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China’s CETC Plans 200 Megawatt Solar Fab In India

by Saurabh Mahapatra January 29, 2018

As the Indian government continues to look into anti-dumping and safeguard duties against imported modules, a Chinese company is planning to set up a solar module manufacturing unit in the country.

The China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) recently announced that it will invest $50 million to set up the first phase of a module manufacturing unit in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The first phase of development will create 300 new jobs, while the entire project will increase this number to 1,500. While the company did not specify the final production capacity of the manufacturing unit, a guesstimate on the basis of increase in jobs creation puts the number at 1 gigawatt.

A number of Chinese companies have announced plans to set up solar cell and module manufacturing units in India over the last few years. The pretext may have been the ambitious solar power capacity target and a domestic content requirement program that mandated the use of Made-In-India modules.

While the government will auction at least 77 gigawatts of solar power capacity by March of 2020, it had to forgo the DCR program following an unsuccessful arbitration with the United States at the World Trade Organisation.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy proposed a huge financial incentive package to the domestic module manufacturers, but the Ministry of Finance rejected this proposal.

Now, anti-dumping and safeguard duties against imported modules seem to be the only possible efforts to support Indian manufacturers. This could create a business case for Chinese manufacturers to set up shop in India.

January 29, 2018 0 comment

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Canadian Solar Modifies Q4 & FY17 Guidance, Increases Expected Module Shipments

by Joshua S Hill January 15, 2018

written by Joshua S Hill

Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar power companies, have modified their financial guidance for the fourth quarter and full year 2017, resulting in increased total solar module shipments for 2017 of nearly 7 gigawatts.

As announced last week, Canadian Solar updated its fourth-quarter and full year 2017 guidance “to reflect timing of certain solar project sales.” Specifically, in its third-quarter financial report announced in November, the company explained that it had entered into definitive agreements with two buyers to sell a portfolio of 6 solar power projects in California amounting to 703 megawatts (MW). These transactions have not been completed yet, subsequently modifying the expected revenue the company will take in during the fourth quarter.

In particular, Canadian Solar has adjusted its guidance for total revenue for the fourth quarter to be in the range of between $1.04 to $1.08, down from an originally guided range of between $1.77 and $1.81 billion.

However, that is the only downward shift in Canadian Solar’s guidance modifications, as the company also announced that it was updating its solar module shipments for the fourth quarter, from an original range of 1,650 MW to 1,750 MW to a new guided range of between 1,720 MW to 1,820 MW. Gross margin has also been modified upwards as well, from between 10.5% to 12.5% up to 16.5% to 18.5% (due to low margins on the expected solar portfolio transaction).

Canadian Solar has also increased its solar module shipments guidance for the full year 2017 to be in the range of 6.8 GW to 6.9 GW, compared to previous guidance of between 6.7 GW to 6.8 GW. Total revenue for the full year 2017 is now expected to be in the range of $3.33 billion to $3.37 billion, down on the previously guided $4.05 billion to $4.09 billion.

January 15, 2018 0 comment

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US Trade Commission Finds That Imports Of Cheap Solar PV Panels Have Hurt “Domestic” Firms — Will Trump Impose Tariffs To Protect US Solar Manufacturers?

by James Ayre September 23, 2017

written by James Ayre

The import of cheap solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has harmed two solar energy firms, a US International Trade Commission investigation into the matter has found. The vote was unanimous apparently, with all four voting commissioners backing the ruling. That said, there is a lot more context that puts the case into broader context … and shames the solar companies that brought the suit.

Notably, practically every solar company in the US opposed the case brought by two “domestic” solar energy firms, and those firms are actually owned by German and Chinese companies. In the case of the latter, the parent company in China opposes the case brought by its bankrupt US subsidiary.

Nonetheless, with the ruling made, US President Donald Trump is now in the position to impose tariffs on imports as a means of protecting US solar PV panel manufacturers, if he so chooses.

