The solar value proposition part 2: Charting a new path using data and analytics

SolarAnywhere Posts | Feb 20, 2014

In Part 1 in our series on the solar value proposition, we looked at a new approach to valuing PV. With this new approach, there is a need to quantify deferred and avoided generation, as well as transmission and distribution capacity increases through peak-load...

The solar value proposition part 1: A fork in the road

Morgan Putnam | Feb 13, 2014

Much like Kermit the Frog and Fozzie the Bear passing a fork in the road , the explosive growth of solar has many in and around the solar industry exclaiming in Kermit-like fashion, “I don’t believe it.” No longer is solar relegated to being the...

Solar forecasts generated from satellite images help balance power grid

SolarAnywhere Posts | Feb 4, 2014

What do NASA and NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) have to do with balancing the power grid? Plenty, it turns out, for areas with a high penetration of solar energy production. Read about the link in NASA’s Energy Innovations blog...

Impact of the North American Monsoon on solar variability

SolarAnywhere Posts | Jan 30, 2014

Solar energy output is predominantly affected by seasonal solar variations and weather. The angle of the sun to the solar panel changes with the time of day and seasonal variations, changing the available solar resource in predictable ways. Weather also affects the...

2014 solar trends episode 3: Solar Financing – A New Hope

SolarAnywhere Posts | Jan 23, 2014

Financing has been with solar since its earliest days. Before the lease and the power purchase agreement (PPA), residential solar customers would often purchase systems with cash. Cash payments are a form of financing, as the customer is choosing to purchase a solar...

2014 solar trends episode 2: The Utility Strikes Back & the Return of the Utility

Mark Liffmann | Jan 16, 2014

The double title really says it all about the relationship between the solar industry and utilities. Are utilities a force for good, or do they represent the “dark side” when it comes to solar? In reality, the solar industry needs utilities. Utility-scale solar relies...