Welcome to our first news roundup of 2022! This week, we discuss an update in smart meter technology and a bill in Washington that could increase accessibility to community solar for low income customers.
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When expectations meet reality: new certification program helps companies follow through on diversity promises
As consumer expectations change, it’s on businesses to change with them. Many customers want to know that the companies they’re supporting are trying to make the world a more equitable place, and expectations around corporate social responsibility are higher than they’ve ever been.
To be successful in this evolving marketplace, businesses need to meet customer demand for action with serious commitments. That means it’s time for companies to prioritize important issues such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) to create a more inclusive work environment, serve their communities and hire diverse talent.
Continue readingSolar news: December 31st, 2021
In this week’s news roundup, the Biden Administration approves solar expansion on U.S. land, just as the industry surpasses another milestone.
Continue readingSolar news: December 17, 2021
In this week’s news round up, we discuss an important update to solar regulations in California and an innovative new solar carport structure.
Continue readingSolar news: December 3, 2021
In this week’s news roundup, we are discussing an exciting pilot project for solar in Massachusetts and forecasts for the solar industry going into 2022.
Continue readingSolar news: November 12th, 2021
In this week’s news roundup, we discuss an exciting new update in large-scale solar and ADT’s recent acquisition of SunPro Solar.
Continue readingSolar news: October 29th, 2021
In this week’s news round-up, we discuss Google’s recent installation of solar shingles at its Silicon valley campus, and a recent update in electric vehicle availability.
Continue readingHow your behind-the-meter solar system can lower electricity bills for your whole neighborhood
It’s well known that the behind-the-meter (BTM) solar on your rooftop can reduce the demand for grid-scale electricity: every megawatt-hour (MWh) produced from BTM solar is one fewer MWh that needs to come from the grid (often from a dirty coal or natural gas power plant). Lesser known, however, is the “price effect” of BTM solar. When BTM solar lowers the amount of electricity that expensive power plants need to produce, it also reduces the price that all utilities pay for that electricity. This means that BTM solar can both avoid the creation of dirty electricity, and lower the price that everyone in a region ultimately pays for electricity. As a result, when you install BTM solar, it benefits you and your neighbors.
Continue readingHow can the clean energy industry support low-income households in going solar?
Although there is growing interest in policies and programs to ensure that the benefits of solar power are equitably reaching households of all income levels, lower income households are still less likely to go solar.
Some of the causes for this are well-documented and unsurprising. Income is unequally distributed among households, low and moderate income (LMI) households have less cash, are less able to finance installations, are less likely to own their home, and are less aware of the opportunity.
Continue readingSolar news: October 15th, 2021
In this week’s news round-up, we discuss an important goal set by the Department of Energy (DOE) and a new startup which aims to help accelerate solar panel recycling throughout the United States.
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