There are five trends driving the replacement of fossil fuels with clean energy from the sun and wind, and none of them require sweeping new legislation or technology breakthroughs. Read More
Five trends that will lead to the end of fossil fuels
The U.S. government is really bad at predicting the growth in solar
It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. — Yogi Berra At last week’s Intersolar conference in San Francisco, keynote speaker Tony Seba made a compelling case for near-term disruptions in energy and transportation. In particular, his slide on solar projections really caught my attention. It turns out that government solar predictions have consistently… Read More
1,000 solar scientists got together this week – here’s what they’re talking about
Every four years, one thousand solar scientists from across the world gather to peer into the future of the solar industry. The event is called the World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC). The seventh such event is taking place this week on the big island of Hawaii. I decided to attend the conference to learn… Read More
The market has spoken – clean energy just became the cheapest source of electricity
Spreadsheets, analysis, and predictions are all great. But nothing compares to the free market if you want to really understand the trajectory of clean energy pricing. A recent bidding process for utility giant, Xcel Energy, just rocked the industry. Bids for clean energy projects including solar, wind, and batteries, came in lower than anything ever… Read More
The Trump administration slaps a 30% tariff on all imported solar
After months of paralyzing uncertainty, President Trump’s staff announced their decision on solar tariffs today. Here is a high-level overview: Quick Facts Imported solar is subject to a 30% tariff The tariff amount will reduce 5% per year over 4 years to 15% The first 2.5 GW of solar cells imported each year will not… Read More
Can community-scale solar become the Model T of clean energy?
Every single solar project, big or small, gets assembled one at a time on a roof or in a field. But what if you could pre-manufacture solar projects in a factory, instead? Could you do to solar what Henry Ford did to cars and make solar even more affordable and available to virtually everyone? What… Read More
Can we make solar installations 3-times cheaper in the next 3-4 years?
In mid-November, forty of the brightest minds in solar gathered just outside New York City. Their goal was simple yet audacious: find a way to dramatically reduce the cost of solar installations by re-inventing how they are designed and built. The cheaper we can make solar, the faster we accelerate the shift towards clean energy.… Read More
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A TED talk on accelerating the shift to clean energy
Electricity powers nearly every aspect of our modern, convenient lives. It’s so pervasive and easy that most of us take it for granted. But just behind the common electric outlet lies a system that is expensive, insecure, and, worst of all, dangerously dirty – the grid. For example, clean energy from the sun and wind… Read More
The section 201 trade case, Donald Trump and the $25 billion solar cliffhanger
The solar industry has been on a tear the last few years. In 2016, solar represented 39% of all newly installed power generation in the US, more than coal, natural gas or nuclear. Solar is creating jobs, too. From 93,000 jobs in 2004, solar has grown to over 260,000 jobs in 2016. Much of this… Read More
What is the secret behind China’s low cost solar panels?
Chinese companies lead the world in low-priced solar. The flood of inexpensive Chinese panels has accelerated the installation of solar projects across the world but the low prices have also driven several U.S. and European solar manufacturers out of business. The incredible success of Chinese solar has raised big questions across the spectrum of business,… Read More
