What’s New In Solar?

Industry Experts, Technological Leaders. Renewable Solar is at the forefront of industry advancements, and quick to offer new technologies to clients. The articles below are intended to help you stay abreast of changes in the industry, product enhancements and key issues within the legislative environment.

Solar advocates, Duke Energy reach net metering agreement in North Carolina

By John Engel | RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Duke Energy and solar industry stakeholders have reached an agreement on net metering policy in North Carolina that will help expand distributed solar generation and benefit utility customers, the parties announced Tuesday.

The Solar Energy Industries Association, the primary lobbying group for the industry, commended the years-long process to craft an agreement with Duke. The policy framework was filed with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) yesterday.

Net metering policy establishes how much a utility will credit a customer for excess energy delivered to the grid, taking into account infrastructure costs and benefits to the broader customer base. The net metering debate in California, for example, is highly contentious with utilities attempting to drastically reduce credits for distributed solar generators.Read More


Solar FlexRack Trackers Connect Over 80 Agricultural Solar Projects

Solar FlexRack, a Northern States Metals division and a photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions company, says its trackers have been installed in over 80 solar projects on California farms, including the latest 2.82 MW project located south of Hanford.

Renewable Solar Inc. (RSI), an installer of commercial and agricultural solar projects in the region, installed this solar energy system for Danell Brothers Dairy. The U.S. Representative for California’s 21st Congressional District, David Valadao, a former dairy farmer and San Joaquin Valley native, spoke during the ribbon cutting ceremony for this project about his support for distributed renewable energy systems that are providing critical savings for local farm owners.

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Solar Prices Increase Across Every Market Segment for the First Time in Seven Years

Supply chain woes and policy uncertainty threaten America’s solar progress.

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. and HOUSTON, TX —Supply chain constraints are leading to price increases across every solar market segment, despite the addition of 5.7 gigawatts (GWdc) of solar capacity in Q2 2021, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business (Nasdaq: VRSK).Read More


Danell Bros. solar array goes live

HANFORD, CA—Renewable Solar, Inc., a leader in the full-service engineering, construction, integration, asset management and maintenance of PV solar electric systems, is pleased to announce the energizing of the Danell Bros. 2.82 MW solar system. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, September 10, 2021 from 11am to 1pm. Guest speakers will include Congressman David Valadao. Other local dignitaries will also be in attendance.

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Solar Industry Statement on Department of Commerce Response on AD/CVD Petition

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO at the Solar Energy Industries Association.

“We are disappointed that Commerce did not dismiss these meritless petitions outright. However, the detail and nature of the questions Commerce asked the anonymous petitioners clearly indicates that the petitioners have produced a filing largely devoid of the information the department needs to assess whether to initiate this case. We believe that when and if the petitioners amend their original submission, it will become abundantly clear that they have no case for circumvention.”

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Solar Industry Statement on the August 2021 Petition for Solar Tariffs

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following is a statement from John Smirnow, vice president of market strategy and general counsel at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on the August 2, 2021 Section 201 petition:

“There are no two ways about it. It is time to end the job-killing Section 201 solar tariffs. They are a multibillion dollar drag on industry growth. And leading domestic panel manufacturers are thriving, both here in America and globally. If we hope to reach our ambitious climate goals, we must accelerate solar deployment, not hinder it with unnecessarily punitive trade measures.Read More


Solar and wind provided 93.8 percent of new U.S. generating capacity in the first third of 2021

PVBUZZ MEDIA | EDITORIAL TEAM

Wind + solar are 15% of total U.S. Generating capacity; all renewables combined are 25%. By 2024, FERC forecasts nearly four times more new capacity from solar and wind than from natural gas

Renewable energy is useful energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.Read More


Embracing the Dark Side: The Science Behind Solar Panels Drawing Energy at Night

By Ed Kennedy | Solar Magazine

It’s common knowledge how solar panels work in the day. An average person on the street will be able to tell you they harvest light from the sun which is then converted into power. Solar enthusiasts will be able to speak more expansively, detailing how photovoltaic cells absorb the sun’s energy, convert it to DC electricity, and then see the solar inverter convert DC electricity to AC electricity for use throughout a home or business. Yet regardless of the general knowledge that exists surrounding solar panel use during the day, their use at night remains a novel—if not totally foreign—idea to most.Read More


Solar advocates protest utility net-metering proposals at California Public Utility Commission

By Kelsey Misbrener, News item from Save California Solar

Clean energy advocates, environmental groups, solar consumers and businesses — fresh off defeating AB 1139 in the state legislature — are fighting back against the continued big utility “profit grab” that aims to make rooftop solar more expensive, harm consumers and slow down California’s clean energy progress. They joined together at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to call on state leaders to keep solar affordable and growing in California as the Newsom Administration considers changes to net metering. Read More


US installs 5 GW of solar in three months, surpasses 100 GW of total installed capacity

By Billy Ludt,  News item from SEIA

The U.S. solar market surpassed 100 GWdc of installed electric generating capacity, doubling the size of the industry over the last three-and-a-half years, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q2 2021 report, released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.

Solar had a record-setting Q1 2021 and accounted for 58% of all new electric capacity additions in the United States. Renewable energy accounted for nearly 100% of all new electric capacity in Q1.Read More