USC 2013 insights: illuminating key utility solar issues

USC 2013 insights: illuminating key utility solar issues

Jeff Ressler | May 15, 2013

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) Utility Solar Conference (USC) was held last month in Portland, Ore. This was convenient for our Kirkland, Wash., software team, so we sent four people down to join Tom Hoff from our Napa, Calif., office at the event. It was...
CAISO addresses changing grid infrastructure

CAISO addresses changing grid infrastructure

Skip Dise | Apr 9, 2013

In a recent interview with Fierce Energy, President and CEO of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Steve Berberich, spoke about where CAISO is headed in 2013. As one of the largest electric grid operators in the United States, CAISO is responsible for...
Electric vehicles + solar: an idea whose time has come

Electric vehicles + solar: an idea whose time has come

Brian Boler | Mar 20, 2013

You’ve likely heard about the partnerships springing up between electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and solar (PV) system providers. Most recently, Honda and SolarCity announced a plan that allows Honda customers to install solar with a low upfront cost and see an...
Get smart about FiTs: get SmartFiT

Get smart about FiTs: get SmartFiT

Richard Perez | Mar 6, 2013

As effective as FiT programs have been in promoting solar in countries such as Germany and Spain, they have sometimes become victims of their own success, leading to boom/bust cycles and political targeting. The SmartFiT is an alternative solution that has the...
PV Power Maps: visualizing monthly production

PV Power Maps: visualizing monthly production

Adam Kankiewicz | Feb 28, 2013

For more than a year, we’ve been supplying Solar Today Magazine with monthly ‘PV Power Maps’ for its regular column. Not only are these maps gorgeous to look at, but they provide very interesting insight into how solar resources in the U.S. translate into actual...