Firm Power Generation 2023 What is IEA PVPS TCP? The International Energy Agency (IEA), founded in 1974, is an autonomous body within the framework of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) was created with a belief that the future of energy security and sustainability starts with global collaboration. The programme is made up of 6.000 experts across government, academia, and industry dedicated to advancing common research and the application of specific energy technologies. The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IE ..read more

Hiring challenges for the clean energy industry have been recurring themes over the last decade.  In 2021, the National Solar  Jobs Census1 published by  our organization, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, found that 89% of solar employers reported that it was “somewhat” or “very” difficult to fill their job openings, with 49% citing the small applicant pool as the most significant reason. Additional barriers must be overcome to include populations currently underrepresented in the solar industry.   There are a number of reasons that the hiring pool has not kept ..read more

Adapting a quote from the United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill — national climate politics can be a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. I was very surprised that a hyperpartisan Congress — and an administration too confident in its own abilities and plagued by world events and an overheated economy — have managed to pass a series of historic climate-responsive policies and programs. Much of the credit for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,1 the Inflation Reduction Act,2 and the CHIPS and Science Act3 goes to one of the more puzzling political personal ..read more

When I install solar power, I see there aren’t many women doing what I’m doing. I think it could and should be different. My estimate is that 1-3% of field roles in the United States (solar installers, field technicians, etc.) are staffed by women. While 50% would be nice, I don’t think it’s realistic. So I want to suggest we should aim for 1 in 10 women in the next decade, instead of 1 in 100. Clear data about the number of women in field-based roles in solar doesn’t exist. We do know, according to the 2021 Solar Jobs Census, that 26-30% of the industry is made up of women, which include ..read more

One way Native Americans are reclaiming their power is by exchanging information. Indigenous community members are creating safe places, both on and off the reservations, where people are able to learn with and from each other and share wisdom in ways that feel appropriate to them.  It is a version of school that might not look like a traditional school setting, but it’s a place where the traditional ways of Native Americans are maintained and new ways are considered. In these spaces there is choice, not forced ideas and identities, and indigenous students have indigenous teachers.  ..read more

Since 2012, the solar industry has grown nearly 46%.1 With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act this summer, the solar industry is now expected to create 550,000 new jobs, which would more than double the current industry’s workforce by 2030.2  With the rapid growth of the solar industry, there is now an even greater need for companies to hire talent with the right skills and experiences. That’s where renewable energy training programs for young professionals come into play, like the one offered by RE-volv, a Bay Area-based climate justice nonprofit. RE-volv’s Solar Ambassador Fello ..read more

The transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a clean energy economy is underway.  In 2021, wind and solar accounted for 10% of all electricity production in the world, compared to just 5% in 2016.1 Doubling at this pace means wind and solar could account for half of all electricity supply in the early 2030s.2  The key issue is not whether the world’s energy systems will transform, but whether the change will be rapid enough and whether it will be fair. If the energy transformation perpetuates historic injustices within countries or between different regions of the globe, it wil ..read more

Renewable energy systems are often the most reliable options for supplying consistent power in conflict and war zones due to the systems’ decentralized nature. Onsite solar power systems — and mini-grids in particular — can save lives in many ways. They power health clinics and hospitals that care for the wounded. They quietly power security perimeter sensors and cameras as well as onsite security lighting. They reduce the need to truck in expensive fuel across dangerous roadways that are subject to attack. They can safely purify available water onsite. And they inform the local populace about ..read more

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the West’s response are ushering the world into a new energy, economic and political era. In broad outline, this new era will have less-globally-integrated energy markets and less-secure supplies of fossil fuels.  Since energy is a foundation of economic activity, this translates to a precarious global economy and a likely reordering of national alliances. We are, in short, living through a moment that may be as politically and economically transformative as the World Wars of the 20th century, though with little likelihood of an outcome anywhere near as de ..read more

Ukraine’s power sector, which includes several utility-scale PV systems, has by no means been immune to Russia’s aggression. A secure and reliable power sector is essential to any country’s resistance and defense against military aggression, so it is not surprising that Ukraine’s power grid, including some of the PV arrays, has suffered significant damage in the past months.1   Furthermore, despite the severe economic sanctions imposed on Russia by many Western countries to punish its aggression, we find that much of the war can still be financed by sales of domestic fossil fuel reso ..read more