The soft costs of solar power, like permitting, inspecting and commissioning, continue to be the most resistant to coming down in most of the US. While the costs of solar panels are 80 percent less than they were in 2009, the soft costs of solar have remained stagnant and represent the biggest opportunity for significant cost reductions. 

Vermont and nonprofits recently (Oct. 19) cut the ribbon on the new McKnight Lane Affordable Housing Development in Waltham, VT. The new project, which Clean Energy Group said is a first in the nation project, transformed an old mobile home park into a zero energy, low-income housing development that includes solar power and energy storage for each modular rental home in the development. 

For years now Walmart has led the US in terms of businesses with installed solar but this year Target—its chief rival—has unseated the retail giant. With 147.5 megawatts of solar installed, Target barely edged out Walmart, which has 145 megawatts of solar installed, for the title in the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA’s) fifth annual 2016 Solar Means Business report.

New York’s first community solar project is online! The 359-kilowatt solar array will produce power for more than 3 dozen residents in New York’s Tompkins, Steuben and Schuyler counties who have purchased more than 1,100 panels in the project.

Scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Korea, Japan and Switzerland partnered to help perovskite solar cells become competitive. Perovskite solar cells are garnering interest as one of the most likely next generation solar power technologies. They’re cheap and easy to produce but barriers still remain to their practical production and use. 

Tesla’s $2.6 billion purchase of SolarCity isn’t complete yet but already the presumable parent company is making partnerships that would move the merged company forward. Yesterday (Oct. 17) Tesla and Panasonic announced a non-binding, long-term partnership under which Panasonic will collaborate on manufacturing producing photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar modules at SolarCity’s facility in Buffalo, NY. 

Last week the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) launched two new working groups to help grow the solar industry more. The new working groups will focus on safety and workforce development and operations and maintenance. By creating the new working groups SEIA hopes to better serve all sectors of the industry. 

Last week in solar and renewables President Obama teamed up with sports leagues and teams to help fight climate change. But that’s just a small smattering of the news in solar. A new report found that solar and wind could be the dominant forms of energy in the world by 2060. However, at least one organization fought back against an anti-rooftop solar report funded in part by the Koch brothers. Then again, solar is flexing its abilities and recently replaced a coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts. This just some of the news you may have missed in solar last week. 

New York’s Gov., Andrew Cuomo (D), announced a new, $10 million investment in new and existing clean energy incubators. Previous incubators have already created more than 1,000 jobs in the state and brought $247 million in private investments.

The Navy and the California Energy Commission (CEC) partnered to expand the amount of renewable energy the Navy and Marines have in the state. While details of some of the projects are not yet revealed, they include at least three solar projects, including the development what CEC called the largest solar PV facility on Department of Defense land, which could be as large as 390 megawatts.