Earth Day is April 22nd, and we're gearing up to give our planet some extra TLC to celebrate! We're sharing fresh ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle to  keep sustainability at the top of your mind on Earth Day this year, and our hope is that you'll adopt a few to keep going year round!

The solar market is heating up as the political climate changes in the USA. Wondering how to take advantage of great returns by investing in solar, but not sure where to start? We've listed a few options for individuals, businesses, and corporations to get started investing in solar.

You may have heard of the global energy transition on the news lately. It's been a focus of most of the world's energy leaders for the last decade or so, spurring global accountability summits that have resulted in events such as the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016 (read more about the Paris Agreement here).

Have you ever been watching or reading the news and heard a term used that you didn't know the definition of? If you're like me, you use Google or dictionary.com to look up the definition of the word. But what about those terms that are relevant to a specific industry and mean something completely different when taken in the context of that industry?

We're addressing that gap with this list of recently coined or frequently used words and terms related to clean energy and their definitions in a quick reference guide format that we hope you'll be able to refer back to again and again. 

When you're a homeowner who wants to invest in placing solar panels on their roof, you either float the capital upfront or you finance with the solar company you choose to work with. The same options are available for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients who want to install a solar system at their place of business with the addition of a third option known as third-party ownership: an investor may also finance the project and ultimately own the system, while the business or corporation signs a contract to purchase the electricity produced from the solar project instead of owning the equipment. 

Investors in commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects look for projects that; 

1. Have the right tax credit structure and return profile, while passing ESG investment diversity tests,

2. Have a creditworthy offtaker (either investment grade, or with strong historical financials),

3. Use bankable or "Tier-1" equipment, and

4. Can be built correctly and on time.

Sustainability. It's a trending business initiative and seems like it's everywhere these days, making it's way into the C-suite at companies. But beyond this trend, what does sustainability actually mean, and more importantly, how do we translate sustainability goals into actual operational plans?

Adding battery storage to new build solar projects has become more prevalent, with more businesses and residential clients choosing to add battery storage to their solar projects. 

According to our research, the top 3 reasons for choosing to include battery storage in a new solar project are:

1. Power backup
2. To reduce or cut ties with the electricity grid
3. To offset energy usage during non-peak production hours

Sustainability. It's a trending business initiative and seems like it's everywhere these days, making it's way into the C-suite at companies. But beyond this trend, what does sustainability actually mean, and more importantly, what does it look like in action?