In 2008, when the investment tax credit (ITC) came into play, people had no idea what a power purchase agreement (PPA) was. Fast forward 10 years to 2018 and there is 300x growth in corporate energy procurement through PPAs. The market has matured, and a lot of different investors areRead More

Thanks to continued improvements in thermal imaging hardware, software and drone technology, it is now possible to improve the efficiency and accuracy of photovoltaic (PV) inspections more than ever. The current practice of manual electric testing is not sustainable at scale and results in slower PV system buildouts, increased inefficienciesRead More

The operation and maintenance (O&M) of solar plants presents a variety of long-term challenges. Even if we assume reliable inverters, modules with minimal degradation and perfect monitoring and prediction systems, the earth will still be covered in dust and debris and modules and collectors will need to be cleaned. HereRead More

Net energy metering (NEM) policies play a crucial role in making residential solar installations a good investment for homeowners in the U.S., so it’s important that solar contractors have a clear understanding of them. This is particularly true now, as many utilities have begun introducing changes to their NEM programsRead More

Solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies have all too often been forced to choose solar components for projects as a function of what is available in a given timeframe rather than what is preferred. While cost may not be a great issue in these cases, making all the partsRead More

Permanent, reliable generation is the ultimate goal of any microgrid development. Without support, the weight of the equipment and pads/skids will cause sinking and tilting of the equipment that could result in system failure. In many areas, these installations must also be secure enough to withstand the possibility of extremeRead More

The U.S. energy storage market is growing tremendously. Indeed, IHS Markit projects that over 40 GW of energy storage capacity will be installed by 2022, starting from a base of only 0.34 GW installed in 2012 and 2013. This growth of the U.S. energy storage market is driven by severalRead More

With solar power coming to every new home, the solar sector and grid planners in California try to meet in the middle When it comes to driving solar capacity, California is basically the overachieving kid in class who does all of the work and lets other slacker states glance atRead More

It’s gonna break my heart to see it blown to bits. That’s the refrain of the best song of 2019, “Blown to Bits” by Charly Bliss — a catchy rumination on the state of the world right now. It was playing in my headphones as I put this section togetherRead More