Author: solarenergy

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) published its “2023 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report,” which highlights the state’s clean energy industry growth, being home to over 108,000 direct clean energy workers. The state’s clean energy industry has grown 80% since 2010, or approximately 48,176 jobs. The industry contributed more than $14 billion to the gross state product (GSP) in 2022, a 63% increase since 2012. It also shows that 7,315 clean energy businesses exist across the state. In terms of direct jobs, the clean energy industry is on par with both the higher education and restaurant industries in Massachusetts yet…

Enact Solar, a digital platform for planning, implementing and overseeing solar and energy storage projects, has launched its Insider Partner Program. The goal of the program is to streamline and simplify its partners’ solar and storage businesses by providing signed solar projects while using Enact’s cloud software platform. “Our newly launched Insider Partner Program is designed to help installers grow and build their solar business while meeting the requirements of their solar and energy customers, through providing a cost efficient, transparent and simplified solar process,” said Deep Chakraborty, CEO and co-founder at Enact. “Solar energy will proliferate in California in…

Terremachtthe recycling department of BBB industries and Ontility has opened a solar panel recycling line at its facility in Sparta, Tennessee. The Terrepower facility provides complete separation of solar panel materials such as aluminum, glass, precious metals, silicon, plastic and components. This process should enable more efficient disposal of materials for reuse. “We can reduce environmental waste by extracting the most value from the original part before it is recycled,” said Maria Caballero, president of Terrepower. “With the addition of our fully automated recycling machine, we can now tackle the problem of solar energy waste while complementing our existing sustainable…

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 “hand-held tools” segment, SPW talked with Will White, solar applications specialist at Fluke, to learn more about the various electrical testing tools used in the solar industry. What PV testing tools are used during solar project construction and commissioning? There aren’t a lot of tests that are done during construction. The big one is insulation resistance testing — ensuring that the insulation of the…

Panasonic has unveiled a hybrid inverter within its EverVolt home battery and solar offerings. The new EverVolt hybrid inverter allows up to 15.2 kW of DC input with three MPPTs. The inverter is compatible with pre-existing brands of solar panels, including Panasonic’s line of EverVolt modules. The inverter is weatherproof and NEMA-4X-rated and can be installed both indoors and outdoors. The EverVolt inverter has a 12-year warranty that covers product and labor when installed by an authorized Panasonic installer. News item from Panasonic Source link

Home energy management company Span has expanded its product family of smart electrical panels and associated products. The Span Panel product line now includes: Span Panel 48 – The largest addition to the Span Panel family, the Span Panel 48 is geared toward new home construction, enabling builders to avoid expensive infrastructure costs when building all-electric or future electric homes, with energy management, storage and charging capabilities of Span Panel 32. Span Panel 32 – Currently available and deployed across the United States, Span Panel 32 serves both the retrofit and new home construction categories, providing software-defined, whole-home backup management…

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…