Solar develops by fits and starts within segments; after rooftops and empty fields are converted, parking lots are the next underutilized assets to become popular. The majority of systems Staten built have been ground-mounts, in California, in India, and soon in Africa. For large systems, economics favor solar farms, or solar gardens. So long [...]
The worldwide market for plug-in vehicles is taking off with over 312,000 units sold in the first quarter, a 59% increase over Q1 2017. While the total 2017 market represents only 2 million vehicles, with China and India rushing in, and growing 50 % YOY, the goal of 100 million electric vehicles by 2030 set [...]
The transition to renewables is a profound phenomenon. Clean energy addresses climate change, generates savings, disrupts fossil fuel interests, and helps lift the economy. According to the annual review conducted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 500,000 jobs were added in 2017. A 5.3% increase over the prior year, which itself grew at 21% [...]
Recently released SEIA Solar Means Business Report shows 2017 was the third largest year on record for new installations with 325MW deployed by large corporations. 5 of the top 25 corporate users were national retail chains led by Target which added over 40 MW of solar to its stores. Amazon placed third for new installations [...]
Volume 1 | May 2018
The Great Transition into an electrified economy is underway, but proceeding faster in some states than others. And no movement, backward or forward, takes place in this industry without the input of expert lobbyists. Every state has its own energy regulations, its own economic goals, its own priorities. The US energy map is a quilt [...]
Three little letters that trigger the time to celebrate… The process to solarize any property, regardless of size, from warehouse rooftop to solar farm, follows set milestones along highly customized paths that vary from one project to the next. The path is seldom flat and never entirely smooth. From the moment a project becomes a [...]
Two significant news broke last week carrying intrinsic messages of hope: Tuesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions (FERC) revealed that 95% of all the new electrical plants built in the first quarter of 2018 were powered by renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass, hydro, geothermal). As far as building new plants to generate electricity, coal is [...]
Decentralization Strategies, a three part series Part One: Community Solar Part Two: Corporate Creativity The fastest growing segment of the US solar industry in 2017 was community solar. According to a Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) report based on cooperative procurement in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, community solar gardens are large enough (0.5Mw to 5MW) [...]
India is on a solar tear. Even after a possible slow down in 2018, it will outpace the US in total growth. India’s central government’s push into solar power will place it ahead of Japan in total capacity. Its goal is to build at more than twice the rate of the US and Japan combined. [...]
