Ciel & Terre USA has begun assembly of a 9 kW Hydrelio floating PV array on a pond at Kunde Winery, in Kenwood, California

The Californian Independent System Operator (CASIO) is addressing the famous load duck and attempting to “let the duck fly.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a study Wednesday showing that a south-oriented fixed-tilt PV system will yield 11% more annual energy than a flat fixed system. In contrast, the study showed that a dual-axis tracker would yield 48% more energy than a flat orientation.

Whether it is ultimately the PV industry that pulls the battery and energy storage industry up with it as it expands, or whether battery and energy storage ultimately pushes PV along, what became clearer at the SPI 2014 show last week is that the two sectors are becoming more inextricably intertwined.

Energy storage is a game changer for the electric power system, and enthusiasm from a variety of stakeholders was seen at the recent Energy Storage North America show in San Jose, California.

San Francisco-based Dividend Solar has launched an affordable loan for residential solar. The EmpowerPortal loan permits residents to claim a 30% federal tax credit.

Bear Republic Brewing, a Northern California beer brewery known for its leading approach to sustainable water use has now adopted a rooftop PV system that will zero out its utility use of electricity. “We didn’t do this for marketing, but rather as the right thing to do; we also want to show other breweries that it is a good thing to do,” says CEO Richard Norgrove, in Cloverdale, CA.

The White House has already invested $2 billion in energy efficiency in federal buildings and is now pledging an additional $2 billion by 2016, doubling the program, with much of the funding going into PV systems.

Industry representatives in the U.S. are divided over the recent EU-China trade dispute settlement and remain unsatisfied with anti-dumping measures against Chinese imports. The PV sector nevertheless continues to grow.