December 2016

Wow, what a great campaign! No, I’m not referring to the bitterly divisive U.S. presidential race, but the successful campaign that grassroots and national groups launched in Florida. Not long after the polls closed on election night, it became clear that Sunshine State voters had rejected Amendment 1, a utility-backed ballot measure that could have [...]

For nearly a century, it has been considered conventional wisdom that larger-scale power generation means lower-cost electricity. It’s a myth that has spread into the solar industry, but solar’s unique ability to deliver power where we use energy has debunked the idea that bigger is better. The myth of supersizing has some basis in economies [...]

As solar power becomes increasingly affordable, accessible and prevalent around the world, new technologies and methods of installation are emerging. Specifically, floating solar PV is becoming a competitive and viable niche in the solar market that offers a water-based alternative to traditional PV installed on the ground, rooftops or carports. Floating PV projects are typically [...]

Every year since 2006, the Canadian solar industry has convened at Solar Canada, the conference and trade show hosted by the Canadian Solar Industries Association, the organization that represents and develops markets for the solar energy industry throughout the nation. Although Solar Canada is now one of the largest events for the solar energy industry [...]

The solar industry has shown a much broader interest in combining energy storage with solar installations as grid-integration benefits have increased and battery costs have decreased. Key system design considerations can help projects be more cost-effective, reliable, efficient and bankable. For utility-scale solar-plus-storage projects, one of the most critical considerations is choosing between AC and [...]

As renewable energy and climate concerns mount, the U.S. is working to implement initiatives that will allow everyone to adopt green technologies. To propel this effort, the Obama administration announced the Clean Energy Savings for All Initiative this past summer, promising to promote energy efficiency and ensuring all American families have the choice to go [...]

SEIA Crowns Top 10 U.S. Corporate Solar Installers Retail giant Target has grabbed the top spot among U.S. businesses that are going solar. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has revealed Target’s ascension to the top of the list in the organization’s 2016 Solar Means Business report, which found that more U.S. businesses are installing [...]

Elon Musk Unveils Solar Roofs, Powerwall 2 At the end of October, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and chairman of SolarCity, introduced highly anticipated solar roof tiles and the newest Powerwall energy storage product during an event at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The joint Tesla/SolarCity launch event came as the entrepreneur continued to make [...]

Are Utilities Actually Subsidizing Rooftop Solar Users? Counter to some utility claims that solar owners don’t pay their fair share, a new report says solar panels on homes, schools and businesses often provide more benefits than they receive through programs like net energy metering (NEM). The report, released by the Environment America Research & Policy [...]

Napa Valley Winery Installs Microgrid Raise a glass to sustainability! Alpha Omega, a family-owned winery in the Rutherford Bench area of California’s Napa Valley, has placed into operation a microgrid system featuring 400 kW of solar and 580 kWh of battery energy storage. Alpha Omega says the solar power system is designed to supply nearly [...]