Leading US residential PV installer, Sunrun reported deployments of 86MW in the first quarter of 2019, a 27% year-over-year increase that was in stark contrast with former leading installer, Tesla that recently reported deployments of 47MW for the same quarter.
Tesla’s energy generation and storage business revenue declined further in the first quarter of 2019, with solar rooftop deployments hitting a new low of 47MW, a 36% quarter-on-quarter decline. In response, Tesla will be offering new customers in the US a US$99 upfront deposit before installing a solar system.
US-headquartered high-efficiency solar panel manufacturer SunPower Corp recently held its ‘Capital Markets Day’ event that indicated a slow turnaround in its business fortunes would be a key development in 2019.
A key challenge for a company that has undergone several major restructurings in recent years has been the lack of profitability.
Solarcentury has commissioned two solar-storage-diesel mini-grids in rural communities in Eritrea that are far away from the grid and have relied purely on diesel power until now.
Tesla reported as expected lower solar system installations for the fourth quarter of 2018, while citing continued testing of its roof tile system for a still vague roll-out timetable for mass production and deployments.
Just when it looked like the underlining trend for Tesla’s shift away from using third party mainstream solar panel suppliers was set in stone, as manufacturing partner Panasonic started ramping Gigafactory 2 production, the latest data for the third quarter of 2018, goes completely in a different direction.
Australian renewables and storage developer Edify Energy has secured a power purchase agreement for part of the output of its 275MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in New South Wales.
While Filipino policymakers ponder a controversial bill that would allow a solar company to set up a micro-grid and transmission franchise aiming to improve power supply across the country, a small town on the island of Mindoro is already enjoying round-the-clock electricity for the first time ever.
Dual function residential roof tiles or shingles that incorporate solar PV (photovoltaic) cells into an integrated PV system for new build and retrofit homes have already received the ‘hype’ from Tesla’s Elon Musk but a new kid on the blog is set to go head to head with Tesla for this niche US market both from a manufacturing and installation perspective.
Contruction of a Tesla powerpack battery at the 60MW Gannawarra solar farm in Victoria, Australia - said the be the first battery storage system that has been retrofitted to an existing solar farm in the country - has been completed ahead of schedule.