Author: solarenergy
Solar Power World has dedicated its March 2024 coverage to installation tips for solar contractors big and small. You can read the rest of our Q&As in the magazine and online here. For insight into the “balance of system component” segment, SPW talked with Ben Wade, founder and CEO of EZ Solar Products, to learn more about cable and wire management on rooftops. Are cable zip ties a viable option for cable management? While plastic zip ties can be a cheap and convenient option in the beginning, they are not suitable in the long-term and will often fail over time…
Solar Power World has dedicated its March 2024 coverage to installation tips for solar contractors big and small. You can read the rest of our Q&As in the magazine and online here. For insight into the “safety and wearables” segment, SPW talked with Kendra Lewinski, senior marketing manager at Carhartt Company Gear, to learn more about how clothing makes the solar installer. What apparel does Carhartt offer that is relevant to solar contractors? Carhartt x SunRun Carhartt Company Gear is the uniform solutions arm of Carhartt, offering Carhartt’s durable, quality product that is curated and purpose-built to support crews of 10 to 10,000. With a selection…
Photo by Dennis Schroeder/NREL A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers has introduced a bill to significantly expand access to the clean energy transition through a revitalization of the state’s community solar program. Senate Bill SB24-207, introduced by Senate President Steve Fenberg (D-Boulder), comes at a time of unprecedented federal funding opportunities through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. This bill calls for a revamped community solar program that will allow Colorado to secure hundreds of millions of federal dollars to improve the state’s electric grid, promote energy equity, and reduce energy costs for residents. Most Colorado households cannot take advantage…
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a report new road map outlining solutions to accelerate the interconnection of clean energy to the national transmission grid and eliminate the existing backlog of solar, wind and battery projects yet to be built. The Transmission Interconnection Roadmap, developed by DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X), serves as guidance for transmission providers, interconnection customers, government agencies, federal regulators, transmission owners, load serving entities (LSEs), equipment manufacturers, consumer advocates, communities on the field of equity and energy justice, advocacy groups, consultants and the research community, including DOE. The roadmap sets aggressive success goals for…
Partners for growth opportunities, a community financial institution and Green Bank, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) announced a groundbreaking agreement to collaborate on the implementation of the Solar for All program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Agency. Growth Opps is the lead applicant for the $250 million grant on behalf of the Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition (IHSC), which represents 31 cities in eight states. The Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition’s application to the EPA, led by Growth Opps and presented to the Solar for All program, uniquely provides full financing for residential…
Jan Scott, lead installer and service technician at Independent Power, works on a residential rooftop solar installation project in Boulder, Colorado. Photo by Joe DelNero/NREL Today, EnergySage, a marketplace where consumers can shop, compare and save on clean home energy solutions, released the results of its eighth annual Electrification Contractor Survey, the first to be expanded to include professionals operating in solar-adjacent electrification fields for whole house. , from energy storage and heat pump systems to electric vehicle chargers and main panel upgrades. Several hundred contractors from the electrification industry and across the country participated in this year’s survey, which…
A new anti-dumping/countervailing duty petition has been filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and the Department of Commerce regarding silicon solar cells and panels made in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The petition was filed by the American Solar Energy Manufacturing Alliance Trade Committeeincluding the American solar producers Convalt Energy, First Solar, Meijer Burger, Mission Solar, Qcells, REC Silicon and startup Swift Solar. The committee is represented by DC law firm Wiley Rein LLP. Namaste Solar “The U.S. solar industry is on the cusp of tremendous growth that will create jobs and change the trajectory of our clean…
Tom Werner, president of SunPower, today… letter to employees that announces layoffs and division closures. To achieve financial viability, SunPower will transition to a low fixed cost model that should be more responsive to market fluctuations. The company will phase out its SunPower Residential Installation (SPRI) locations and discontinue sales of SunPower Direct. SunPower will reduce its workforce by approximately 1,000 people in the coming weeks – likely close to 20-25% of SunPower’s workforce. The company reported that it had 4,710 full-time employees as of January 1, 2023, while Reuters reports that the company recently had 3,800 employees. Those affected…
Turn energy and the University of Denver (DU) collaborate to build on-campus solar facilities and off-site net metering solar projects, totaling more than 23 MWDC. Solar field installation located in Palisade, Colorado. Credit: Pivot Energy DU will use renewable energy generated by solar facilities owned and operated by Pivot Energy, allowing the university to offset total campus electricity consumption with clean solar energy, paving the way for its goal of carbon neutrality. In 2008, DU was one of the first universities to join the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. To date, fewer than 24…
Energy ToolbaseSocomec and Sprocket Power deployed an energy storage system (ESS) at a New York auto dealership to provide microgrid capabilities, reduce demand costs and participate in the state’s demand response programs. Gear power led the installation of a 100 kW/186 kWh ESS at the Vail Buick GMC dealership in Bedford Hills, New York. The system, equipped with a Socomec The HES L unit, integrated with Acumen EMS control software, complements the dealer’s existing solar infrastructure. Historically, New York’s electrical grid has experienced significant stresses, prompting the strategic decision to incorporate solar energy storage to support the electric vehicle (EV)…