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Mexico has all the right conditions for a solar boom. Felicity Carus investigates what it will take to turn promise into reality.
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.
Hurricane Sandy exposed the fragility of the US power grid. It also revealed a potentially vital new role for PV in future emergency events, says Felicity Carus.
Feed-in tariffs (FiTs) have been popular all over the world and have transformed some solar markets. But the US has remained stubbornly resistant to the power of transformational policy, with utilities treating them with the same hostility as net energy metering.
America’s leading distributed solar companies may be vying for market supremacy, but they all agree that the old utility model of electricity supply looks out of date. Felicity Carus hears what they have to say.
The US solar market is poised for huge growth. But the industry should not underestimate the many risks involved, says Felicity Carus.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lord Stern are an unlikely pairing. But they are united in their belief that technologies such as solar offer a glimmer of hope in averting climate catastrophe, says Ben Willis.
Bids for the first tranche of manufacturing equipment at CdTe thin-film leader, First Solar’s shuttered lines in Germany close today.
Net energy metering for solar in California is an ongoing source of controversy. Expect the flames to spread in 2013, says Felicity Carus.
California’s Governor Jerry Brown has already done much to advance the use of solar energy. Can the Golden State maintain its position as a renewable energy leader during his latest term, wonders Felicity Carus.
In his second term inauguration speech, Barack Obama made a personal commitment to tackling climate change. Creating a level playing field for renewables should be a priority for the President if he is to live up to his rhetoric, says Felicity Carus.
In the past two years, diminishing quality has become a real concern for PV manufacturers. It is time for the industry to halt its race to the bottom, says Felicity Carus.
Yingli Green has surpassed Suntech to become the world’s largest PV company. What is the secret of its success, asks Mark Osborne.
2012 can hardly be described as a banner year for solar. But is 2013 likely to be any better, asks Felicity Carus.
The financial community and media have got themselves excited by Warren Buffett’s purchase of two California solar projects. The move is good news for the industry, but not in the way people immediately think, says Mark Osborne.
SolarCity’s IPO earlier this year looks like a ray of light amid some pretty cloudy weather in 2012. The solar shakeout continues to gobble up companies like a collapsing sun. The peak in consolidation IHS researchers say will come from 2013 can’t come soon enough for many in the industry.