Georgia-based solar PV manufacturer Suniva — the bankrupt firm responsible for getting the process going with a complaint back in April — would no doubt like it if action were to be taken, but it’s not clear yet what Trump intends.

Considering the bellicose tone taken by the US President with regard to some of the trade practices used by China, it doesn’t seem too unlikely that some sort of action will be taken. If action is taken, it could of course be intentionally ineffective and mostly for theatrical value — which would mean no major changes on the ground. We’ll have to wait to see what happens.

All of that said, it’s also important to realize that this trade case doesn’t contend foreign manufacturers did anything wrong. It just contends that the US companies in question were hurt by foreign imports.

Reuters provides more: “The outcome was a sharp blow to the solar installation industry, which strongly opposed Suniva’s petition on the grounds that it would drive up the price of solar power just as it is becoming competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels.

“The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) trade group lobbied heavily against the petition, and on Friday vowed to be ‘front and center’ in the remedy process. SEIA has warned that the solar industry would lose 88,000 jobs, or one-third of its workforce, if the hefty protections Suniva proposed in its petition are implemented.

“… Under the rare Section 201 trade case, Trump will make a final decision on whether to provide relief to US manufacturers, and, if so, what type. The ITC will deliver its recommendations to Trump by November 13. He could accept them, choose to implement something else entirely, or do nothing.”

As a reminder here, US solar panel manufacturing capacity currently represents only around 2% of total global production capacity. Additionally, the vast majority of solar jobs in the US relate to installation, not production. If action is taken, then I suppose that firms with US-based manufacturing, such as Tesla, stand to benefit quite a bit. You’ll recall that production of Tesla’s solar roof product has now begun at its new facility in Buffalo, New York.

Our sister site CleanTechnica provides more context on the case, its odd origins, this uncommon trade law avenue, and the unusual situation in which a parent company opposes a case brought by one of its subsidiaries:

But patriotism was hardly the motive — as the Washington Post noted, “While US based, Solar World Americas is owned by a German firm and a majority of Suniva is owned by Shunfeng International Clean Energy, a Chinese company which has opposed the petition filed by Suniva’s restructuring officer …

“Suniva’s petition was filed by SQN Capital Management, a New York-based investment firm which lent Suniva money to purchase equipment and which is Suniva’s largest creditor. In a May letter to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronic Products, SQN offered to drop the trade petition if it were paid about $52 million to cover its debts to Suniva.”

It’s even more chicken-feed than that. SQN demanded that Suniva file the case in order to get a mere $4 million loan to see it through the restructuring.

And as Bloomberg points out, these kind of cases fell out of favor because most Presidents weren’t rash or stupid enough to impose tariiffs:

“The case is unusual — and not just because Suniva’s majority owner, Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd., opposes it. It also was pursued under a rarely used provision of a trade law that offers companies a ‘global safeguard’ that can result in broad, uniform protection against imports — not just tariffs on specific countries or companies. Under that 1974 trade measure, Suniva only had to prove that imports have caused it ‘serious injury’ — not that foreign competitors did anything unfair or illegal. … Even when the ITC sided with domestic manufacturers, presidents were often unlikely to impose a penalty. These cases have had a resurgence under Trump, whose protectionist rhetoric may be leading companies to think he’ll support tariffs or import quotas.

So, a $29 billion industry may be destroyed because one greedy lender was trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of a bad investment. Welcome to the madness that is America in the age of Trump.

September 23, 2017 0 comment

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Siva Power Brings On Bruce Sohn (Former First Solar Exec) As Vice Chairman Of The Board

by James Ayre October 31, 2016

written by James Ayre

The thin-film solar energy technology firm Siva Power has brought former First Solar executive Bruce Sohn on as its new Vice Chairman of the Board, according to recent reports.

The hire is notable since Sohn has been credited as being one of the main driving forces behind First Solar’s impressive growth over recent times. Previously, Sohn had held various leadership positions at Intel.

