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04.12.20 Solar 1

Automation helped limit the impact of social distancing at Sungrow's factory in China. (Credit: Sungrow)

Solar Industry’s Next Innovation: Navigating Impacts of Coronavirus

Flexibility and adaptation are critical to solar companies’ coronavirus response.

by GTM Creative Strategies

04.02.20 Solar 19

End-of-life modules can be recycled, but the IEA suggests they pose no landfill health threats. (Credit: PV Cycle)

Landfilling Old Solar Panels Likely Safe for Humans, New Research Suggests

Recycling the materials from spent PV panels and wind blades is the ultimate goal but doing so remains costly.

by Jason Deign

03.27.20 Solar 3

Solar manufacturing is increasingly automated but still requires many workers. (Credit: First Solar)

Most US Solar Manufacturing Continues Despite Coronavirus Restrictions

American solar manufacturers are deciding whether to keep workers on the line during the coronavirus crisis. Many remain open.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

03.26.20 Solar 5

First Solar opened a second factory in Ohio in 2019, creating 500 jobs. (Credit: First Solar)

First Solar’s Factories Still Running Amid Coronavirus Shutdowns

The largest U.S. solar manufacturer said that Ohio’s “stay-at-home” orders do not apply to its module factories near Toledo.

by Karl-Erik Stromsta

03.20.20 Solar 0

Tesla will close its California EV factory on March 23.

Tesla Closing New York, California Factories in Response to Coronavirus

Decision to halt EV and solar factory production comes as governments in both states are urging residents to stay home.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

03.15.20 Solar 14

The U.S. wind market faces special challenges due to the 2020 PTC deadline. (Credit: Avangrid)

For Wind and Solar Sectors, Biggest Coronavirus Risk May Be a Damaged Economy

It seemed that nothing could slow the global renewable-energy juggernaut. Nothing, that is, until COVID-19.

by Karl-Erik Stromsta

03.10.20 Solar 4

COVID-19 has brought disruptions to many global supply chains, including renewable energy.

Coronavirus May Challenge Solar Industry’s Tax Credit Strategy

U.S. solar developers didn’t account for COVID-19 in their meticulous plans for extending their ITC eligibility.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

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02.26.20 Solar 0

After a lengthy period of decline, Tesla's solar business has seen a recent upswing.

Panasonic Ends Solar Partnership With Tesla, Readies Exit From Buffalo Gigafactory

Panasonic’s decision to pull out of Buffalo could leave the U.S. without any domestic PV cell manufacturing in operation.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

02.21.20 Solar 0

Incremental manufacturing gains provided a bright spot in otherwise lackluster quarterly earnings.

First Solar Misses Profits in Q4, Explores Selling Development Business

A $350 million shareholder settlement put a dent in First Solar’s quarterly earnings.

by Julian Spector

02.12.20 Solar 0

SunPower swung to profit in Q4, but that trend may be short-lived.

A Revamped SunPower Looks to Get a Handle on Its Commercial Solar Business in 2020

SunPower restructured and transformed its business in 2019. When will it achieve consistent profitability?

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

02.10.20 Solar 0

The President will choose what's next for Section 201 tariffs on solar cells and modules.

Solar Tariffs Boosted US-Produced Modules, But Industry Remains Split on Their Future

The U.S. International Trade Commission has finished its review of the Section 201 tariffs, but their future remains hazy.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

02.04.20 Solar 0

Solar developers must navigate a variety of trade barriers in the U.S. market. (Credit: Total)

WoodMac: Lifting US Import Tariffs Would Knock 30 Percent Off Solar System Prices

Solar panels imported into the U.S. are significantly more expensive than those sold into the EU and Australia, WoodMac says.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

01.31.20 Solar 6

China's stock market tumbled on Monday, Feb. 3 as deaths from the outbreak topped 360.

Solar Industry Waits to Assess Ripple Effects From China’s Coronavirus Outbreak

The impact for the solar and storage industries will depend on how quickly China’s enormous clean energy supply chain can return to full production.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

01.17.20 Solar 0

The solar industry meets the trade deal with cautious optimism.

Polysilicon Industry Awaits Certainty on US-China Trade Deal

U.S. producers of the solar feedstock offer cautious optimism after announcement that the trade agreement includes polysilicon.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

01.06.20 Solar 2

First Solar did not admit liability in the settlement.

First Solar Settles Shareholder Suit for $350M

The class action suit was filed in 2012 over warranty costs. The settlement keeps First Solar from going to court.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

12.17.19 Solar 13

The cost of multi-silicon solar modules fell from $2 per watt to just over $0.20/W during the 2010s.

Research Spotlight

Solar Technology Got Cheaper and Better in the 2010s. Now What?

No other power-generation technology matched solar’s pace of cost reduction this past decade. The game will change again in the 2020s.

by Xiaojing Sun

11.20.19 Solar 1

JinkoSolar's transition to monocrystalline PV technology is nearly complete.

