New Solar technology is in the pipeline as solar perovskites are moving from lab to production across the world. Compared to traditional silicon panels, these panels are peaking at more than 28 percent efficiency for turning light into power, versus the record for silicon photovoltaics of 26.7 percent. Additionally, they have the potential for greater flexibility, greater consistency, and lower cost, according to industry experts. This could be the future of solar, and it could be a dominant one.

Reliability of solar is up across the United States, according to major credit rater Fitch. When compared to wind, solar is more likely to reliably generate or outperform expectations. Fitch Ratings, one of the "Big Three credit rating agencies", has recently upgraded 19% of its solar projects, while wind has suffered a net downgrade. Yet another sign of solar's continued spread across the country.

To further research on energy storage and batteries, scientists at Berkeley Lab tested a theory from a German language academic journal dated 1928. The result? A new, higher-performing, environmentally cleaner, and affordable storage battery may soon be on the market.

The solar import tariff implemented this year has caused significant dispute between policy makers, economists, and supporters of the solar industry. Now, U.S. based solar company, SunPower, has filed an exemption request with the U.S. Trade Representative. This motion reflects the most central debate regarding the trade case: is the tariff helping, or hurting, the U.S. solar industry?

Blockchain technologies have been gaining notability due to the recent cryptocurrency hype. However, the same peer-to-peer networking technology that enables cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, provides a model for application across industries beyond finance; for example, the energy sector. New developments have seen blockchain technologies as a disruptive force for grid management. What could this mean for the solar industry?

Apple has been a longtime advocate for green energy, especially solar. This spring, the company stated that all of its facilities, including offices, retail stores, and data servers, run on 100% renewable energy sources. Now, the latest news from their headquarters shows Apple's attempt to take responsibility for the company's global emissions. Executives recently announced their commitment to addressing climate change by investing in the China Clean Energy Fund.

Recent statistics have shown a promising future for global solar development. The most recent BP Statistical Review of World Energy has shown that renewable energy was the fastest growing energy source in 2017, with solar being a major contributor.

Global energy demand continues to rise with economic growth, but the growth of fossil fuel use is being hindered by that of renewable energy. New findings show that renewables accounted for 30% of all energy growth, a sizable chunk of the 2.1% increase in overall demand.