Sohn’s stint at First Solar began in 2003 as a member of the Board of Directors. He then became the company’s president in 2007. While President, First Solar achieved a number of historic milestones, including becoming: the first manufacturer to bring costs below $1/watt; the first to develop, engineer, procure, and construct more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of utility-scale solar energy projects; and the first to ship over 1 GW of production in a year.

Siva Power CEO Brad Mattson commented on the hire: “If I had my choice of any executive in the world to join our team, it would be Bruce Sohn. What he achieved at First Solar speaks for itself, and it says a lot about Siva and where Siva is going now that someone like Bruce has joined us. We’ve consolidated the best and the brightest minds in the thin-film solar industry and Bruce Sohn is a special addition to that brain trust. It was under his leadership that First Solar, the only American thin-film PV success story, became what it is today. His guidance and leadership will be invaluable to Siva going forward as we become the next success.”

“Siva has made impressive progress on its advanced thin film technology,” Sohn continued. “While the solar industry has steadily improved its position as a leading generator of clean, renewable energy, we are still at the threshold of the upcoming growth phase. Terrawatts of clean power are yet to be installed and there is opportunity to make thin film solar the lowest cost, most environmentally friendly solution to power the planet.”

As some background, Siva Power is currently developing commercial copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar modules. The company raised the funding necessary to construct a pilot production line at its Santa Clara headquarters earlier this year.

October 31, 2016 0 comment

Solar PV Manufacturing

Tesla And Panasonic Will Expand Relationship To Include Solar Panels

by Steve Hanley October 20, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

If shareholders of Tesla Motors and SolarCity vote to approve a merger of the company next month, Panasonic has indicated it will deepen its corporate ties with Tesla by taking over the manufacture of solar cells at the Buffalo Gigafactory. Once that facility is completed, it will be capable of producing up to 10,000 solar panel a day.

Tesla Panasonic agreement

That word “Gigafactory” gets thrown around a lot. Don’t let it confuse you. The Gigafactory in New York is for making solar panels. There is another Gigafactory in Nevada where Tesla is planning to make batteries for its electric cars and for energy storage. Panasonic is a major partner in the Nevada factory, having committed nearly $2 billion of its own money to the enterprise.

If the Tesla/SolarCity merger goes through, Panasonic will essentially take over operating the Buffalo plant while Tesla enters into a long term contract to purchase all the solar cells and panels made there. Approximately 1,460 employees will work at the Buffalo plant once it reaches full production. The factory in Buffalo has received $750,000,000 in incentives from the state of New York, which is interested in re-invigorating manufacturing in the Buffalo area.

The closer working relationship between the two companies will further Elon Musk’s dream of making more American homes independent of traditional utility companies. SolarCity is set to unveil a new solar roof product later in November. That offering may revolutionize rooftop solar. Elon says the solar roof will be beautiful and functional. Instead of a photovoltaic system mounted over a roof, the new product will be the roof. Elon thinks there are as many as 5 million homes in the US that could benefit from such a system.

He anticipates that the solar roof would work seamlessly with the Tesla Powerwall home storage battery products manufactured by his company. The completed system could not only power an entire home, but also charge an electric automobile as well. It just so happens that Tesla manufacturers some pretty desirable electric cars.

It’s all part of the Tesla Smart House plan, which seeks to make homes more energy efficient and user friendly. According to Carolyn Fortuna at PlanetSave, some of its features include:

cutting spending on electric energy by 50%.
automatically managing lights, air conditioning and other appliances.
turning on and off items depending on the time of day, temperature, motion sensors, doors and windows detectors, and electricity rates.
allowing full use of the features of the home without any safety hazards caused by user mistakes.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Panasonic as we move towards a combined Tesla and SolarCity,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer and co-founder, said in a statement. “By working together on solar, we will be able to accelerate production of high-efficiency, extremely reliable solar cells and modules at the best cost.”

