Philip Wolfe

Philip Wolfe 4 posts

Philip Wolfe has been in renewables since the 1970’s when he was founder Chief Executive of BP Solar. He led companies in the PV sector until appointed Director General of the Renewable Energy Association from 2003 to 2009. His book on utility-scale solar ‘Solar Photovoltaic Projects in the mainstream power market’ was published in 2012.

SunPower secures emergency funding after debt debacle

02.16.2024

SunPower said it has raised $175 million in capital financing through a second-lien term loan, following a debt fiasco that can be traced back to an inventory reporting error.

Solar Power’s Pathway to Energy Supremacy

11.11.2015

This final article in Philip Wolfe’s short series brings together the technological, economic and political influences to project the future pathway for utility scale solar’s contribution to global electricity generation.

Is Utility-Scale Solar Growth Economically Viable?

06.16.2015

The recent growth in utility-scale solar has been explosive in relative terms. Because the start point was so low however, this still represents a small proportion of global electricity generation — about one third of 1 percent as last month’s article showed. This will grow dramatically if the growth rate is maintained; and that in turn will require solar to become ever more competitive with other generation technologies.

04.16.2015

For so long it seemed like a pipe dream, yet in less than a decade utility-scale solar has reached $100 billion worth of capacity. Figures from the Energy Information Administration show that it delivered 5 percent of California’s electricity in 2014. The time has come to evaluate the impact which this technology can have, not just in the United States but globally.