Despite its rapid growth, the US solar market is still a bit of a Balkanized mess. It’s a highly fragmented collection of states with different policies and politics, some that have preferential programs such as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) or net energy metering (NEM), and others that are resistant to change or beholden to incumbent… Keep reading →
With the announcement today of continued growth in residential and utility-scale installations in the third quarter and a forecast of a robust fourth quarter, the leading American solar industry group said new capacity additions in the U.S. in 2013 will likely exceed those in Germany for the first time in 15 years. In a way, this isn’t… Keep reading →
Quick Take: An excellent article in the Atlantic provides a valuable summary of solar’s existential threat to utilities. Team up rooftop solar with a Tesla battery unit and you can (theoretically) do away with your electric power utility. In reality of course, few homeowners will really want grid divorce. First, they will want to sell… Keep reading →
Quick Take: If you’ve been following the residential solar net metering controversy, you know it’s a hot issue. And a lot of the heat has been concentrated in Arizona where utility Arizona Public Service Company filed a request with state regulators to lower the above-market prices they pay for electricity generated by privately owned rooftop… Keep reading →
From insomnia to an off-grid power system; Hurricane Sandy relief; modern art; doctoral degrees and community clean energy projects; these engineers are tackling some of today’s pressing energy challenges. Rob van Haaren and his friend Garrett Fitzgerald, Columbia University engineering students, became unexpected heroes in post-Sandy Far Rockaway, Queens, NY when they brought solar-generated electricity… Keep reading →
Opinions vary on how serious are the challenges facing the industry. For some time now, everybody and his brother, as the saying goes, is talking about the rapid changes taking place within the electric power sector and the potential impact of these on the future of the industry. This newsletter has had its own share… Keep reading →
Edison Electric Institute, an industry group representing investor-owned utilities, has taken the net metering debate – which pits utilities against the residential solar industry – to the airwaves. Residential solar installations have grown rapidly over the past few years. “Arguably the most severe threat to the traditional utility business model is the advent of rooftop solar systems, which could… Keep reading →
A Brave New World Powered by Distributed Energy
By David CraneIn just a few years, Americans will soon produce the majority of the power they consume at their home or office, primarily through distributed solar arrays on their roof or over their driveways or parking lots. If they come up short, they can tap the battery in their electric car or an energy converting appliance… Keep reading →