The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a proof of concept for a method to remove polymers from solar panel manufacturing to enable more efficient recycling. Solar panels are highly recyclable, but the use of thin plastic layers to encase solar cells can cause challenges in recycling valuable materials like silicon or silver effectively. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a proof of concept that helps cut the use of polymers by making direct glass-to-glass welds in solar cells. The method makes use of femtosecond lasers, a type of infrared laser that focus ..read more

Rules and definitions for the transfer and sale of tax credits, which has quickly grown to a multi-billion-dollar market, largely affirm the proposed guidance from last June. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final guidance for the transfer of clean energy tax credits, a provision within the Inflation Reduction Act and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) act that allow tax credit owners to sell their credits to other entities with a tax appetite. Under a tax credit transfer transaction, renewable energy developers and owners are essentially able to sell ..read more

On April 25, 1954, U.S. researchers presented the first prototype of a usable solar module. The efficiency at that time was around 6%. A lot has happened since then. From pv magazine Germany Exactly 70 years ago today, scientists at Bell Labs in New Jersey presented the first practical “solar battery” to the public. The New York Times reported at the time that “this invention could mark the beginning of a new era – the harnessing of the almost limitless solar energy for human civilization.” However, it took several decades for this vision to become tangible. The global growth of ..read more

According to the EPA, the climate and health benefits of the rule that plants must control 90% of their carbon pollution substantially outweigh the compliance costs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a suite of final rules intended to reduce pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, thus reducing climate, air, water, and land pollution from the power sector. The standards are designed to work with the power sector’s planning processes, providing compliance timelines that enable power companies to plan in advance to meet electricity demand while reducing dangerous pollutio ..read more

Also on the rise: SunPower to close business units, cut about 26% of workforce. Reconductoring could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035. And more. Petition filed to enforce antidumping tariffs on solar imports  A coalition of U.S. solar manufacturers submitted a request for investigation of alleged dumping of Chinese goods in four Southeastern Asian nations responsible for roughly 80% of U.S. solar panel supply. People on the move: Urban Solar, Kilo Power, Palmetto and more  Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance. NREL updat ..read more

A coalition of U.S. solar manufacturers submitted a request for investigation of alleged dumping of Chinese goods in four Southeastern Asian nations responsible for roughly 80% of U.S. solar panel supply. A petition was filed to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission, as a coalition of solar manufacturers with operations in the U.S. allege that four Southeast Asian nations are exporting dumped goods from China, making it difficult for domestic manufacturers to compete on cost. The coalition, signed as the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee ..read more

The company remains profitable, generating $41.8 million in free cash flow, despite a slumping market. Enphase, a global provider of solar microinverters and distributed battery energy storage, announced its Q1, 2024 earnings, reporting $263.34 million in revenues, or about 5% short of consensus estimates. The company delivered an earnings-per-share of $0.35, or about 10% short of consensus. Revenues were split 57% in the U.S. and 43% internationally. Despite the moderate dip in revenues quarter-over-quarter, European revenues surged 70% with overall sell-through of microinverters and batterie ..read more

TotalEnergies began construction of an onsite solar-plus-storage system, providing energy to Port Authority and Con Edison, as well as community solar for area residents. TotalEnergies is constructing a 12 MW solar canopy in a long-term parking lot at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York. The solar will be paired with 7.5 MW / 25 MWh of battery energy storage to help reduce reliance on the electric grid during peak periods. TotalEnergies will own, operate, and maintain the system, and recently signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Port Authority of New York ..read more

The company announced plans to wind down its residential solar installation locations and close its direct sales unit. Residential solar, energy storage, and EV charging provider SunPower has announced it will close business segments as it restructures to lower costs. The company’s stock is currently trading 96% lower than all-time highs and is down 86% over the past year. SunPower’s revenues reported last December reflected a 28% year-over-year decline, while operating expenses increased, and net income resulted in a loss of $123.9 million. Its struggles reflect a market-wide retraction in re ..read more

Replacing existing transmission lines, known as conductors, with advanced conductors could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035 even if transmission in new corridors was limited, found a study by UC Berkeley and GridLab researchers. Large-scale reconductoring can “unlock” renewables near the existing transmission network, says a report from a team of researchers from University of California, Berkeley and the consultancy GridLab. While other technologies, such as those reviewed in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) “liftoff” report, could also enable a near-term ..read more