PV
NREL researchers address safety implications of next-generation battery technologies
Report says new evaluation methods, including AI, will help make future batteries safer. If lithium-ion batteries were once viewed as an expensive energy storage solution with tenuous supply chains, mass production has made them both affordable and readily available for a wide variety of applications. Consumer electronics, electric vehicles and, importantly, battery-based energy storage systems […]
Why California’s closed $2 billion solar plant is not a signal of industry failure
Beginning operations in 2014, the Ivanpah Solar plant in California cost $2.2 billion to build. It is now closing operations, but the plant’s closure is not an indication cost problems for the solar industry. Headlines have been circulating major news outlets around the impending closure of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, a $2.2 billion project […]
Freight costs steady after early September spike
Freight costs, which contribute towards the total cost of a solar installation, have fallen week-on-week on trade lines out of the Far East, helping to offset a price surge in the US-bound short-term market recorded at the start of September. From pv magazine Global Freight container shipping spot rates have declined week-on-week, with a spike […]
Western wildfires, storms cut solar gains in the West while Eastern US sees boost
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that trontal systems, widespread wildfires and an omega block pattern contributed to highly mixed irradiance anomalies across North America in September. Solar conditions underperformed in much of the West and Midwest, while the Northeast, South, and parts of Canada recorded a strong […]
California’s home batteries are replacing gas plants and saving hundreds of millions
The Brattle Group analyzed a gigawatt-hour virtual power plant test that may be the world’s largest as part of its review of California’s distributed peak-shaving program. Battery manufacturing has scaled into the terawatt-hours annually, a breathtaking pace that could soon support multi-day backup of electricity systems. For now, U.S. installations fall far short of what […]
From development to bankability: How accurate modeling can save your solar project
In the high-stakes world of solar development, a project’s journey from concept to completion is fraught with challenges, with financing representing the ultimate hurdle. At the core of a project’s viability lies the energy assessment, where a single miscalculation can jeopardize millions and send a project back to the drawing board. There’s nothing more challenging […]
U.S. solar trade barriers take their toll
The United States has stepped up its use of tariffs on international trade partners, alongside the removal of many renewable energy incentives. Most imports from China are now subject to 30% tariffs and other barriers, along with further measures specific to solar products. InfoLink’s Alan Tu examines key changes in US policy and their likely […]
Flatiron Energy secures $540 million for largest battery project in Massachusetts
The company is expected to bring a 200 MW / 800 MWh battery to commercial operations by late 2026. Flatiron Energy secured approximately $540 million in financing commitments for the Taft battery project in Uxbridge, Mass. The standalone battery project will be the largest in Massachusetts planned to be 200 MW, 800 MWh. Site preparations […]
How rooftop solar can complicate residential real estate transactions
Many homeowners assume leased or loaned solar systems will boost their home’s value, but outstanding loans often drag down equity instead. Navigating the complexities of the real estate landscape is already tricky; add in the wonky, technical nature of selling or buying a home with rooftop solar, and realtors and homeowners alike can find themselves […]
Solar industry icon: ‘This group of people is not going to be thwarted’
Dick Swanson has left his fingerprints all over the modern solar industry. He is widely known for spreading the word on solar’s impressive learning curve with what has become known as Swanson’s Law, for developing the interdigitated back contact (IBC) cell, and for founding SunPower. In June, Swanson was named 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Aron […]