Off Grid Living | Off Grid Solar Power System News

A Wood Mackenzie Business

GTM members benefits:

Unlimited access to our free news articles
Unlimited access to our free webinars, white papers, and videos
Special offers and discounts on Events and Squared
Updates on breaking news and current events

12.12.19 19

California regulators propose a massive boost in battery incentives for residents at most risk of wildfires and blackouts. (California National Guard/Flickr)

California Seeks to Shift Major Battery Incentive Toward Fire, Blackout Resiliency

CPUC proposes spending half of total $1.2 billion SGIP budget through 2024 on battery-solar systems for high-fire-risk customers.

by Jeff St. John

11.27.19 Grid Edge 3

Thanksgiving at the grid's edge: Grab a plate and pull up a chair.

GTM’s Book of Customs, Traditions and Etiquette, Vol. IV: Tales of the Future Grid

The Thanksgiving tradition will live on, even after the fall of the interconnected electrical system.

by Julian Spector

11.21.19 Grid Edge 0

The Bay Area CCAs want at least some of the new systems in place by next year's fire season.

An Inside Look at a Groundbreaking Solar-Storage Procurement in California

A group of CCAs are looking to aggregate 30 megawatts of distributed energy resources. Here are the details.

by Jeff St. John

11.13.19 Energy 23

Mark Gainsborough, EVP, Shell New Energies

Shell New Energies EVP: Hydrogen Subsidies Will Pay Off, Just Like They Did for Solar

Shell’s Mark Gainsborough on renewables, hydrogen and bringing together the oil giant’s burgeoning family of clean-energy businesses.

by John Parnell

11.04.19 Grid Edge 1

Shell is among a number of energy majors chasing

Shell and Sumitomo Buy 15 Percent Stake in Minigrid Firm PowerGen

Africa-focused PowerGen, a market leader in minigrids, adds to Shell’s expanding investments in off-grid energy access.

by John Parnell

10.29.19 Solar 0

Developers like Lightsource BP and BayWa r.e. remain committed to Spain's solar market. (Credit: BayWa r.e.)

Spain’s Solar Bubble Looks Ready to Pop. The Market Will Be Just Fine

Consolidation is coming to Spain’s red-hot solar market, but in a post-subsidy world the landing will be relatively soft.

by John Parnell

10.28.19 7

A number of cities and counties are mulling their post-bankruptcy options for a public takeover.

Pressure Mounts for Public Control of PG&E as Shares Hit Record Low

A public takeover of California’s largest utility might have been unthinkable a year ago. The equation is changing quickly.

by Jeff St. John

10.14.19 Solar 44

Solar and storage companies may see a rush of business after PG&E's power outages.

Can Solar and Batteries Outlast an Extended Power Outage?

It depends, experts say. Just expect to make a few sacrifices.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

10.09.19 Grid Edge 85

It's a nerve-wracking week for California's electricity consumers.

California on Edge as PG&E’s Power Outage Plan Goes Into Effect

Biggest fire-prevention power outage in state’s history puts spotlight on bankrupt utility responsible for last year’s deadly Camp Fire blaze.

by Jeff St. John

10.09.19 Grid Edge 3

Bright idea: Off-grid companies are moving away from vertically integrated models. (Credit: Bboxx)

4 Reasons Why Off-Grid Energy Is Grown-Up and Ready to Scale

Industry leaders at GTM’s Off-Grid Energy Access Forum on why the stars are aligning for “the next billion” electricity customers.

by John Parnell

10.02.19 Off Grid/Energy Access 6

Xavier Helgesen talks about the challenges of building a solar-storage startup in Tanzania.

Watt It Takes: The Startup Working to Make Solar-Storage Better Than the African Grid

In this edition of our founder interview series: Xavier Helgesen, co-founder of Zola Electric, talks about rethinking off-grid energy products.

by Stephen Lacey

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

09.25.19 Solar 5

“No one has unleashed the power of TV on the space,

An Unusual Plan for Lowering Solar’s Customer Acquisition Costs: Infomercials

Recent solar and storage entrant Generac believes it can generate sales leads on the cheap through the old-fashioned TV ad.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

09.23.19 Solar 0

Scatec Solar CEO says PV can deliver power at half the price of diesel in Africa.

Scatec Solar Takes Aim at Diesel With PV Leases and Re-Deployable Systems

Emerging markets specialist sees huge opportunity for sub-25 MW solar plants.

by Jason Deign

09.17.19 Energy Storage 13

A firefighter watches a 2017 blaze in California. (California National Guard/Flickr)

California Supercharges Battery Incentive for Wildfire-Vulnerable Homes

A boosted $1-per-watt incentive will cover nearly the entire cost of a Tesla Powerwall home battery system.

by Jeff St. John

09.10.19 Solar 0

Iluméxico has installed 20,000 solar home kits across Mexico. (Credit: Iluméxico)

Lifting the Lid on Mexico’s Off-Grid Opportunity

The solar-as-a-service model is showing promise among Mexican families without access to reliable electricity.

by Jason Deign

08.28.19 Solar 2

Here, here and here: Africa is a key market for off-grid solar. (Credit: BBOXX)

BBOXX Lands $50M Led by Mitsubishi to Boost Off-Grid Solar in Africa, Asia

Mitsubishi’s investment into the U.K.-based pay-as-you-go solar provider is another funding milestone for the off-grid market.

by Jeff St. John

08.21.19 Grid Edge 4

The proposed set-aside could be voted on by regulators as soon as next month.

