Trends

Solar adoption is slowly shifting to less-affluent communities 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelsey Misbrener — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:00:37 +0000

Clean, local energy in the form of rooftop solar power is a powerful tool for fighting environmental injustice, but accessibility for the low-to-moderate income (LMI) community has been a stubborn barrier. Owning a home to put solar on in the first place is a challenge, and being able to afford a system is more complicated…

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Entrepreneurs finally bring real sustainability to solar 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelly Pickerel — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:59:31 +0000

Back in 2018, one industry source said it was premature to focus on solar panel recycling in the United States, but almost five years later, significant steps are being taken to establish protocols to bring more sustainability to the solar industry. From solar panel recycling to waste cleanup on project sites to better packaging for…

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States finally recognize unique capabilities of solar + storage systems in interconnection planning 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelsey Misbrener — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 13:00:57 +0000

The solar + storage industry evolves rapidly as new technologies and capabilities come to market. Meanwhile, the bureaucratic institutions that regulate how these systems interconnect to the grid usually lag far behind. But some standout states are finally making significant progress on catching up. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has led the charge on…

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Renewables overtake coal and nuclear electrical output in 2022 2023 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 12:59:44 +0000

Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are consistently outpacing the new deployment of fossil fuels and nuclear energy in the United States. In April 2022, wind and solar combined produced 17.96% more electricity than all of the country’s nuclear power plants, according to an analysis of EIA data by the SUN DAY Campaign. This…

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Downstream players adapt to irregular panel sizes entering all markets 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelly Pickerel — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 13:00:22 +0000

It’s not often that one looks at the early years of the solar industry with nostalgia, but it was at least a time that had some consistency in solar panel sizes. It was generally understood that 60-cell solar panels were made for the residential market, while 72-cell panels were used in commercial and utility-scale applications.…

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Solar software developers integrate with financiers 2023 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:59:45 +0000

Solar design and sales software providers are increasingly integrating with financing services to streamline the PV project commissioning process. Last year alone, Energy Toolbase added commercial solar financing service Luminia to its developer platform; Aurora Solar integrated with Dividend, Sungage Financial, Mosaic and GoodLeap for residential solar financing; and even solar panel manufacturer Solaria merged…

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With more compensation and incentive options, energy storage adoption is on the rise 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelly Pickerel — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 13:01:35 +0000

The U.S. energy storage industry has met many milestones in recent years, but 2023 should be a banner year for battery adoption across all markets. Thanks to the new storage investment tax credit (ITC), systems of any size have access to a 30% installation credit. Research firm Wood Mackenzie is forecasting 59.2 GW of energy…

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Mightier microinverters can power four solar panels 2023 Trends in Solar

Kelsey Misbrener — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 13:00:06 +0000

Solar microinverters may be the smallest of the power conversion class, but new commercial models can handle more power than ever before. Instead of a one-to-one approach, manufacturers are now making microinverters that can connect to four solar panels. APsystems, Hoymiles and Huayu are all offering four-in-one, three-phase microinverters with varying power levels. The APsystems…

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Single-axis trackers upgrade to handle uneven land sites 2023 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 12:59:32 +0000

Many single-axis solar tracker manufacturers have developed new iterations of their rotating racking that can be installed on uneven topographies, potentially unlocking large-scale solar development in hillier regions. Historically, the ideal setting for a single-axis solar tracker project has been on flatter land that would require little to no geotechnical grading. No land parcel is…

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Solar installations increasingly take the place of coal mines 2022 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:00:55 +0000

The United States is reprioritizing where it sources its energy. Over the last 13 years, the country has shuttered more coal mines than it has opened. As of 2020, there were 551 mines in the United States (out of that group, 37% of them idled operations) compared to more than 1,200 active mines in 2008.…

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Solar permitting is finally moving online 2022 Trends in Solar

Kelsey Misbrener — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 13:00:07 +0000

The shift to online solar permitting started before the pandemic, but lockdown and distance orders added urgency to the movement. Contractors had been asking for relief from the extensive paper forms and long waits in the permitting office, and NREL delivered. The lab launched the online permitting solution SolarAPP+ nationwide in July 2020, and since…

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Top-mounted solar attachments gain more traction 2022 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Back in 2012, solar mounting manufacturer QuickBOLT developed an attachment for PV projects on shingled roofs that didn’t require the conventional metal sheet for flashing. Although it wasn’t the first roof attachment to do so, QuickBOLT popularized minimal flashing and attaching straight through asphalt shingles instead of prying them up and sliding metal flashing sheets…

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Residential solar installers get versed in EV chargers 2022 Trends in Solar

Kelly Pickerel — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:00:25 +0000

Residential solar paired with smart home offerings has become ubiquitous over the years for many national solar installers. If homeowners can access their pet’s automatic feeders through an app, then they of course expect to see their solar generation on a small screen, and be able to actively interact with it in conjunction with their…

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Inverter manufacturers add in-house batteries for seamless pairings 2022 Trends in Solar

Kelsey Misbrener — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000

As residential battery demand continues to grow due to state incentives for systems and the need to aid the grid during extreme weather, more inverter manufacturers are getting in the game. Companies including Enphase, SolarEdge and Tigo Energy have started producing residential batteries of their own for seamless technology pairings. Enphase released its residential Encharge…

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Like everyone else, the solar market grapples with supply chain issues 2022 Trends in Solar

Billy Ludt — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:00:53 +0000

There are many factors contributing to the widespread supply chain disruptions harming industries worldwide. Import tariffs and a global pandemic are at the heart of the issue. For the photovoltaic solar industry, there are also alleged human rights violations and additional trade regulations preventing the import of widely produced solar modules. While the U.S. solar…

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