For the fourth year in a row the number of smart meters installed in the US grid increased by about 8 million. Total penetration reached over 100M in operation in 2020, says FERC. They estimate that advanced meter penetration rates nationwide for the resi, commercial, and industrial customer classes were more than 50% in 2020.

TÜV Rheinland and CFV Solar Test Laboratory are now working together to offer testing, inspection and certification services for solar modules and components and power plants in North America. The goal is to provide services to a broader audience related to mainstream certifications as well as customized testing that meets supply chain and bankability needs.

The industry is reacting to the the CPUC’s decision to approve NEM 3.0 in CA, a move that will slash payments for excess resi solar by 75%. Statements were rounded up from leaders from Enact, CALSSA, Public Advocates Office, Environmental Working Group, among others.

SPW breaks down what installers need to know about the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements in order to be eligible for incentives on large solar projects.  It includes who contractors need on job sites with four or more workers around hours and wages.

Chairman Glick of FERC is leaving the agency on Jan 3. This leaves the org open for possible 2-2 deadlocks on some issues and may end up that way for a while. During his tenure, FERC advanced proposals to spur transmission development, strengthen natural gas pipeline reviews and protect the grid from extreme weather.

We recently had the pleasure to host Spencer Harrison, Founder & CEO of NeoCharge. Priced at around $450, NeoCharge is a simple and powerful home EV charger. It plugs into a regular 240V dryer outlet and comes with baked-in software intelligence that allows homeowners to program various preferences into the device such as prioritization of loads, optimizing charge times and more. Spencer shared with us the story of NeoCharge, how he and his cofounders started it as a school project when they were at Cal Poly, and then how the company evolved over the years to be a rapidly growing start-up. Below is our video interview with Spencer.

Solar Builder does some analysis and forecasting for the industry in 2023, including a dive into the details around solar model supplies and detained supplies at the border, in an interview with VP of product strategy with distributor BayWa r.e. He unpacks a lot of the key policy developments on a global scale and in the US. The video is below.