Source: Forbes

October 20, 2016 0 comment

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SolarCity Gigafactory To Spark Manufacturing Revival In Buffalo

by Steve Hanley July 20, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Time was when Buffalo, New York was an industrial powerhouse. With Lake Erie next door and the Erie Canal nearby, ready access to markets made Buffalo the ideal location for American industry. But manufacturing jobs in the area have been fleeing to other locations since the end of WW II.

To help jump start new industry in the area, the State of New York, in cooperation with SUNY Polytechnic Institute, has struck a deal with SolarCity, the solar energy company founded by Elon Musk’s cousin, Lyndon Rive. The state is investing $485 million into a Gigafactory in Buffalo that will manufacture up to 10,000 solar panels a day. In total, the state will invest as much as $750,000,000 to construct and equip the enormous factory.

SolarCity 12,000,000 square foot factory in Buffalo, New York. Credit: SolarCity

July 20, 2016 3 comments

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Top 10 Solar Panel Installers

by Jake Richardson May 18, 2016

written by Jake Richardson

These top 10 lists are a little peculiar sometimes because one might conclude that they are objective. However, while they can appear to be that way, they are usually more subjective, based in assessments conducted by particular websites or publications. Depending on which criteria are used, their results might not be what you need or want. So, in order to determine which solar installer might work for you, it could be helpful to compare lists of top solar panel installers.

solarpanels2 To that end, let’s look at a list (from GTM Research) which placed SolarCity, Vivint Solar, Sungevity, Sunrun, and Verengo Solar in the top five. According to this source, they made the top five because they installed the largest percentages of rooftop solar power systems — half or more of all solar panels in the US for the year 2014.

SolarCity had 34% of installations, Vivint Solar had 13%, Sungevity with 3%, Sunrun with 2%, and Verengo Solar with the same as Sunrun.

A 2015 list showed a similar split but some notable changes:

SolarCity 34.1%
Vivint Solar 11.6%
Sunrun 2.6%
NRG Home Solar 2%
Sungevity 1.9%

However, SolarCity has a leasing- and PPA-focused model. With leases and (power purchase agreements) PPAs, SolarCity owns the solar power systems, and the homeowners get some portion of the electricity. If you want to own our home solar power system, they also can make arrangements for that, but it is a small part of the company’s business and apparently not the most attractive option for home solar loans. Also, SolarCity’s prices are reportedly much higher than the competition’s.

Vivint Solar has a similar service, but they just offer PPAs where they own the home solar power system, and the homeowner agrees to pay for electricity generated by it and a certain rate for a specified period of time.

The reason that SolarCity and Vivint have installed so many more solar panels is that their services typically have low or no upfront costs. This kind of service is much cheaper initially compared with the cost of installing a home solar power system that a homeowner will own and maintain. It is only reasonable that cost-constrained homeowners who are trying solar power for the first time might want to choose a system that is very low or no upfront cost, rather than paying over $10,000 or more for their own home solar system, or applying for a loan for one.

So, yes, SolarCity and Vivint are top installers of solar panels, but they own those systems once they have been installed. The technology is the same, but the relationship with the homeowner is different. Also, if you own your own home solar power system, you have control over it and you actually could make money in the long-term. So, the fact that SolarCity and Vivint have installed far more solar panels than their competitors might make them see far and away the best, but one of the reasons they are so far ahead is the greater affordability of leasing or PPAs—not necessarily because they are superior installers or offer a much better product. Their installations and products may (or may not) be very good, but that’s not really the point.

SolarCity and Vivint Solar have also seemingly had more effective marketing and financing arrangements.

The installers lower on the list may offer the same quality of installation and products, but they may have been less popular because they don’t offering leasing or PPA. Alternatively, they may be focused on smaller markets.

This consideration is something to keep in mind when researching solar power options for you home. In other words, popularity may sway some people’s decision-making in a direction that isn’t beneficial.

Leasing might appeal to many, but when you lease, you typically don’t own the system, and you generally give away some of the potential financial benefit. If you are energy-conscious and own your system you might generate more electricity than you consume, which you could sell back to the utility, if net metering is available where you live. Also, if you own your own home solar system, you will probably be eligible to receive some incentives, so the net price of that system will be reduced for you.

