U.S. solar assets lose average $5,070 per MW from power losses
A new report calculates the average power loss of 373 GW of utility-scale and commercial and industrial solar assets in the U.S. at 5.08%, more than double the level five years ago. The power loss average among projects deploying robotics and automation falls to 3%.
U.S. solar facilities lost $5,720 per MW to equipment underperformance in 2024
A report from Raptor Maps said solar power losses from equipment failures, extreme weather damage and more contributed to losses.
Sunrise brief: CPUC kicks community solar deadline to 2026
Also on the rise: The future of U.S. solar in five charts. Commercial and industrial rooftop solar business secures $847 million. And more.
Solar drone inspection software company secures $35 million in funding
Raptor Maps secured the Series C funding, and plans to use it to accelerate product development, including enhancements in solar automation, work management, and machine-learning insights.
Solar asset underperformance estimated to cause $4.6 billion in preventable losses
Analyzing a global dataset of 125 GW of PV systems, drone operator Raptor Maps marked a rising trend of system underperformance.
Top risks for solar assets: Operational risk
From $2.5 billion in losses from equipment underperformance, to clipping losses, to inverter derating and more, this third installment based on kWh Analytics reporting focuses on asset operation.
“Drone in the box” for thousandths of a cent per kilowatt hour
Raptor Maps is developing a drone and software package for ongoing, on-site visual and thermal intelligence at utility-scale solar facilities.
Sunrise brief: Raptor Maps points to growing problem of PV system underperformance
Also on the rise: Distributed generation finance platform raises $25 million. Honda reusing vehicle fuel cells to build 500 kW stationary fuel cell system. And more.
Raptor Maps points to growing problem of PV system underperformance
Raptor Maps analyzed 24.5 GW of large-scale solar assets and determined that power losses due to equipment anomalies nearly doubled from 1.61% in 2019 to 3.13% in 2022. At the module level, cell and diode anomalies were the most common issues, it said.
Sunrise brief: Agrivoltaics co-locates solar and agriculture, yielding mutual benefit
Also on the rise: Bi-directional charging approved for Nissan LEAF in the U.S. PVH to open solar tracker manufacturing plant in Texas. And more.
