What's New: Solar News

ITC Direct Pay will Change the Solar Game

Posted 10/27/2022 in Solar News
Inflation Reduction Act – Direct Pay is a Game Changer    On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law.  The IRA covers many topics including heavily incentivizing renewable energy generation as well as electric vehicles. While many of these incentive changes will kickstart a new wave of the “solar-coaster”, the addition of Direct Pay for tax-exempt entities to utilize the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) may have the biggest impact on the solar industry. Inflation Reduction Act Direct Payment The IRA introduced a new concept to the ITC structure by offering…
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Climate Legislation Paving the Way for A Solar-Filled Future

Posted 08/25/2022 in Solar News
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT - H.R.5376 On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the inflation reduction act into law. The new law spans several topics from renewable energy to corporate tax reforms. Portions of the H.R.5376 bill focus on pushing the United States forward in terms of reducing greenhouse gases. The target reduction is to decrease emissions to forty percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The United States’ current path is a twenty-five percent reduction. There are two main strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act that will assist in reaching the goals outlined above: Increasing United States infrastructure to ensure…
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DC to AC Ratios: High, Low, or Just Right?

Posted 03/01/2022 in Solar News
The DC to AC ratio is a ratio of the rated nameplate DC power of the modules versus the rated nameplate AC power of the inverter. The DC value is based on the DC nameplate of the modules at a site and on Standard Testing Conditions, (Solar Radiation: 1 kW/m2, Temperature: 25 C, No wind). In an ideal world, the DC to AC ratio would be 1, however Standard Testing Conditions (STC) are important when considering the PV module output because the modules will rarely operate at these conditions, especially in the New England area. Operating conditions are often much warmer or…
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Bifacial Modules: The New Trend in Solar

Posted 02/01/2022 in Solar News Company News
Background Bifacial modules are PV modules with solar cells on both the top and rear of the module. This allows for the ability to harness the power of the sun on both sides of the module and increases the amount of power that is able to be produced from one module. The top of the module received incident light from the sun while the rear side receives only albedo light, or light that is reflected off the ground or other surface on the back of the module. Bifacilaity Factor is defined by Pvsyst as the "Ratio of nominal efficiency at…
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Zapotec’s Sanae Matsuki Receives PE Certification

Posted 04/20/2021 in Solar News Company News
Zapotec’s Sanae Matsuki Receives PE Certification image
Zapotec's Sanae Matsuki was able to complete her four year-long goal: PE Certification. She will join the ranks of the almost 2,000 other Electrical Professional Engineers ("PE") currently certified in Massachusetts.  A professional engineering license signifies that an engineer meets the required education, experience and professional competence for their field. A licensed engineer must maintain a working knowledge of best practices and regulations and abide by an ethical code of conduct. After almost four years of working at Zapotec, two degrees in engineering at an ABET-accredited (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) University and passing both the Fundamentals of…
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Arc Flash in PV Systems

Posted 03/04/2021 in Solar News
Basics Arc flash events are a serious safety concern for all electrical systems, including PV. Arc flashes occur during an arc fault, when a short circuit is present that results in electrical current passing across an air gap. Arc flashes are the high levels of energy, heat, and light that can be released during an arc fault. Arc flashes can result in serious injury or death in persons near the incident area. The common effects of arc flash on the human body are outlined below. Effects of Arc Flash on the Human Body Burns ranging from first…
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Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) Extension

Posted 02/11/2021 in Solar News
On December 21, 2020, Congress passed a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. Within this package was the extension of the federal investment tax credit (ITC). Prior to this, the ITC was set to roll back from 26 percent (26%) to 22 percent on January 1, 2021, and down to 10 percent on January 1, 2022. In Subtitle C, Section 148 of the almost six-thousand-page relief package, the 26 percent ITC rate was extended through December 31, 2022. The 22 percent ITC rate will take effect on January 1, 2023, and the 10 percent ITC rate will take effect on January 1, 2024. Photo Source: Solar Energy Industries Association  Basics The ITC allows homeowners and developers to apply the tax credit…
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Solar Industry Discusses Major Challenge in Massachusetts: Interconnection

Posted 05/28/2019 in Solar News
Solar Industry Discusses Major Challenge in Massachusetts: Interconnection image
SEBANE brings industry, utility, and state reps together to identify issues in the interconnection process that stall solar projects On Tuesday, May 14, members of the solar industry, representatives from two major utilities, and State Representative Thomas Golden, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, gathered at Foley Hoag LLP to re-open the conversation about the Commonwealth’s distributed generation interconnection process. Over the last few years, the solar industry has identified interconnection to the electric grid as a major bottleneck to increasing the amount of installed solar capacity in Massachusetts. Utilities face dramatic increase in…
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Massachusetts Takes Next Step to Implement New Solar Energy Incentive Program

Posted 10/16/2018 in Solar News
Massachusetts Takes Next Step to Implement New Solar Energy Incentive Program image
On September 26, 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) finally issued its Order approving the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, the new state solar incentive program that will replace SREC II Program and promote the next 1,600 MW of solar development. Although the Massachusetts solar industry is still waiting for the official launch of the SMART program on November 26, this Order provides critical clarifying points about the program’s implementation. The purpose of the 219-page Order is to direct the participating Distribution Companies, including Eversource, National Grid and Unitil, to modify their proposed tariff to fully comply with the…
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Northeastern University Hosts 2nd Annual Energy Conference

Posted 11/02/2016 in Solar News Company News
Northeastern University Hosts 2nd Annual Energy Conference image
On Friday, September 30, Northeastern University’s Energy Systems Society (ESS), a student-led organization focusing on energy, sustainability and the environment, hosted its second annual Energy Conference. The conference gathered industry leaders, government representatives, faculty and students to discuss the “things that actually matter,” including topics such as integrating renewables into the grid, improving energy efficiency in transportation, what it means to be a successful energy entrepreneur, and many more. For the second year in a row, Paul Lyons, President of Zapotec Energy, was invited by the ESS to speak during a panel session on behalf of the…
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