 1 (mostly) sells out in 24 hours
Lotteries have been triggered in the service areas of all four participating utilities, meaning that most incentives were fully subscribed in the first 24 hours. Deployment of the systems supported will more than double distributed battery storage capacities in California.
Trump appoints fossil-fuel apostle to head renewable energy office
In keeping with his habit of appointing people who want to destroy the agencies they head, the president appointed outspoken renewables critic Daniel Simmons to Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Utilities try new tactics to discourage solar, but still aren’t getting what they want
The latest NCCETC report on state solar policies finds some new twists as part of an ongoing attempt by utilities to weaken the economics of customer-owned solar, but regulators still mostly aren’t on board.
Natcore achieves 20.7% efficiency on silver-free back contact cell
The latest efficiency milestone for Natcore’s Foil Cell is verified by the NanoPower Research Lab at Rochester Institute for Technology. The result was achieved on the Natcore Foil Cell, which utilizes a lasering process and novel metallization strategy, eliminating the need for costly silver.
Deception wins in Indiana as governor signs anti-solar bill
SB 309, the bill designed to kill net-metering prematurely in the state, became law yesterday as Gov. Eric Holcomb affixed his signature to the bill despite strong solar industry opposition.
First Solar reports strong Q1 results as it readies for Series 6
First Solar brought in a net profit on the sale of a major solar project, as it orders tools and prepares for the switch to its large-format series 6.
NEXTracker supplies Western Hemisphere’s largest project
The 750 MW project, located in Mexico, has already received 200 MW of the company’s single-axis trackers already – with more to come.
SolarWorld reports shipment growth in first quarter
The German-American module maker shipped 382 MW in the first three months of this year. The company’s plan to focus on monocrystalline PERC products is being implemented according to schedule.
NRG continues moving into solar during Q1
Despite a challenging financial environment, NRG continues its solar expansion, including an increasing presence in community solar.
Solar largely survives Trump’s savage budget
Despite his bluster about huge cuts to renewable energy programs, the budget deal negotiated last week not only minimizes cuts to those programs, it actually increases money for research into the next critical technology for solar – battery storage.