Of course, it matters very much that you understand the difference between owning your own home solar power system, leasing, and signing a power purchase agreement.

Solar Power World’s Top 10

Solar Power World published its own top 10 residential solar contractors (installers) list and includes some that GTM research did not. Check out the top 10:

1. SolarCity
2. Vivint Solar
3. Sunnova
4. RGS Energy (Real Goods Solar)
5. Solar Universe
6. Bland Solar & Air
7. Amergy Solar
8. Smart Energy Solar
9. KDH Solar
10. Direct Solar Energy

1. SolarCity is located in San Mateo, California, and has about 10,000 employees. It installs solar power systems, but the homeowners often don’t own them — they lease them (or buy the electricity from them) from SolarCity, presumably for a lower price than they’d buy electricity from the grid. It makes sense that SolarCity is a leader, because its customers have very little in upfront costs and the company had a lot of financial support to grow quickly and establish strong relationships with bankers & financiers. This company is well known for its association with Elon Musk, chairman of the company and cousin to founders & CEO + CTO Lyndon Rive & Peter Rive. SolarCity operates in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington DC.

2. Vivint Solar is located in Lehi, Utah, and it has a similar kind of service provided by SolarCity, except that it typically uses power purchase agreements (which SolarCity sometimes uses) instead of leasing. Also, it goes door to door to get customers, and its larger parent company sells various other home products, like alarm systems. Vivint has about 3,200 employees and has installed 228 MW of solar panels. Vivint Solar currently operates in: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington DC.

3. Sunnova is located in Houston, TX. This company offers the ability for a homeowner to own his or her own system, sign a power purchase agreement, or get a solar lease. Sunnova operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

4. RGS Energy (Real Solar Goods) is located in Louisville, Colorado. It offers solar leases, service agreements, and home solar systems for purchase. It operates in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

5. Solar Universe is located in Livermore, California. It offers $0-down solar financing when installing home solar systems, or fully prepaid solar contracts. It operates in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.

6. Bland Solar & Air is based in Bakersfield, California. It installs solar power systems, but has expertise with air conditioning as well. It recommends using the nonprofit Educational Employees Credit Union for financing (getting a loan) if one isn’t able to or doesn’t want to self-finance the project. “Educational Employees Credit Union offers a number of Energy Efficiency Loan choices, including a $0 down payment option,” the company writes.

7. Amergy Energy is a New Jersey–based company. It installs, finances, and leases solar power systems for homes, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. It operates in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

8. Smart Energy Solar is located in Corona, California. It has installed thousands of solar systems, including solar PV, solar hot water heaters, and solar pool heating.

9. KDH Solar is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It installs both residential and commercial systems.

10. Direct Energy Solar is located in Annapolis, Junction. It is focused on residential solar power systems.

Another consideration when choosing a solar power installer is what role they play in your community. Some consumers like to support local businesses and others don’t care. Some also like to support local people they know or their family or friends have some connection with, because the business transaction is more personal in nature. Others don’t care about the personal side, and only want affordability and quality service.

Yet another point to reflect on is whether or not a top 10 list means much to you, because it might hit some of the generic points, but ultimately your decision is your own, and you need to have some sense that it is the right decision, not merely the result of having found some information. If your local solar panel installer is not on any top 10 lists, they may still be very effective and you would determine that by researching them carefully. You can see from the GTM Research ranking above that about 50% of the solar power installed on rooftops is installed by a company with less than 2% market share.

We encourage people to get as many solar quotes as possible (they’re always free): from Cost of Solar, Pick My Solar, EnergySage, Google’s Project Sunroof, and anyone else you can find.

Also, some people don’t even choose a solar panel installer, because they have a DIY mentality and they install their own solar panel systems. These people are currently in the minority, but that may change over time if installing systems becomes easy enough.

We are still in the infancy of solar power in the US, with just over 1% of our total electricity generated by it. Things will change as it grows, including the “technical” knowledge of everyday people.

