By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent As the battle rages in Arizona over the future of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which currently stands at just 15% by 2025, the pro-solar forces aiming to raise that by 35% gained a staunch ally yesterday as the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) has announced its support for Proposition 127, which would increase the amount of Arizona’s power that comes from renewable sources to 50 percent by 2030. Proposition 127 has been the subject of great contention within the state. Proposed by California progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, the proposition received more than the … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent As the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy, the solar industry is hiring people at an ever-increasing rate – and as solar adoption continues to expand, the need for qualified workers will continue to grow, too. But here’s the challenge: Even though well-paying jobs in the solar industry exist – today – the industry hasn’t yet tackled the challenge of putting the necessary job applicants with the job providers. Until now. [wds id=”3″] At Solar Power International this week, the Solar Training Network announced the launch of AmericanSolarWorkforce.org, a comprehensive online platform to help solar … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent For years, the poll everyone cited had 90% of Americans supporting solar. But that poll is now a few years out of date, and the energy source is is more pervasive than ever. So what if you took a poll now – would those numbers remain so high? Well, now we have the the answer from the most recent The Global Strategy Group poll released today at Solar Power International – and the answer is yes. 91% of Americans prefer solar as a source of electricity, and 76% want their utilities to acquire more solar … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent With cost being wrung out at every level of the solar installation, whether it’s module, inverter and racking prices, installation labor and even operations-and-maintenance. Yet the stubborn issue of exorbitant soft costs continues to plague the industry and keep prices artificially high. Numerous studies have been done to determine the best way to bring those costs down, but they still remain high – at least until the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar Foundation (TSF) decided to do something about them. To that end, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent It’s common knowledge that the commercial & industrial (C&I) segment of the solar industry historically has struggled to find financing and put together projects. The reasons for the struggles are myriad, but mostly it has to do with banks not being sure what to do with commercial properties and how to securitize them. Now two industry powerhouses are joining forces in the hopes of relieving some of that pressure. EDF Renewables North America (EDF Renewables)and EnterSolar announced a strategic partnership whereby EDF Renewables will acquire a 50% interest in EnterSolar that will allow the company … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent It’s no surprise that North Carolina is the No. 2 solar state in the country. Aggressive utility-scale installation, combined with a friendly public utilities commission, have vaulted the state to the top of the list. What I’m saying is that North Carolina has earned its place among the solar elite. Which is why those of us who have watched that growth were nervous as Hurricane Florence bore down on North Carolina. Between the wind and rain, the resiliency of the state’s solar inventory would be sorely tested – and we all hoped it would come … Read More →

The Energy Show: By Barry Cinnamon There are there are three market segment for solar in the U.S.: residential, utility and commercial. Based on some rough math, in 2018 we expect to install 5 to 7 million solar panels on homes in the U.S. In areas with high residential electric rates, paybacks are usually in the range of 4-8 years. But the utility solar segment is much larger: about 20 million solar panels will be installed by utilities in 2018. Utilities realize that it is cheaper to generate power with solar compared to coal or nuclear generation. Moreover, the combination … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Yesterday will be remembered as a day when the United States got serious about transforming its aging fleet of buses from diesel-using dinosaurs into sleek new electric vehicles. That’s when Proterra, a heavy duty electric transportation provider for the North American mass transit market, announced that it has closed a $155 million investment round co-led by Daimler, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. In conjunction with the investment, Proterra and Daimler have entered into an agreement to explore the electrification of select Daimler heavy-duty vehicles, the first of which will be Damiler’s Thomas Built … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent If you have followed conservative political thought at all over the past 30 years, you’re familiar with Stephen Moore. Currently a senior fellow at the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, Moore has been around since he was the president of the anti-tax group Club For Growth (which is not, as it is often mistaken for, a hair replacement club). Now at the Heritage Foundation, his voice resonates with far greater reach and allows him to land his particular free market gospel at places like Creators.com, which is where I found his most recent screed, … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent On the year anniversary of releasing its first-ever diversity report, the solar industry’s largest association – the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) – announced it is partnering with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Community Development Action Coalition (HBCU-CDAC) to improve the industry’s recruitment efforts in minority communities. During Solar Power International last year, SEIA and The Solar Foundation released the findings from its diversity survey, a hard and honest look at where the industry stood in terms of reaching non-traditional solar audiences like blacks, Hispanics and other minority communities. It also looked at how … Read More →