SPW talks with a global leader in O&M NovaSource regarding the state of the O&M industry and where it is headed. They discuss trends in product and project development that impact O&M in all three major sectors, the importance of having spare/replacement part inventory, robots and unmanned systems in panel cleaning or vegetation maintenance, and more.

Aurora discusses how to overcome 3 typical objections to battery storage: unrealistically fast ROI (help them fully understand the benefits of storage), the need for backup 100% of their energy use for several days (explain that backing up all of their energy usage is expensive and rarely necessary but word it well), and sticker shock (financing, tax incentives, leasing).

BayWa r.e. secured a $115 million credit facility with Nomura, a financial services firm, to support deployment of solar+storage and large-scale solar projects in America. Initially, it will support projects totaling 1.1 GW of solar and 188 MWh of battery storage in North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Washington and more for projects to be brought online through 2026.

NREL has found that disruptive solar tech can help usher in a way for the world to reach decarbonization goals. They’ve modeled viable pathways to supplying the capacity required for global decarbonization by 2060. This tech includes cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based PV, perovskites, minimodules, and tandem tech.

Under the Congressional Review Act, both the House and Senate have now voted to repeal Biden’s 2-year moratorium on new solar tariffs. The Senate voted 56-41, with nine Democrats voting in favor. However, Biden has vowed to veto the bill and Congress apparently lacks the votes to override the veto.

In this seventh of nine excerpts from a SunCast/SolarAcademy solar conversation between solar industry veterans Jon Bonanno, Kerim Baran, and CEO of Caelux Scott Graybeal, Scott describes the company’s plans for growth in the near future, the solar market growth in a number of local American markets and the state of soalr manufacturing and their role in it. The video is below.

In the eighth of a nine part SunCast/SolarAcademy solar conversation solar industry veteran Jon Bonanno and Ted Thomas, founder of Energized Strategies and former chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, explain the obligation of load serving entities to provide firm universal service, even in markets with retail access. They also explore the societal cost of universal service and the challenges that arise when spreading that cost across multiple businesses. The video is below.