Image Credit: AleSpa (CC BY-SA 3.0 license)

May 18, 2016 0 comment

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Top 10 Solar Power Companies, & Top 5, & Top 10 Again

by Jake Richardson May 18, 2016

written by Jake Richardson

When you ask who the top solar power companies are, you will probably want to distinguish between residential installers and solar panel manufacturers. Solar power generally is thought of as home solar power, though utilities and businesses also are investing in it. This article looks at the top residential solar contractors / residential solar installers as well as the top American solar panel manufacturers.

According to Solar Power World Online, the top solar residential contractors are:

1. SolarCity
2. Vivint Solar
3. Sunnova
4. RGS Energy (Real Goods Solar)
5. Solar Universe
6. Bland Solar & Air
7. Amergy Solar
8. Smart Energy Solar
9. KDH Solar
10. Direct Solar Energy

However, this doesn’t really cover the full story. GTM Research’s US residential installer leaderboard for the end of 2015 was as follows for the top 5:

SolarCity 34.1%
Vivint Solar 11.6%
Sunrun 2.6%
NRG Home Solar 2%
Sungevity 1.9%

Clearly, the two rankings look at different matters and come to different results. Anyhow, diving into the companies in the GTM Research ranking, here’s a bit more info from Solar Love:

3. Sunrun was one of the first companies to offer solar leasing, but it also offers systems via loans and cash purchases now. It is based in California, but is now working in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

4. NRG Home Solar is a subsidiary of energy giant NRG. Like the companies above, its main pitch is $0-down solar leasing. It doesn’t yet seem to offer solar loans like the other companies above. In a market that is shifting back toward straight purchases and loans, it seems NRG Home Solar will have to broaden its offering in order to remain competitive for long. NRG Home Solar operates in: California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.

5. Sungevity, based in Oakland, California, also has a long history in solar leasing, but it offers solar power installations via solar loans and cash purchases as well. Sungevity CEO Andrew Birch has said the company was agnostic regarding financing, agreed the shift is going back toward system purchases, and is typically keen to highlight Sungevity’s competitive advantages from its iQuote system, which provides a solar power quote using satellite technology quickly and remotely, and “also provides customers with dedicated project managers so that they don’t have to go through any automated customer support or deal with different people (who need to be caught up on their project) every time they call or email.” Sungevity operates in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington DC.

Regarding the remaining companies from the Solar Power World Online ranking, here’s a little more info:

8. Smart Energy Solar is located in Corona, California. It has installed thousands of solar systems, including solar PV, solar hot water heaters, and solar pool heating.

9. KDH Solar is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It installs both residential and commercial systems.

10. Direct Energy Solar is located in Annapolis, Junction. It is focused on residential solar power systems.

Solar panel installers typically don’t make their own solar panels, they install panels made by manufacturers. SolarCity is going to be making its own solar panels and installing whole systems, so it is the exception.

Is there any advantage to a solar panel installer making its own technology? It might be that there could be better communication about the solar panels with the installers, if it comes from within the same company. It also might be easier to get defective panels replaced if there is better communication, rather than one company trying to communicate with another. Additionally, vertical integration like this could bring down costs. The downside would be if these in-house solar panels ended up being more expensive and the company was tied to using them.

Also, if the installer makes solar panels in the same country, communication may be enhanced because there is no cross-culture or cross-language issues. However, because of globalization, international business is common now, so cross-cultural situations might not be an issue.

Another consideration is that some consumers like to support companies based in their own countries. In this case, an American home or business owner who wants to invest in solar power might consider working with a company like SolarCity, or try to locate solar panels made in America by a company like SunPower.

Obviously, solar panels need to be manufactured before they can be installed, and fortunately, a number of American companies make them.

Top American Solar Panel Manufacturers

1. First Solar has its headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, and has solar panel manufacturing sites in the US, Germany, and Malaysia.