Jinko Sees Global Solar Market Growing 20% in 2020

The world’s largest producer of solar modules expects big things from the Chinese and U.S. markets in the year ahead.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

11.19.19 Solar 1

Maxeon will continue to benefit from the U.S. import tariff exclusion granted to SunPower. (Credit: SunPower)

Maxeon Aims to ‘Outgrow the Market’ After Splitting From SunPower

Separated from U.S.-based SunPower, Maxeon may have a freer hand to seek its lowest-cost manufacturing options in China.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

11.13.19 Solar 0

Developers warned of supply constraints if the OEMs were locked out of the U.S. market. (Hanwha Q Cells)

US Trade Court Sides With Longi, Jinko, REC in Solar Patent Infringement Case

A trade squabble between Hanwha Q Cells and some of the world’s largest PV manufacturers appears to be resolved in the all-important U.S. market.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

11.11.19 Solar 4

End of an era: SunPower's days as a globally significant PV manufacturer are numbered.

SunPower to Spin Off Manufacturing Business in Major Strategic Shift

A new global PV manufacturer is born — Maxeon Solar — with the backing of China’s Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor.

by Karl-Erik Stromsta

11.08.19 Solar 2

The U.S. renewables market, like many other industries, is grappling with trade policy uncertainty.

Court Temporarily Halts Trump Administration’s U-Turn on Bifacial Solar Modules

The bifacial solar module exemption lives to fight another day in a provisional win for developers like Invenergy.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

10.24.19 Solar 8

Hanwha Q Cells' short-lived reign as the leading U.S. module maker is over.

First Solar, Once Again the Biggest US Module Maker, Returns to Profit in Q3

First Solar opened its new Ohio factory three months early amid strong demand for its thin-film modules.

by Jeff St. John

10.16.19 Solar 1

Shareholders in renewables companies may be more likely to demand transparency and accountability.

Research Spotlight

Human Rights Challenges Flying Below Radar for Renewables

Solar and wind are seen as socially responsible industries. But potential human rights issues lurk beneath the surface.

by Sofia Nazalya and Olivia Dobson

10.03.19 Energy 6

REC Silicon May Sell Montana Facility

The polysilicon company draws another bad hand in the trade war.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

09.27.19 Solar 2

This year's SPI drew energy from climate protests taking place around the world.

Smart Energy Week Recap: Notes From the Show Floor

The U.S. solar industry united around blossoming storage technologies and the push for an ITC extension in Utah.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant and Julian Spector

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

What the Coming Wave of Distributed Energy Resources Means for the US Grid

Extreme Weather Keeps Maxing Out the Grid

A Wartime Plan for Electrifying America

An Island’s Path to 100% Renewables

Greentech Media Chronicled Clean Energy Before It Was Cool

Are Batteries at a Turning Point?

Vestas Ventures Makes First Investment With Stake in Wooden Tower Start-Up

Vestas Launches World’s Largest Turbines as 'Big 3' Competition Ramps Up

BP, RWE and EnBW Win Big in UK Offshore Wind Leasing Round

Your Guide to the Clean Energy Implications of the 2020 Election

The State of Carbon Capture, Removal and Utilization

California’s Optimal Decarbonization Path

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

Manufacturing

Solar Industry’s Next Innovation: Navigating Impacts of Coronavirus

Landfilling Old Solar Panels Likely Safe for Humans, New Research Suggests

Most US Solar Manufacturing Continues Despite Coronavirus Restrictions

First Solar’s Factories Still Running Amid Coronavirus Shutdowns

The US Will Rejoin the Paris Agreement. What Happens Next?

Tesla Closing New York, California Factories in Response to Coronavirus

For Wind and Solar Sectors, Biggest Coronavirus Risk May Be a Damaged Economy

Coronavirus May Challenge Solar Industry’s Tax Credit Strategy

Looking for Fixes to What Broke the Texas Power Grid

Hawaii’s Bold Step Into Utility Performance-Based Ratemaking

Solar Will Be Cheapest Form of Electricity Across US by 2030, Plus Other PV Trends

Panasonic Ends Solar Partnership With Tesla, Readies Exit From Buffalo Gigafactory

First Solar Misses Profits in Q4, Explores Selling Development Business

A Revamped SunPower Looks to Get a Handle on Its Commercial Solar Business in 2020

Solar Tariffs Boosted US-Produced Modules, But Industry Remains Split on Their Future

WoodMac: Lifting US Import Tariffs Would Knock 30 Percent Off Solar System Prices

Solar Industry Waits to Assess Ripple Effects From China’s Coronavirus Outbreak

Polysilicon Industry Awaits Certainty on US-China Trade Deal

First Solar Settles Shareholder Suit for $350M

Solar Technology Got Cheaper and Better in the 2010s. Now What?

Jinko Sees Global Solar Market Growing 20% in 2020

Maxeon Aims to ‘Outgrow the Market’ After Splitting From SunPower

US Trade Court Sides With Longi, Jinko, REC in Solar Patent Infringement Case

SunPower to Spin Off Manufacturing Business in Major Strategic Shift

Court Temporarily Halts Trump Administration’s U-Turn on Bifacial Solar Modules

First Solar, Once Again the Biggest US Module Maker, Returns to Profit in Q3

Human Rights Challenges Flying Below Radar for Renewables

REC Silicon May Sell Montana Facility

Smart Energy Week Recap: Notes From the Show Floor