Aurora launched a series on the conflict between IOUs and NEM. The first blog talks about key terms and why there’s tension: monopoly utilities are trying to maintain the status quo and squash competition while consumers want access to alternatives to self-generate offered by new tech and competitive suppliers.
Three key scenarios for when to add storage to your solar project: designing storage from the very beginning of project conception, adding storage once solar system construction has begun, and retrofitting an existing operating system with storage. Look at advantages, disadvantages and other considerations here.
Solar financing company Sunlight Financial completed going public with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Spartan Acquisition Corp II. The new company is called Sunlight Financial Holdings Inc. and will begin trading shortly.
When looking to properly combine multiple battery cabinets in a larger solar+storage system consider using an inverter-specific battery combiner box (either provided by the company or a separate DC power distribution combiner) and properly size it based on the inverter rating rather than the battery sizes.
As solar grows there will be an increased need for the opening or expansion of mines for minerals like cobalt for use in alloys and batteries, tellurium for solar cells and semiconductors, and germanium for transistors in electronic devices – an increase of metal production by 2-6x per kW of energy production.
IREC and the Solar Foundation have merged. IREC will push for change in regulatory engagement, workforce development, and local initiatives while SF will continue operations – including their Solar Jobs Census, the U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study, SolSmart, and Solar Ready Vets – under the IREC brand.
It is important to connect students with a school solar installation. One way is to have them understand solar and the facility on a hands-on level. Other ways are to have them understand building usage and energy costs and soars impact via access to output usage and activity data.
Only 40% of top 100 companies in the US lobby lawmakers to enact clean energy legislation, even though many more of them set ambitious sustainability goals. 76% say they believe in climate science, 92% say they’ll pursue green operations while 20% have lobbied against climate-friendly policies in the last 5 years.
RE investment manager Energea Global LLC now has a retail investment portfolio for shareholders to invest in US solar projects. The portfolio includes (online) investment in a 300-kW power plant at a school in CT and a 540-kW plant on an industrial roof in MA.
The Senate passed a bill, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, to ban imports from the Chinese region Xinjiang. The bill is bound for the House, which passed something similar last year. The State Dept also issued an advisory directing businesses to exit supply chains linked to the region.