NREL will be evaluating a mountain home community in Colorado that will be connected to the cloud based “foresee” platform. The platform will autonomously control an internet-of-things comprised of solar PV, heating, EV charging, water heating, AC, and more. This is the first time they will study multiple linked homes using AI and a cloud-based aggregator.
A number of major firms, like Amazon, Apple, and Boeing, have pledged to initiate the process of cleaning up global supply chains by opting for low-carbon tech as part of a First Movers Coalition. Also, a West Coast coalition called the Low Carbon Construction Task Force has several states and major cities looking to speed up the development of clean building materials.
SolarEdge Tech has declared that the US faces a dilemma related to the restrictions on imports of Chinese solar-power equipment. The dilemma is the need to choose between modules and clean energy transitioning and human rights. The company believes the issue will be less of a problem once a supply chain is developed in the US and COVID related supply bottlenecks ease.
An Indian tech company has created a new technique for recycling pure silicon from solar cells at the end of the lifecycle that does not involve using the conventional (and highly toxic) hydrofluoric acid. The technique will apparently deliver recycled silicon with a purity of up to 99.9984% with a recycling cost for 1kg solar cell at about $68.90.
The new joint NARUC/FERC’s task force on electric transmission development asked 10 state regulators to discuss potential market reforms and approaches to siting and public policy. The group will run for 3 years and may make certain recommendations to FERC such as new regulatory language and initiatives to improve transmission development.
New report says that there will be record levels of solar growth in the US in 2022 – 44 GW of solar and more than 8 GW of battery storage. As this buildout develops, utilities and the wider energy industry will keep looking for ways to finance, build and operate the needed infrastructure to support the influx of assets and handle projects that get left behind.
CED Greentech and SolarEdge dive into live sales best practices for res installs. Of course the presentation includes how to integrate the SolarEdge Energy Hub platform. They discuss closing more and installing faster and how to leverage market trends like higher power modules, battery storage, and add-ons like EV charging.
Adam Browning, founder of Vote Solar, is stepping down after 20 years of leading the influential nonprofit. In this interview he talks about his background and how he dreamed up Vote Solar. He also shares about how he’s seen the industry change, how long-term plans worked out and why “solar is everyone’s favorite success story.”
A new study finds that the US can indeed meet its 2035 low-carbon electricity goals if it continues on the path of the last decade – and the next 6 years are key. The country would need to continue to expand its renewables portfolio by 15% per year to achieve the 2035 milestone. This would set us on the path to decarbonization and energy transition in the longer term.
Aurora has created another roundup of articles about how to differentiate your brand. They link to articles that cover the role of solar power production guarantees, how to leverage top notch customer services beyond the sale, and ways to approach the issue of solar panel recycling from a marketing and PR perspective.