2. SunPower has its headquarters in San Jose, California, and manufactures panels in the US and the Philippines.

3. SolarWorld has its US headquarters near Portland (it is originally a German company) and most of its manufacturing is done in Germany.

4. SolarCity is based in San Mateo, California, and it is working to build a very large solar panel manufacturing site in New York state.

5. Suniva has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and manufacturing sites in Michigan and Georgia. It was founded in 2007.

While it is important to know the names of these companies, their locations, and what they provide, there is something of equal importance that doesn’t get talked about enough, or at all. These solar power companies are accomplishing something important for the country—they are helping the United States very gradually shift away from fossil fuel use to clean, renewable energy.

There are a raft of benefits linked with solar power: it’s better for climate change, reduces harmful air pollution, and is better for the national economy because it reduces reliance on imported fossil fuels. Eventually, all coal mining and burning might also be eliminated, and coal mining clearly is very unhealthy for mine workers. Sometimes it is fatal. Making and installing solar panels is relatively safe, so it is better for American workers.

Solar power creates a lot of jobs, and more solar jobs are expected to be added in the US in 2016 than oil-related jobs.

The solar power trend is taking off and it is has never been more affordable. Though, many of us may not be aware of how much solar power prices have fallen. American solar power companies have accomplished a lot so far, and yet they are poised to do much more. At the same time, they seem to have been given almost no credit for their achievements. Currently, the US gets less than 2% of its electricity from solar power, but that figure is set to increase as solar companies continue to install more and more of it. Also, the costs are dropping, so solar power is becoming more accessible all the time. Additionally, the costs will most likely continue to decrease and demand will likely grow. So, solar power is going to be a bigger part of the American energy future.

Image Credit: CHAK 001, (Creative Commons BY 3.0)

May 18, 2016 0 comment

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Top Solar Speakers Converge On Berlin April 10th

by Zach March 12, 2016

written by Zach

As I wrote yesterday, Solar Love is partnering with CleanTechnica, EV Obsession, GridHub, and others to bring the first Cleantech Revolution Tour event to Berlin, Germany. It will focus on solar energy one day (April 10) and electric vehicles the other day (April 9). You can view the agenda here, register here, or sign up to help sponsor the event here.

Just to highlight in greater detail some of the wonderful solar speakers who will be presenting in their own sessions and discussing the future of solar on a panel at the Berlin event, below are short bios about some of the key speakers.

Stefan Schurig

Stefan is the Director of Climate, Energy, and Cities at the World Future Council. Stefan is an architect by training, but has devoted most of his career to energy and climate change issues. Before he started working for the World Future Council in 2007, he was the spokesperson for Greenpeace in Germany and headed the Greenpeace Climate and Energy department for 9 years. During this time, he also co-founded Germany’s second-largest green electricity supplier. In 2004, Stefan was appointed as member of the REALISE Forum, an international platform on renewable energy policies led by the European Commission. As Director Climate Energy at the World Future Council (WFC), Stefan initiated the international policy campaign on renewable energy and the worldwide promotion of ‘Feed-In Tariffs’ as one of the best policies for a massive uptake of renewable energy. In 2008, Stefan became a member of the energy advisory board of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) and was appointed by UN Habitat as an advisor of the World Urban Campaign. Stefan also founded and coordinates the WFC international expert commission on Cities and Climate Change. He works as a direct advisor for governments and parliamentarians around the globe and authored various publications on climate change subjects.

Tobias Engelmeier

Tobias is Director and Founder of Bridge to India, India’s leading sustainability advisory firm. He’s also the founder of IndiaGoesSolar.com and an early supporter and investor of GridHub. Tobias contributes epic articles about the Indian energy market and climate policies on CleanTechnica. He holds a PhD in politics, has a great love for India, an equally great concern for our climate future, and is currently working on ways to accelerate an energy transition across various developing countries.