California Proposes $100M in Energy Storage Incentives to Boost Wildfire Resiliency

An incentive carve-out for high-fire-risk areas could boost uptake among customers most likely to want solar-storage systems.

by Jeff St. John

08.12.19 Grid Edge 12

Customers are delaying purchasing decisions in key markets like California and New York, said CEO K.R. Sridhar.

Bloom Energy Shares Dive on Warnings of a 2020 Market Slowdown

The Silicon Valley-based company is struggling to achieve something no publicly traded fuel cell maker has yet accomplished: an annual profit.

by Jeff St. John

08.08.19 Grid Edge 5

Puerto Rico saw a surge of solar-plus-storage installations after its recent hurricanes, but it's an exception.

WoodMac: Natural Disasters No Big Catalyst for Microgrid Deployment

The majority of microgrids aren’t deployed immediately after a storm, and most still don’t include multiple clean energy technologies.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

07.17.19 Solar 7

Big investors are increasingly interested in distributed solar and storage assets.

GE and BlackRock Launch Distributed Solar and Storage Business

With BlackRock as a partner and a new focus on project ownership, GE’s under-the-radar solar business may be in for noisier days ahead.

by Jeff St. John

06.03.19 Grid Edge 1

Like many islands, Bermuda's electricity system faces unique opportunities and challenges.

Canada’s Algonquin to Acquire Bermuda Utility Belco

As part of its international expansion, Algonquin Power & Utilities will buy Bermuda’s electric utility and help it prepare for the 21st century.

by Karl-Erik Stromsta

05.17.19 Grid Edge 3

Mini-grids and home solar systems can help transform communities detached from the main grid.

Industry Perspective

How Facebook’s Predictive Grid Map Can Identify African Off-Grid Market Opportunities

To bring electricity to the 600 million Africans without it, we must first know where they are. New tools are emerging that will allow developers to more efficiently target opportunities.

by Lucy Shaw and Jake Cusack

05.06.19 Solar 0

SolarEdge Hauls in Record Revenue Following Recent Non-Solar Acquisitions

Branching beyond its mainline solar operations, SolarEdge is spending money integrating recent acquisitions running from batteries to EV drivetrains.

by Jeff St. John

03.14.19 Off Grid/Energy Access 6

Zola plans to displace dirty diesel generators in Nigeria's cities.

Zola Electric Unveils a New ‘Smart’ Storage System to Displace Diesel and Eliminate Outages

Zola designed the Infinity storage system to solve every level of the energy access problem—and will draw on expertise from SolarCity’s Rive brothers to scale.

by Julia Pyper

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

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?

Off Grid/Energy Access

California Seeks to Shift Major Battery Incentive Toward Fire, Blackout Resiliency

GTM’s Book of Customs, Traditions and Etiquette, Vol. IV: Tales of the Future Grid

An Inside Look at a Groundbreaking Solar-Storage Procurement in California

Shell New Energies EVP: Hydrogen Subsidies Will Pay Off, Just Like They Did for Solar

Shell and Sumitomo Buy 15 Percent Stake in Minigrid Firm PowerGen

Spain’s Solar Bubble Looks Ready to Pop. The Market Will Be Just Fine

Pressure Mounts for Public Control of PG&E as Shares Hit Record Low

Can Solar and Batteries Outlast an Extended Power Outage?

California on Edge as PG&E’s Power Outage Plan Goes Into Effect

4 Reasons Why Off-Grid Energy Is Grown-Up and Ready to Scale

Watt It Takes: The Startup Working to Make Solar-Storage Better Than the African Grid

Smart Energy Week Recap: Notes From the Show Floor

An Unusual Plan for Lowering Solar’s Customer Acquisition Costs: Infomercials

Scatec Solar Takes Aim at Diesel With PV Leases and Re-Deployable Systems

California Supercharges Battery Incentive for Wildfire-Vulnerable Homes

Lifting the Lid on Mexico’s Off-Grid Opportunity

BBOXX Lands $50M Led by Mitsubishi to Boost Off-Grid Solar in Africa, Asia

California Proposes $100M in Energy Storage Incentives to Boost Wildfire Resiliency

Bloom Energy Shares Dive on Warnings of a 2020 Market Slowdown

WoodMac: Natural Disasters No Big Catalyst for Microgrid Deployment

GE and BlackRock Launch Distributed Solar and Storage Business

Canada’s Algonquin to Acquire Bermuda Utility Belco

How Facebook’s Predictive Grid Map Can Identify African Off-Grid Market Opportunities

SolarEdge Hauls in Record Revenue Following Recent Non-Solar Acquisitions

Zola Electric Unveils a New ‘Smart’ Storage System to Displace Diesel and Eliminate Outages