Category: Solar Sales and Services

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Tuesday launched the public consultation period for a draft regulation that seeks to limit the excessive expansion of the country’s solar manufacturing capacities. The document sets out that local solar companies should refrain from establishing new photovoltaic (PV) production facilities simply for the sake of boosting capacity and instead focus on bolstering technological innovation, improving product quality, and cutting production costs. Furthermore, it increases the minimum capital ratio for both new construction and expansion projects to 30%. The prior minimum capital…

(Bloomberg) — A solar panel maker in Georgia that has booked $230 million in federal tax credits stands to collect hundreds of millions more as it pursues plans to create the first end-to-end solar manufacturing chain in the US, easing reliance on China and related concerns about the use of forced labor.  But at least through the end of this year, the Qcells solar plant, which South Korea’s Hanwha Solutions Corp. opened in Dalton, Georgia, in 2019 and almost doubled in capacity last year, is making panels with base components from…

Pardon Mahuntse has a deep understanding of climate change. He is well aware of the harsh reality facing the arid part of Zimbabwe he calls home, which has been getting even drier. So every time the 66 year old sees the huge solar photovoltaic panel sitting idle in his home, he chokes with anger. The retired schoolteacher from Chikombedzi in the rural south-east of the country bought the panel for USD 350 in 2016 from an informal trader. He thought it would be perfect for powering a pump to irrigate…

Solar power panels have long seemed an appealing option in California, a state with lots of sunny days that adores its electronic gadgetry and environment, yet is saddled with the highest residential electricity rates in the continental U.S. But how much does going solar shave off those electricity bills? A major new study by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that analyzed 500,000 households across the U.S. in 2021 offers the best snapshot to date on estimated savings of rooftop solar for American consumers. The study found the median American…

Urban farms and solar-powered trams for the dubai green spine URB is slated to construct and open the world’s greenest highway in Dubai, UAE named ‘Green Spine’. The project, which is in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, is expected to have 100 percent renewable energy sources to power its infrastructure, mainly solar energy. Electric trams may run over railways cladded in solar panels, and urban farms and gardens surround the highway where people can grow their own food and plants. The Dubai-based developer says the Green Spine…

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Recommended Videos As Texas summer temperatures rise, so do energy bills because air conditioners are working hard against the brutal heat. In some cases, they’re working extra to cool homes that are leaky and under-insulated. Old appliances also use more power than newer and more efficient ones. Improving how well a house maintains its temperature and converting more appliances to run efficiently on electricity can lower bills, reduce…

Minnesota solar developers frustrated with the process of connecting projects to the electric grid will soon have a new place to turn to answer questions and resolve disputes. State lawmakers recently passed legislation calling on the state Public Utilities Commission to hire an interconnection ombudsperson to provide clean energy companies with information, guidance, and mediation on connecting projects of 10 megawatts and less to the grid. The legislation follows years of complaints by solar companies about disputes with utilities, Xcel Energy in particular, that have contributed to years-long delays for…