California rooftop legislation lifts order book for Swedish equipment supplier
CIGS thin-film production equipment company Midsummer posted record orders in 2018. With a U.S. partner, the company noted uptake was partly due to Californian requirements to integrate PV into all new (low-rise) buildings from next year.
American utility PG&E set to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company, founded 114 years ago, is filing for bankruptcy and may be broken up by regulators. None of which is good news for solar project owners holding contracts with the utility.
NantEnergy acquires Sharp’s US energy systems & services
Zinc battery specialist NantEnergy has acquired the U.S. energy systems and services business from Japanese electronics giant Sharp. The acquisition, according to NantEnergy, will provide the company with an important foothold in the U.S. market and allow it to provide “energy as a service” business models, using its Zinc-air battery, in multiple markets.
Centrica moves into California solar with Vista acquisition
The British energy and services company’s acquisition of the C&I solar contractor is the latest among a number of moves it has made into solar and batteries.
New efficiency record for perovskite-CIGS tandem
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have set a new record 22.4% conversion efficiency for a tandem cell combining a lead-based perovskite layer with CIGS technology. The record has been confirmed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Setting the stage for solar + storage
As more states adopt ambitious renewable power and storage targets, hopes increase for continued market opportunities beyond the ITC. In the mid-term, the overall market opportunity is clear. At IHS Markit, we project 73 GW of solar PV systems will be installed in the United States from 2018 to 2022.
University of California gives electrons a one-way ticket
A new study from University of California, Riverside, uses electric dipoles to accelerate electron in one direction, whilst completely stopping it in the other. The discovery, according to researchers, could lead to improvements in solar cell and other energy conversion technologies.
PV leading the charge to low-emission future says IEA
With 34 of the 38 key technologies needed to hit the Paris Agreement’s best-case scenario falling short, PV and electric vehicles are keeping hopes alive
How solar emergency microgrids provide resilience to vulnerable communities
In this op-ed for pv magazine, Clean Coalition’s Frank Wasco explores how microgrid projects by Solar Saves Lives and other organizations show that communities can build back right and prepare for natural disasters.
California blows through solar power, renewable energy output records
California has set a new record for peak output of utility-scale solar at more than 10.5 GW, as well as for renewable energy overall. However, the state’s grid operator is still curtailing solar and wind while hydro and the last nuclear plant run full-steam.
