Shining a Light on Solar System Security As solar power plants, photovoltaic systems, and energy storage facilities become increasingly connected to smart grids and internet-enabled monitoring platforms, the need for a robust cybersecurity framework has moved from optional to essential. Today’s renewable energy infrastructure incorporates smart inverters, SCADA systems, and a suite of IoT devices—each…
Shining a Light: Your Quick Guide to Solar Panel End-of-Life Recycling As solar installations multiply across rooftops and landscapes, addressing what happens at the end of a panel’s service life has become an essential part of renewable energy sustainability. Solar panel recycling ensures valuable components such as silicon wafers, glass, aluminum frames, copper, and even…
Sunny Side Up: Instant Clarity on Community Solar Community solar—also referred to as shared solar or a solar garden—offers a way to enjoy the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy without installing panels on your roof. Participants buy or lease a share in an off-site photovoltaic (PV) system, often called a solar farm, and…
Hot Start: Mastering Inverter Thermal Management Effective inverter thermal management is not a luxury—it is a prerequisite for reliability, efficiency, and the long-term viability of modern power electronics. Whether deploying in photovoltaic systems, electric vehicles, or industrial drives, managing heat in components like IGBTs, MOSFETs, and control circuitry directly impacts system performance. Hot Start: Mastering…
Shining a Light: Quick Answer on Solar Lifecycle Embodied Carbon Embodied carbon in solar panels refers to the total greenhouse gas emissions created during the production, transportation, and installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system, excluding operational emissions once the system is generating electricity. According to a solar lifecycle assessment, these emissions stem mainly from energy-intensive…
Solar photovoltaic installations worldwide are generating unprecedented amounts of operational data, creating both opportunities and challenges for asset managers. Traditional centralized monitoring systems struggle with latency issues and connectivity dependencies that can delay critical maintenance decisions. Edge AI technology addresses these limitations by processing data directly at solar installations, enabling real-time fault detection and autonomous…
A Bright Field of Opportunity In the quest to balance growing energy demands with the preservation of productive farmland, agrivoltaics emerges as a transformative solution. By integrating photovoltaic systems directly into working farms, this dual-use solar farming method allows land to simultaneously produce crops and generate renewable energy. Elevated solar panels or solar canopy systems…
Introduction – Riding the Solar Wave Floating solar technology—also known as floating photovoltaics (FPV) or floatovoltaics—has rapidly evolved from pioneering projects in the late 2000s into a viable, scalable solution for renewable energy generation. By mounting solar panels on buoyant structures atop reservoirs, lakes, and other suitable water bodies, FPV systems circumvent the land-use challenges…
Sunrise to Solar: Kickstarting Your Community Project Community solar projects—sometimes called solar gardens or shared solar—are revolutionizing how neighborhoods access renewable energy. These projects enable residents, businesses, and nonprofits to subscribe to a portion of a solar farm’s output, earning monthly energy credits without installing panels on their own property. Beyond clean energy generation, these…
Bright Beginnings – What to Expect Permitting for photovoltaic (PV) projects is more than just a bureaucratic step—it’s the gateway to safe, legal, and efficient solar installations. Whether you are a homeowner or a commercial property manager, understanding the solar permitting and inspection process ensures compliance with local building, safety, and electrical codes while setting…