Craig Morris

Born in the United States, Craig Morris has been living in Germany since 1992. In 2002, he founded Petite Planète, a translation and documentation service focusing on IT and renewables. He is the author of the book Energy Switch (2006), has served as editor of several energy magazines, and has written numerous articles in both English and German on energy technologies and policies. He is the editor of Renewables International, and he is lead author at the Energiewende Blog. In 2013 and 2014, Craig served as technical editor of IRENA’s REmap 2030, and in 2014, he won the IAEE’s award for journalism in energy economics.

Zachary Shahan

Well, this is me, but if you don’t know much about my background, here’s a bit of a primer. I’m the director and editor of CleanTechnica (the #1 most-visited cleantech-focused news and analysis site on the internet) as well as EV Obsession and SolarLove (two sites I founded in 2012). I’m also the president of Important Media, which is the parent network to those three sites and ~20 others. I’m the editor of Masdar’s Sustainnovate as well, and you can find my work all over the internet, including on Scientific American, Reuters, The Economist Group’s GE Look Ahead, ABB’s Conversations, the World Economic Forum’s Agenda, Renewable Energy World, TreeHugger, most Important Media sites, and several other websites.

I have been referenced or interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, CNBC, and numerous other news outlets and websites. I have also presented, provided workshops, and moderated panels at clean energy and electric vehicles conferences in the US, Canada, and India (and soon Europe). In 2013, I was named one of the top 20 influencers on fuel economy matters alongside President Obama, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, the US Secretary of Energy, Nissan & Renault Chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn, GM’s CEO and president, and several other car company execs as well as a few leading auto journalists.

As I wrote yesterday, if you are interested in learning more about solar power, and especially German solar power, by world experts on the topic in an accessible, fun, comfortable setting in the flesh, I think this is the perfect event for you.

The dates are April 9–10, 2016.

The price is just €50.

And you can reserve your spot via our registration page or simply by clicking right here:

If you would like to sponsor this Cleantech Revolution Tour event, sponsorship options are here.

March 12, 2016 0 comment

Going Solar PV Rooftop Solar Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing

Hanwha Q Cells Agreement With Sunrun Increases To 135 MW

by Jake Richardson January 5, 2016

written by Jake Richardson

Due to a new agreement, Hanwha Q Cells will provide up to 135 MW of its solar modules to Sunrun in 2016. The agreement that was signed previously was for quite a bit less, but Sunrun apparently wanted much more for the coming months. The modules from Hanwha will be produced in South Korea and Malaysia.

“We are pleased to have access to a steady supply of high quality modules from an industry leader like Hanwha Q CELLS. Sunrun is committed to providing simple, affordable solar to homeowners and creating a great customer experience. This agreement will enable us to continue doing so in the coming year,” explained Paul Winnowski, Sunrun’s CEO.

In November of 2015, it was reported that Sunrun had acquired over 100,000 customers, so it appears that the company is doing quite well. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the company was also working on growing its warehouse space by adding 7 new locations.

A December press release stated that Sunrun was planning to hire about 800 workers at a new Denver location. This event was noteworthy enough that even John Hickenlooper, Colorado’s governor, remarked upon it, “Colorado is thrilled to be home to Sunrun’s new corporate office. Colorado’s forward-thinking energy policies and talented workforce will support the company’s creation of new jobs and savings for homeowners while diversifying the state’s energy economy.”

Sunrun was founded in 2007 and offers solar power as a service, which many customers like because the solar panel operation is taken care of and the provider handles the tax credits and presumably passes them on to the customer. Customers also have the option of choosing a system with no or very little upfront cost. This is attractive to some because they don’t have the funds to spend on installing their own home solar power system, and can’t easily get a loan.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with solar as service, because the cost of a home solar power system has been decreasing steadily to the point where more and more homeowners may actually have the money to buy their own systems outright.

If solar panels drop in price another 40% over the next few years, the cost of a home solar power system would obviously be even more feasible. On the other hand, there are many people who place a priority on convenience and Sunrun handles the details that some don’t want to manage.

Image Credit: Hanwha Q-Cells

January 5, 2016 0 comment

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