Aurora has a lineup of resources to help your prospects navigate solar financing. They discuss some state green bank programs including C-PACE, considerations like upfront payment requirements and maintenance responsibilities, helpful metrics over lifetime the install, and offer a useful sales kit download.
A new report shows U.S. energy storage market had a record high in Q3 2021 with 3,515 MWh of new installs, a record that will probably be broken in Q4. The report also pointed to increased deployment if the ITC extension, standalone storage ITC, and California solar and storage mandates all pass. Q3 also saw saw the utility-scale FTM market deployment at 998 MW – with TX, CA and AZ leading the numbers.
NREL released another update on its SolarAPP+, the no-cost app that instantly automates the solar and solar+storage permitting process. 12 communities are using it across the US and 200+ local jurisdictions have shown interest in it. Thus far the app has processed over 2,800 res solar permits and more than 20 MW of res solar projects.
Heliogen has new tech meant to streamline array maintenance. Their recent demo showed that this ICARUS, an “autonomous field maintenance system,” can potentially lower construction and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the system. It’s meant for their solar facilities that use arrays of mirrored heliostats that monitor performance and keep systems at peak performance.
GE is making a bid for solar with a res inverter. The inverter is compatible with high-voltage batteries (80-495V) with a power capacity ranging from 5-9.6 kW. It’s got integrated AC and DC disconnect, four MPPTs, and 9.6kW of output in backup. Connection of 15 kW panels is an option. GE is aiming to play a major role in the US energy transition with tech innovation.
AES Corp launched Atlas, a new solar install robot that allows for rapid deployment of large scale C&I and utility projects. It’s AI enabled and automates construction by performing the heavy lifting, placement and attachment of modules. The goal is to make for a safer, faster and more cost-effective install.
The Solarpreneur has a few useful podcasts around sales: five hacks for having the best mindset during sales, two ninja techniques that can help your prospects open up in sales conversation, and one key way to tweak sales presentations so that you can more effectively zoom in on problems and offer solutions.
SPW picked its top products for 2021. The lineup includes Aerocompact’s CompactGround, a low-profile racking solution; Enphase’s IQ8 microinverter; Siemens’ FDA241 lithium-ion off-gas detector; Solaria’s PowerXT 430R-PL modules; and SunBrush’s SunBrush Mobil Lift that mounts on the underside of a hydraulic bucket truck or a crane platform.
The U.S. International Trade Commission is pushing for Biden to add a a four-year extension of Trump’s 2018 tariff on imported solar components, given that they feel that solar imports continue to threaten US manufacturers. The tariff expires in February. This will have Biden needing to balance the desire to promote wider use of renewables with his aim to boost domestic manufacturing jobs.