Mark Liffmann | Feb 12, 2013
Clean Power Research recently attended a U.S. Department of Energy workshop focused on solar soft cost reduction. We came away impressed by the DOE SunShot team’s clear focus on the right problem. While the cost of modules was once the dominant component of...
Mark Liffmann | Jan 24, 2013
Last week we identified the first of three big trends for the solar industry in 2013: soft cost reduction. This week, we look at the next big trend: a re-evaluation of net energy metering (NEM). While discussions about NEM aren’t new, they’ll be accelerating in 2013....
Mark Liffmann | Dec 6, 2012
2012 has seen a backlash against distributed generation net metering, particularly solar distributed generation. Most utilities in most states currently have some form of net metering, which is a simple mechanism for assigning a value to distributed generation that is...
Brian Boler | Nov 16, 2012
In anticipation of the soon-to-be released NREL report that benchmarks solar soft costs in 2010, plenty of media attention is being given to soft-cost reduction strategies. According to NREL’s data, customer acquisition and system design make up 11 percent of the cost...
Brian Boler | Nov 1, 2012
This week, the engine that powers Clean Power Estimator® calculated its 20-millionth solar estimation (at least since we started counting). This marks a milestone for Clean Power Research and is a bellwether of industry growth. Since it launched in 1998, the rate of...
Brian Boler | Oct 24, 2012
Would you believe that Denver and Los Angeles have a similar return on a solar investment? Or that Brooklyn has better returns than either of those locations? Or that installing a solar system in Minneapolis or Portland, Oregon, could pay-off? These are the questions...
