Qcells announced an eight-year strategic alliance with Microsoft, their largest EPC services agreement to date. The company will supply Microsoft with 12 GW of solar modules and EPC services over those years and will include the 2.5 GW module and EPC services commitment previously announced last year. The plan is to bring about 1.5 GW of solar annually to projects Microsoft has contracted through 2032.
This article digs into how to capitalize on the EPA’s National Clean Investment Fund (or the national green bank). One aim for the fund is to provide govt backed funding to lower risk for private sector investors. It will take the form of debt, equity, hybrid (like preferred equity) or credit enhancements. Three project categories are: DEG and storage, net-zero emissions buildings, and zero-emissions transportation and the EPA will prioritize underinvested projects and communities.
The IEA PV Power System Programme has released a cross-sectional evaluation tool for the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market. They describe it as a comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation methodology for architects, developers, and other stakeholders involved in BIPV projects. It establishes a step-by-step process for addressing economic, energy-relevant, environmental, and visual performance to optimize BIPV installs.
Cleantech venture investing in 2023 saw a somber first half of the year around investments and quality opportunities with spending cuts and corporate implosions. This gave way to a second half of the year filled with strong opportunities as large institutions that invest in venture funds showed themselves to be willing to put more money into early-stage climate investing.
Grid Strategies released a report warning that the problem with sluggish grid expansion will extend past clean energy projects waiting for connection to include data centers, factories, EV charging stations, and other major electricity users. These will stress the grid even further and estimates on electricity demand growth over the next five years have almost doubled from 2.6 percent to 4.7 percent.
Solar Builder offers a preview of what’s coming at Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America later this month: keynote speakers like the Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton and key IRA architect as well as the President of Americas at Fluence. There will also be a Vanadium Redox Flow Microgrid Tour, a connection lounge for power networking, Block Party Bash and Solar Games.
IronRidge and Greentech Rewenables step through IronRidge’s Touch Aire racking solution and how it accelerates the construction process. They discuss the design process and detail specs for all related components. They also launch into exploring their other offerings. The video is below.