7 Things Worth Reading This Week (3/11/22)

GAF Energy is forwarding the solar tile envelope with the development of a nailable solar shingle they are calling the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle. The shingle is about 64×17 inches, and the solar portion measures 60×7.5 inches. It’s the extra non-solar portion made up of TPO roofing material that is nailed to a roof. Other companies making strides is this area are CertainTEED and SunTegra.

Rising electricity prices and mounting customer debt (and the added complication of inflation) = suffering for all, according to the National Consumer Law Center. Apparently, retail electricity prices went up last year at their fastest rate since 2008 – the $0.1372/kWh price is the “highest on record” according to the EIA. In Massachusetts alone, customer energy past dues total more than $500 million.

A fast growing segment of the solar industry is community solar – and it you’re a developer working in that space or considering that market, EnergySolar gives a great description of a key player, the Coalition for Community Solar Access. The article discusses their mission, their leading partners and exactly how they help bring solar to businesses and homeowners that don’t normally have access to it.

Over this year the EIA predicts that power plant developers and operators will add 85 GW of new capacity to the grid, 60% of which will be solar power and battery storage projects. Most of it will be located in three states: 12 GW (23%) in Texas, 11 GW (21%) in California and 4 GW (7%) in New York.

In honor of Women’s History Month Suncast podcast has rounded up their most popular episodes featuring women. The lineup includes Britta von Oesen discussing her 10+ years of experience in investment banking and development in renewables, Tara Doyle, CCO at PV Evolution Labs in biz development, Anne Hoskins of Sunrun talking policy and regulatory advocacy, Katherine Ryzhaya of Marvel Power Group discussing her career in renewables, and Bernadette del Chiaro, the Exec Director of the California Solar and Storage Association.

In an interview with Solar Builder, APsystems digs into the ins and outs of their new high power DS3 dual-module microinverter. The company’s senior director of marketing walks through the spec sheet and various install scenarios for the highest power DS3 in addition to the lower power DS3-S and DS3-L models. He compares them to single solar module microinverters and does the math on component savings.

CollectiveSun, a company that specializes in helping nonprofits go solar, recently sat down with Energy Toolbase to talk about how they help contractors model energy storage projects. Energy Toolbase is a software company whose platform allows users to model, control, and monitor solar and energy storage projects. Having partnered with the company in the past, CollectiveSun felt it was important to introduce Energy Toolbase’s capabilities to contractors and developers who may not have encountered them before. The video is below.