Tag Archives: challenges
Micro Inverters: What You Need to Know
Are you thinking about installing solar panels on your home or business? You may just want to update your current system and add value to your investment. There are two types of inverters that you can install on your solar panel array. These may be either an array inverter, which will convert the DC current [...]
In Focus: Dupont’s Solar Quality Standards
Solar installations were removed from twenty-four San Diego Unified School District campuses after corrosion was discovered that threatened the possibility of electrical issues that could lead to fires. The 4.3-megawatt installation was built in 2005-06 by Solar Integrated Technologies (SIT). SIT was acquired by Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) (PINK:ENERQ) in 2009. ECD’s Uni-Solar manufactured the [...]
Fuel Cell Infrastructure Challenges
Here’s another game-changer in the making brought to you by America’s burgeoning supplies of shale natural gas: alternative fuel vehicles and distributed power generation using fuel cells. Emboldened by low prices and booming supplies of natural gas in the U.S , the American fuel cell industry is clawing its way back from the brink. The [...]
Future Challenges for Solar Discussed at SunShot Grand Challenge
Solar’s seen a revolution of sorts over the past few years, from an obscure, expensive technology to a technology that’s the fastest growing family of energy technologies in the world that, while still expensive, is becoming cheaper everyday. That’s being fueled by a number of factors, including innovation, cost-drops and efficiency increases. But to continue [...]
The Challenges and Opportunities of Electric Power
Once extremely stable and predictable, today’s electric powersector faces an array of challenges and opportunities amid afast-shifting landscape. New approaches to serving customers by usingless energy, cleaner energy and emerging technologies are taking holdat the same time that business-as-usual approaches have become moreexpensive, complicated and risky. Complying with scientists’ urgentcalls to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions also hasenormous implications [...]
PV Challenges in Hawaii
I took some time off last week to recharge my battery and relax on the island of Kauai, Hawaii’s northernmost and geologically oldest island. When I wasn’t out riding the big waves, I noticed a few commercial solar installations and an occasional solarinstaller truck, and ultimately ended up doing a little work on myvacation, looking [...]
Poll Shows Mandate for Utility Scale Solar Amidst Challenges
As more power providers invest in utility-scale concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) plantsacross the U.S., some citizens and activist groups have citedenvironmental and sustainability concerns for certain projects. In order to test public opinion, it was evaluated in a recent poll released last week by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GothamResearch Group [...]
Solyndra: Challenges, Uncertainties Still Remain
As announced last Wednesday,Umwelt-Sonne-Energie GmbH (USE), a German integrator, completed theinstallation of a 1.9 MW system in Belgium featuring Solyndra’scylindrical CIGS panels. The project consisted of ten rooftop sitesowned by a large international food retailer, whose identity,curiously, was not revealed. So what does this announcement mean? No doubt it is a sizeable leapforward in Solyndra’s [...]
Clean Energy Challenges and Opportunities
On January 12, 2010 in Sunnyvale, Calif., the SDForum convened a program on The State of Clean Energy. Theconference was organized around the critical question of how the paceof clean and green technology development can be accelerated so thatjob creation and climate change mitigation can be scaled up. California Public Utilities Commissioner Dian Grueneich kicked offthe conference [...]
Wedbush Morgan: Challenges Remain In Solar Market Heading Into Earnings
Wedbush Morgan was out with an article in Barrons yesterday highlighting the challenges that remain in the solar market as solar earnings kick off next week. They believe that 2nd half estimates may be too optimistic and earnings will show the negative impact of rapidly declining average selling prices, inventory write downs and cancellations/delays of customer orders. [...]