News
Navigating Ethical Sourcing and Compliance in PV Module Supply Chains
In this pv magazine webinar, CEA's traceability experts Nicola Licata, Arturo Cortes Chavez, and Joseph Johnson share insights on navigating sourcing strategies and compliance risks in the solar PV module market, focusing on both Chinese and non-Chinese suppliers.
Shifting Supply Chains Bring Their Own Risks
In this pv magazine article, CEA’s Vice President of technology Paul Wormser and associate director of services procurement Travis Secrest from EDPR discuss how local sourcing of solar and energy storage in the U.S., while mitigating certain supply chain risks, introduces new concerns for investors regarding startup pains, component imports, and the necessity of strategic supply agreements and oversight.
pv magazine test: February 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.
What is a Foreign Trade Zone?
In this Solar Power World article, Jason Knapp, CEA's Director of Government Relations, explains Foreign Trade Zones and how companies can benefit from these special areas in the U.S. by receiving tax advantages to support manufacturing and economic growth, particularly in the clean energy sector.
Due Diligence 101-Part 4: Decoding Solar Farm System Design
This fourth part of Due Diligence 101 series covers due diligence for buying solar farms, emphasizing analyzing control systems, degradation, shifting equipment, project portfolios, operations, maintenance, and comparing with original design specifications for optimal performance and reliability.
Due Diligence 101-Part 3: Performance Modeling for Existing Solar Arrays
This third article in the Due Diligence 101 series explores how performance modeling is essential for evaluating the expected output and identifying potential issues in an existing solar energy project, providing a basis for informed acquisition decisions.
PV Module Quality Risks Webinar
In this webinar hosted by the American Solar Energy Society's PV Technical Division, CEA's Engineering Manager Claire Kearns-McCoy discusses solar PV module quality risks.
FAT for Fitness
Large-scale, stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) have rapidly become crucial components of modern power grids. With the increasing adoption of BESS, however, the risk of battery fires has increased, as Jeff Zwijack of Clean Energy Associates reports.
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.