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In a 24 hour whirlwind trip to Switzerland, I visited the headquarters of technology start-up firm SwissINSO, where I was able to see first hand the development of a new technology that is set to bring more colour to the PV market, specifically the BIPV and solar thermal sector.
Third party leasing has become the dominant model for financing residential solar in the US. But as new sources of capital emerge and consumer confidence grows, Felicity Carus asks for how much longer this will remain the case.
With the tectonic plates shifting in the global solar market, Felicity Carus tracks some of the trends that will emerge as the industry comes out of its period of consolidation.
Futurist and Google collaborator Ray Kurzweil has predicted a world entirely powered by solar. Having heard him speak earlier this month, Felicity Carus wonders whether he could be right.
The California Solar Initiative has been a runaway success, driving over 1.5GW of installations, but its days are now numbered. In the search for ways to keep the momentum going, community solar is emerging as a hot contender says Felicity Carus.
BrightSource’s cancellation of the 500MW Hidden Hills project announced last week demonstrates that the concentrating solar power (CSP) industry is under mounting pressure, if you pardon the steam generation pun.
A report on the costs of renewable energy contracts in California paint a positive picture for technologies such as solar. This and further evidence of a maturing market should be used by policymakers to justify a broader roll-out of renewables says Felicity Carus.
America’s key policy for boosting renewable energy is coming under sustained attack from fossil fuel lobbyists. But with their economic importance in the ascendency, industries such as a solar are fighting back, says Felicity Carus.
Falling shale gas prices in the US have prompted some to question how long the gas bonanza will last. When the bubble bursts, solar will be well placed to fill the void says Felicity Carus.
President Obama’s nominee for the next US Energy Secretary is a solar advocate but pragmatic on the need for medium-term solutions including gas and nuclear. Felicity Carus profiles Ernest Moniz.
