Solar carports have secured a strong foothold in the industry in the last few years. They really are a double whammy — generating electricity while providing shade. California is a strong market for carports; many schools and municipalities have taken advantage. M Bar C Construction considers itself one of theRead More

Nine Fasteners produces wire management clips with safety and longevity in mind. Wire management on solar arrays is more than just an aesthetics-pleaser. Securing wires properly prevents damage, ground faults and even fires. Many mounting, inverter and module companies have started to include wire management with their products. But whenRead More

We at Solar Builder try to present stories about products and practices that can make installers’ jobs easier. We’ve known about Fronius USA’s new SnapINverter line of inverters for the last year, but with two new models entering the U.S. market before the end of the year, we thought itRead More

Companies are working together to lower the cost of PV even further. The PV industry is faced with increasing pressure to lower the cost of PV systems without sacrificing performance in order to achieve a lower LCOE. As much progress as the industry has made to date, cost reduction effortsRead More

Looking to shake up the solar mounting market, GameChange Racking has made some big strides in its first few years. GameChange Racking has taken its mantra to be a “game changer” in the solar industry very seriously in its short life span. Focusing on quick installation, quality and value, GameChangeRead More

A lot of work goes on underground to transport solar electricity from up above. In a state where the average temperature approaches 90° and many days soar well beyond 100°, there is no shortage of sunlight available. In the sunny, cactus laden landscape of Arizona, businesses are continually finding ways toRead More

As price pressure continues to shape the utility-scale PV market, there is a growing focus on understanding and fine tuning the long-term costs of managing these plants through the life of the PPA. Operations and maintenance (O&M) is playing a growing role in the financial modelling of a prospective PVRead More

Newsflash: Your customers have the Internet, and they know how to use it. They don’t just use it to watch cute cat videos and go on Facebook. Today’s consumer does considerable online research on products and companies before deciding to move forward with a purchase. For solar installers, getting greatRead More

APS America changes the game with microinverters that power multiple PV modules. The microinverter market is turning into a pretty competitive place. Enphase is a dominating force, and multi-megawatt inverter manufactures — like SMA America and Power-One (now doing business as ABB) — have recently launched their own mini converters.Read More

ABB The ABB MICRO Inverter is compatible with the widest range of panels (manufacturers, power/watts and voltages). It offers the best panel shading tolerance and performance in low light due to the widest DC input voltage range (12 to 75 volts), says ABB. This inverter has only five system componentsRead More