One of the biggest questions anyone has when deciding to go solar is: “How will it impact the value of my home?” It’s an important question of course and there have been some anecdotal reports. Now the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has produced a new report, How Owning a Solar System Impacts My Home Value: A Guide to Valuing Residential Solar Energy Systems, to help homeowners, realtors mortgage brokers and others understand what the fiscal impacts of going solar are. 

Last week the cost of solar power fell to new lows internationally as new solar projects in Mexico fetched average prices of $20.57 per megawatt hour (MWh) in a new round of bids. While the US isn’t seeing prices that low, prices continue to drop and solar is becoming more accessible and gaining popularity even in midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin. 

It’s now easier for Michigan’s residents to go solar. The Michigan Public Service Commission established new rates for renewable energy in the state, which will spur private investments in renewable energy and solar power in the state.

Solar power was the big winner in Mexico’s latest energy auctions, winning 1.3 gigawatts or 55 percent of the projects and 58.3 percent of the clean energy certificates awarded in the auction. Solar was the big winner and came in with a new world record average price of $20.57 per megawatt hour (MWh), according to preliminary results published by Mexico’s Department of Energy (Sener) and the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace). 

Last week, a coalition of 27 countries and states led by the United Kingdom and Canada pledged to stop using coal-fired power plants and instead move to cleaner energy sources, like solar, wind and natural gas. The newly minted Powering Past Coal Alliance aims to expend to 50 or more countries by later 2018. 

The recently announced “Solar for Good” grant program in Wisconsin, which helps fund solar installations on churches and nonprofits, is proving more popular than expected and now organizers are seeking more supporters to help these institutions go solar. The program originally planned to offer $125,000 in grants to provide up to 20 percent of the costs of a solar array. They’ve already received more than $222,000 in requests. 

Last week in the renewable energy industry the US showed its support for the Paris Climate Accord in Bonn, Germany, despite the absence of leadership from the current administration. Closer to home Sunrun may have outpaced SolarCity in terms of financing new solar. And in North Carolina, a church, a nonprofit and Duke Energy are headed to court in a case that could allow third-party financing for solar in that state. 

New data suggests that in the second half of 2017 Sunrun will overtake SolarCity as the nation’s top third-party solar financier. The news comes as the solar industry continues to see a shakeup as the market matures, companies adopt different strategies and pricing uncertainty comes into play. 

Nonprofit NC WARN funded installing solar on the roof of the Greensboro Faith Community Church in 2015 under an arrangement that it would sell the power produced by the system to the church. North Carolina’s monopoly utility Duke Energy didn’t like that much and urged regulators to impose a $60,000 fine against NC WARN, which led to the solar test case that’s now drawing support from national organizations.

Despite President Trump’s decision to remove the US from the Paris Climate Agreement a wide swath—more than 1 million people—have pledged to do their part to reduce the US’s climate impact by signing the “I Am Still In” petition. The effort builds on other efforts across the US by business and political leaders like governors and mayors that are supporting the Paris Agreement as well.