The following white paper was sent our way by By Bri Bruce, marketing manager for AutoMow. Though the topic is often overlooked in comparison to other plant concerns, vegetation control is an important consideration for utility-scale PV plant operation and maintenance. Unchecked vegetation growth can lead to shading of theRead More

A great discussion of the state of solar+storage policy and markets at @SEIA‘s California #SolarEXPO with @SEIA rate expert Tom Beach, @CALSSA_org ED Bernadette @DelChiaroSolar,and @ENGIEResources CA Policy Lead Allie Detrio pic.twitter.com/1jHvfNe20a — Rick Umoff (@RickUmoff) April 25, 2019 This is not your grandfather’s grid. Almost one-third of the generationRead More

Apex Solar Power is headquartered in tranquil Queensbury, N.Y., which is upstate close to Lake George and not too far from the Vermont line. Over the past two years alone, Apex has installed more than 3,000 home and business solar systems throughout the Northeast. Along the way it has learnedRead More

1. Cross-mating Cross-mating, which refers to the plugging of connectors from different manufacturers (between modules to optimizers/microinverters, modules to field-connectors, optimizers to field connectors or field connectors to the BOS system) is one of the most common PV wiring mistakes. In fact, the EU-funded Solar Bankability Project’s Failure Modes andRead More

Even as the residential solar installation market continues to grow, most solar businesses are looking for ways to lower the cost of acquiring new customers. How can your residential solar contracting business manage customer acquisition so that you have the right amount of business through each season without over-spending onRead More

The quality of a solar installation has many parameters. One frequently underevaluated aspect is a compliant roof attachment. Load calculations that determine the number and spacing of attachment points prescribe not only the length of lag screws that must enter structural members but also their edge distance or the effectiveRead More

PV connectors play a crucial role in the wiring of solar arrays. As designed and if correctly installed, they provide a high-voltage, high-current, low-resistance DC connection in a housing that is water-tight, temperature-resilient, UV and wire-pull-resistive over the 25-year-plus life of the solar installation. In addition, their snap- together connectionRead More

More solar installers are adding products and services to their core offering, both to help customers fulfill their sustainable energy goals and to drive ancillary revenue. Products like battery storage, EV charging stations, Smart Home devices and electrical upgrades are natural add-ons for many customers. At the same time, moreRead More

The article originally appeared on WRI’s Insights blog.  When a city decides to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, headlines follow. But the work has only just begun. Cities have many options for generating and purchasing renewable electricity, each of which comes with distinct benefits and challenges. Large, off-site projectsRead More

We wrapped our arms around California’s new Building Energy Efficiency standards in Installment I of the Countdown to 2020. In this installment, we take a closer look at how these 80,000 annual additions to the solar pipeline (based on historical averages) will more broadly impact the California solar market. RegulationsRead More