Ask any solar developer, installer or asset owner if they have experienced inverter issues and the response is usually a resounding “yes!” There are stories of manufacturers that failed to honor warranty terms and products that failed to operate upon removal from their packaging. But the most insidious form ofRead More

The success of widely-adopted technologies is often tied to standardization. From video formats to the Internet, and now to the energy grid, the establishment of standards reduces the cost and complexity of systems and enables broad adoption at a global scale. With standards, distributed energy — and the solar sectorRead More

Our annual Solar PV Inverter Buyer’s Guide is a chance to check in with all of the inverter manufacturers – from the market leaders to the up-and-comers – to get a sense of how their technology has evolved and what new products are now available for installation. This year weRead More

Raptor Maps raised its Series A funding this past year to expand its focus to the entire solar lifecycle. The startup has historically been strong in aerial inspections for commissioning, preventive maintenance, and investigations. Their software-first approach enables them to pinpoint causes of production loss. We asked them to share theRead More

As part of our Wire and Cable Management Buyer’s Guide, we asked manufacturers for some installation tips. Here is what they had to say. Working off the roof. Installers are still doing most of the wire management assembly once they are up on the roof. We have seen several installersRead More

One of the most impressive things about walking around (at least most) utility-scale PV sites, is how neat, orderly, and consistent the cable management is. Unfortunately though this might be covering up some of the issues that happened during the install phase. Issues that create weak points and compromised components,Read More

Predictive maintenance is an ideal that will become a must as the solar industry continues to grow. A new report from DNV GL highlights just how cool/valuable predictive maintenance can be when implemented, but also how far we are from it. The good news is the biggest obstacle seems (inRead More

Monitoring is essential to effectively manage and optimize the performance of solar PV systems, particularly commercial sites, as they are likely to have revenue-grade production, inverter-level monitoring capabilities, weather stations and additional load monitoring at the site. For sites measuring performance-based incentives such as Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECS) orRead More

Borrego rebranded this year and shifted its focus after implementing a host of organizational changes in 2020. Its three business units—development, EPC, and O&M — have already begun operating independently, drawing on each other’s strengths when needed. We asked them how they built up that O&M business unit specifically —Read More

Demand for solar energy is at an all-time high, but with millions ready and willing to spend their hard-earned dollar on your product, how do you reach those potential customers? By making smart marketing decisions. I know from personal experience of owning my own solar business that marketing can be aRead More