The standardization of the solar industry is crucial to its success. With a push towards cleaner and greener energy sources, ensuring a common data standard for all participants will allow the solar industry to achieve its potential, providing benefits to society as a whole. One way to help standardize data and enable process automation in the solar industry is through the use of Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+). Sola ..read more

Mowing Makes Dollars & Sense In the days before utility-scale solar facilities stretched to the horizon, vegetation management wasn’t a worry; a small crew could handle it. One longtime industry pro recently told me this was still true as recently as 10 years ago. For the many O&M directors whose number one budget concern is vegetation management, however, that may seem like a hundred years ago. Generally speaking, as utility-scale output escalated, the pr ..read more

Blade Bearing Cage Failure Figure 1: Blade bearing cage after 5 years in operation Blade or pitch bearings connect a wind turbine’s blade to the turbine hub. These critical components are designed to hold the large aerodynamic, gravity, and rotational forces from the turbine’s blades. Most onshore wind turbines use a 2-row 4-point (2R4P) bearing design. These bearings generally consist of a cage to separate the balls, bearing seals on the hub and blade sides to ..read more

5 Keys to Equipping Your Solar Installation Team One of the fastest-growing industries in the world, the U.S. solar market is predicted to triple in the next five years – a great industry for technicians, project managers, and other professionals to enter and excel.  But to thrive in this booming field, solar teams need the right tools for success. As both new and veteran electricians enter the solar workforce, consideration of certain qualities when equipping yourself ..read more

When it’s Time to Change: How the ERCOT grid is moving toward larger scale renewable energy integration The Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electricity grid has had many challenges over the last few years. From the heat waves that cause year-over-year increasing demand and extreme peaks, to cold snap winter storms that cause unstable electricity supply and tens of billions of dollars in damages, the grid (which had been purposefully islanded off from other neighboring grids) has become strained. Texas already has deep penetration of ..read more

Driving the US EV Revolution As the transportation sector continues to be a leading emitter of greenhouse emissions, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to play a critical role in reaching the goal of net zero by 2050. A recent industry report forecast that 50 percent of all new vehicle sales will be EVs by 2030 in the United States. Additionally, the US vehicle market hit 5 percent of new vehicle sales of EVs in 2022, which is a pivotal poi ..read more

Getting There from Here: Transportation decisions for renewable energy projects According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2021, there were over 1,350 energy storage projects operating across the globe – 40 percent of which are here in the United States. We can expect to see that number grow, thanks to recent incentives passed by the government to encourage more renewable energy solutions across the country. States such as California, Texas, Hawaii, and New York, make up for a majority of the most recent active en ..read more

Long-Duration Energy Storage as a Hedge Against Inflation The global shift to clean energy has given rise to innovative technologies, new markets, and new economic opportunities. Adoption of wind and solar energy is accelerating due to favorable economics, supportive policies, and the urgency of the climate crisis. However, both are still reliant upon back-up fossil fuel generation to ensure grid stability and adequate power availability for times when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow.& ..read more

Two Key Steps to Energy-as-a-Service for Utilities The straightforward relationship between utilities generating and distributing power, and the customers consuming and paying for it, is history. Consumers are morphing into “prosumers” who use as well as produce electricity – and even into “flexumers”: those who not only consume and produce, but also lend flexibility to the grid. The implications for utilities are hard to miss. If you make your money by delivering electrons when pros ..read more

Building the U.S. Power Grid of the Future In 1882, Thomas Edison opened Pearl Street Station, the first central power plant in the United States. Originally serving just 59 customers, the plant grew to provide power to over 500 customers in two years. Since then, the U.S. power grid has expanded exponentially. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the current U.S. power grid is comprised of over 7,300 power plants and 160,000 miles of high-voltage lines, serving ..read more