News
pv magazine test: January 2024 Results
George Touloupas, Vice President of ESG and New Services at Clean Energy Associates, and Huatian Xu, Director of Technology and Quality, analyze the March 2025 results from the pv magazine outdoor test installation in Yinchuan, China.
Three US Solar Trends to Watch in 2024
CEA’s senior policy analyst, Christian Roselund, recently wrote an article in PV Tech on the top three trends that CEA sees for the US solar industry in 2024.
The Biggest Clean Energy Surprises in 2023 and What They Mean for 2024
CEA’s Vice President of Marketing, Jake Edie, recently wrote an article in Renewable Energy World about the most surprising findings in clean energy and what developers and buyers will be watching most closely as 2024 unfolds.
Tracked Changes
The need for greater supply chain traceability has pushed the PV industry to adapt, with new procedures to support documentation at each stage of manufacturing. CEA’s senior ESG and traceability project manager Nicola Licata explains how evolving processes are preparing the PV industry to face future challenges.
BESS Prices in US Market to Fall a Further 18% in 2024, Says CEA
In this Energy Storage News article, CEA forecasts an 18% price decline for containerized Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) solutions in the US by 2024, with 20-foot DC container costs reducing to an average of $148/kWh. This trend of decreasing prices is attributed to automation advancements, competitive market dynamics, and falling lithium carbonate prices.
pv magazine test: November 2023 Results
George Touloupas, Vice President of ESG and New Services at Clean Energy Associates (CEA), and Huatian Xu, CEA’s Director of Technology and Quality, analyze the April 2025 results from the pv magazine test outdoor installation in Yinchuan, China.
Top BESS QA Manufacturing Defects
Following extensive factory quality audits on over 30 GWh of energy storage projects over the past six years, Intertek CEA’s BESS Quality Risks Report highlights identified key defects and issues, including their causes and associated risks.
BESS Manufacturing Quality: Lessons Learned From More Than 30GWh of Factory Inspections
In this Energy-Storage.news webinar, CEA’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) experts will share essential lessons learned after performing factory quality audits on over 30GWh of BESS projects.
Cracking Cell Defect Detection
After years of improving quality standards, solar cell cracking appears to be on the rise again, perhaps due to new manufacturers entering the sector. Clean Energy Associates’ (CEA) senior engineering manager Claire Kearns-McCoy considers ways to stop the rot.
pv magazine test: October 2023 Results
October 2023 batch of energy yield results from the pv magazine outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. The average bifacial boost is 10.20%. As the energy yield figures of several top-performing products are very close, CEA is working on a new ranking system that will be more representative of product performance.
Due Diligence 101-Part 2: Choosing the Right Technology When Acquiring a Solar Farm
Successful solar project acquisition depends on evaluating the technology and engineering choices made—modules, inverters, racking systems, and production models. This post dives deep into how these decisions provide insights to corporate renewable energy buyers, ensuring the project's viability and performance.
Major North American Utility Secures Pad-mount Transformer Safety Supply With CEA’s Supply Chain Management Service
In response to the high demand for infrastructure upgrades and anticipated government policy changes, a leading North American utility sought to stockpile 10,000 pad-mount transformers by June 2024 and turned to Clean Energy Associates (CEA) for a reliable solution.
Quality of TopCon
CEA's Director of Engineering Services, Jörg Althaus, joins pv magazine's Roundtables Europe 2023 to discuss how the industry is addressing the longevity, testing methods, and problem prevention of new solar panel technologies like TOPCon to safeguard investments.
Top Solar PV Module Defects and Damage in the Field
Intertek CEA's extensive field research unveils the hidden threats in solar PV modules, emphasizing the critical role of Electroluminescence (EL) testing in detecting unseen damages. Our findings highlight the lifecycle of module defects, the surge in microcracks, and the pivotal importance of visual inspections in identifying issues often missed by other methods.
Due Diligence 101-Part 1: Assessing the site of a solar array
Explore the essentials of technical due diligence for solar PV systems. This series begins with a focus on site assessments, addressing challenges from foundation types to weather impacts for both ground and rooftop installations.
Energy Storage and Supply Chain Challenges Bring Jeffrey Burkett to Clean Energy Associates as VP, Customer Solutions
Jeff Burkett has joined CEA as VP, Customer Solutions to help clients navigate the proliferation and rising importance of energy storage technologies and the continued diversification of renewable energy supply chains.
Top 10 PV Rooftop Safety Risks
Uncover the truth about solar rooftop safety. Download Intertek CEA's report, learn common risks, and strategize remediation.
Driven by the Inflation Reduction Act, North America becomes fastest growing region for new battery factories, CEA reports
CEA’s latest report forecasts that the global lithium-ion battery (LIB) cell nameplate capacity will triple by 2025, with North America's capacity growth expected to outpace Europe's, primarily due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Weather-proofing Wisdom
Going above and beyond can drive up costs when it comes to solar project features such as racking height and module glass strength. But in an ever-warming world, it could take only one extreme weather event to destroy investments. Clean Energy Associates VP - Technology Paul Wormser offers a few tips for developers.
Canadian Premium Sand Moves Forward with Plans to Construct North America's First Patterned Solar Glass Plant after CEA Study Confirms Feasibility
CEA recently conducted market due diligence to assess the feasibility of Canadian Premium Sand’s plans to build a patterned solar glass manufacturing facility in Canada.