Community Solar is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing sectors of the solar industry in the U.S. The first community solar projects were installed just a few years ago. Now a growing number of companies, utilities, organizations and governments are getting behind the idea. Today (nov. 17) the White House made that clear with National Community Solar Summit where The White House showcased 68 partners—including cities, states and businesses—that have joined its National Community Solar Partnership.

SunPower is introducing a new line of solar panels called its Performance Series. The new solar panels are based on technology developed by Cogenra Solar, which SunPower purchased earlier in 2015. 

Whether or not solar panels actually add value to a home had been up for debate for a long time. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) has dispelled this in numerous reports, previously in just California, and now in six different states. The report builds on previous research that shows an average solar array of 3.6 kilowatts added $15,000 to the price of a home. 

U.S. veterans are finding jobs in the solar industry thanks to some innovative training programs like the Department of Energy’s Solar Ready Vets Program, which has helped train veterans for jobs in the growing solar industry. Other organizations like GRID Alternatives are also doing their part to support vets in the solar industry. The organization just announced a new Troops to Solar training program to support more veteran jobs in the solar industry. 

A new report out today (Nov. 9) by analytics firm IHS anticipates that solar photovoltaic (PV) sales will grow strongly through the first half of 2016 growing to 65.5 gigawatts of new solar power world wide. But the incentives that have helped fuel its growth will subside in 2017, which could slow solar growth down in the second half of 2016. 

This morning, Nov. 6, President Obama made a largely symbolic gesture when he rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, after all the price of gas and oil has fallen so much that the project didn’t make sense anymore. But it’s a first for a U.S. President in rejecting such a large, fossil fuel industry project and it will likely be seen as a legacy action that shows Obama was an environmental advocate.

Community solar is gaining popularity from the Pacific to the Atlantic. A case of the two Washingtons shows it. Tacoma Power in Washington state last month announced its first community solar garden. Meanwhile back in the nation’s capital, a George Washington University (GWU) professor has explained the attraction and benefits of community solar. 

Today (Nov. 3) Oregon State University (OSU) announced that its engineers have identified a new way to store the energy produced by the sun. The engineers involved in the project said that the approach can help reduce the cost of energy storage and make it more practical for wider use. 

In another victory for the regional solar industry Wisconsin’ Dane County Circuit Court Judge Peter Anderson on Friday (Oct. 30) struck down charges that We Energies, a Wisconsin utility, wanted impose on solar users. The action follows similar moves in other states where utilities have tried to impose—to varying degrees of success—to impose fees on customers with solar power. 

Austin Energy is quickly establishing itself as one of Texas’ most forward thinking utilities and one of its most price-savvy ones, too. Earlier this month the utility announced that it’s requests for proposals for solar power projects came in at record-low costs. Now it’s revealing some more information about its new contracts. Today (Oct. 29) First Solar announced that it signed a 15 year power-purchase agreement with the utility for a 119 megawatt East Pecos Solar Project.