10 Things Worth Reading This Week (5/21/21)

Roof Tech’s rail-less mount and rail-based mount have become staples in rooftop mounting with their non-metal flashing and decking attachment options. Their tech has evolved over the years to include a single tool installation, self-leveling function and Butyl to seal all attachment points.

Smaller options to keep in mind as alternatives to large rooftop installs, aside from groundmounts and carports, are top-of-pole mounts, the floral shaped Smartflower (a 2.5-kW PV “sculpture”), and wall-mounted awnings (there’s even a wall mounting system available for all popular wall types).

Sustainable Capital Finance has a May 26, 10AM PST webinar for developers/installers and those seeking PPAs that analyzes solar PPAs for nonprofits and municipalities. It will lay out SCF’s 8-step PPA process and look at project cause studies to understand challenges these entities face – and the recommended solutions.

Big conglomerates like Google and Microsoft are participating in EnergyTag, a certification initiative to create a more granular, hourly standard for tracking grid generation info. The aim is to ensure that large companies are meeting their claims about 24/7 clean energy usage in all the markets they participate in.

Solar components distributor BayWa r.e. has branched out to begin distributing Silfab Solar modules and will now also offer solar foundations by Canadian company PolarRacking (their PRU-D ground mount product line).

Dive into the SolarEdge design tool for res and C&I projects in their latest webinar. Features a comprehensive walk through of the platform plus highlights of latest upgrades: financial analysis for projecting customer costs and savings, rotate site modeling, rotate PV model group(s), and BOM export.

A liquid-like motion of perovskites at the atomic level may explain how they produce electric currents efficiently. Perovskites may prevent recombination of excited electrons (that conduct electricity) because 1) distortions in the crystal structure follow freed electrons as they move and 2) molecules oscillate within 2D planes without motion across planes.

Sunrun will be the preferred installer for the home charging system for Ford’s new all-electric Lighting truck. The truck can function as a stand-alone battery system (9.6 kW) using the “Ford Intelligent Backup Power” option via the Ford Charge Station Pro and home integration system installed by Sunrun dealers.

It helps to understand the most common battery testing and certification processes out there via UL. EnergySage offers a roundup that includes certifications for complete energy storage systems, battery packs, inverter/converter/controllers, stationary and vehicle, household and commercial, lithium, and portable sealed secondary cells.

Read the latest about the relationship between the solar industry and energy storage. This article provides an overview of storage’s growth and importance, looks at how storage has been embraced by companies all along the solar value chain, and discusses ways that both national and long-tail contractors have tapped it.