Articles written by John Fitzgerald Weaver

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A rebuildable solar array to train students and access ‘beginner’s mind’ A US master electrician deployed a solar-plus-storage project at a Pennsylvania trade school that students can take apart and rebuild every year for continued hands-on training.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Jul 08, 2026
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How massive subsidies helped drive a 90% collapse in solar costs A database of industrial subsidies suggests global solar module manufacturing support since 2010 totals about $21 billion, with China responsible for more than 81%. However, OECD countries have increased spending in recent years.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Jun 22, 2026
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Global solar demand on track for first annual decline in two decades At the SNEC 2026 conference in Shanghai, BloombergNEF (BNEF) lead solar analyst Jenny Chase re-iterated a sobering projection: solar deployment will slow this year before returning to a much more conservative growth trajectory. The defining question facing the industry now is clear: what trends will step up to pull solar growth back upward?
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Jun 11, 2026
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U.S. court restores 5% safe harbor for wind and large solar A federal court in Washington, DC, ruled that the IRS acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner when — after more than a decade of precedent — it required wind and solar facilities alone to change how they establish “safe harbor.”
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Jun 09, 2026
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25% is the new 23% On the floor at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai, solar module manufacturers — large and small — displayed 25% efficiency modules as their flagship products, with 24% modules becoming the mainstream offering and 23% units filling in the more cost effective spots.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Jun 08, 2026
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U.S. Solar developer seeks connection to wrong powerline, delays project five years The OFW Solar Project in Virginia submitted an application to connect to powerlines run by the wrong power company, instead of a second set of nearby transmission lines, necessitating a total restart of the PJM interconnection process that could push construction back to 2032.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
May 13, 2026
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U.S. solar panel manufacturers need to learn to solder CEA’s 2026 manufacturing quality report finds that yield rates vary widely based on the age of solar module assembly facilities, with mature Chinese firms nearing 100% and U.S. outlier facilities ranging all the way down to 30%.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
May 09, 2026
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Batteries reshape solar pricing in California market Aurora Energy Research has found that energy storage is raising the value of negatively priced solar electricity by up to $42/MWh in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) wholesale market.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Apr 09, 2026
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US solar generation reaches 385 TWh in 2025 as power demand rises US solar generation rose nearly 25% in 2025 to 385 TWh, but rising electricity demand meant fossil generation and overall emissions also increased.
John Fitzgerald Weaver
Mar 13, 2026