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The U.S. residential solar market just experienced its best-ever quarter, with 712 megawatts (DC) installed. Growth is diversifying across U.S. state markets, and there is opportunity across the solar value chain.

So which inverter suppliers are benefiting?

According to the latest edition of Wood Mackenzies U.S. PV Leaderboard, released this week, SolarEdge inverters were used on 60.5 percent of U.S. residential installations through the first three quarters of this year. Thats more than triple SolarEdge's closest competitor, Enphase, with its 19.2 percent market share.

Source: Wood Mackenzie U.S. PV Leaderboard, Q4 2019

The current market stands in stark contrast to just a few years ago, when SolarEdge was still growing its footprint in the U.S. residential solar sector. In 2013, with just 4.5 percent market share, SolarEdge ranked fifth behind then-leader ABB, Enphase, SMA and Fronius.

It should be noted that there was about as much residential solar capacity installed in the third quarter of 2019 as there was in the whole of 2013. In other words, SolarEdge is today dominating a much bigger pie.

SolarEdge differentiates its product by pairing residential single-phase inverters with DC optimizers, while Enphase manufactures microinverters.

SolarEdges rise has been complemented by significant market-share consolidation. Price pressure in the inverter landscape has led vendors to exit in recent years, and this has mostly benefited the top companies. Vendors other than SolarEdge and Enphase held over 67 percent of the market in 2013. As of Q3 2019, market share for this "other" group has fallen to just 20.3 percent.

It wasnt too long ago that Enphase was on the brink of financial collapse. But from 2015-2017, the company made a concerted effort to reduce its costs by 50 percent. The company managed not only to stay afloat but also grew its revenue.

Enphase has recovered some lost market share this year, and captured over 20 percent of residential installations in Q3 2019 a routine accomplishment for the company in prior years for the first time since Q1 2018.

Pivoting from pure-play inverter manufacturing to providing more holistic energy services is a strategy seen throughout the global PV inverter landscape, but SolarEdge and Enphase are definitive leaders in this regard.

Both companies continue to expand their product offerings, and both have launched home energy platforms in recent years. These platforms are able to connect electric vehicles, solar-plus-storage, smart meters and home appliances. Such grid edge technologies are all poised for expansion.

Since 2018, SolarEdge has been on a bit of an acquisition spree, acquiring an e-mobility and a battery storage company that will contribute to its home energy solution platform. Additionally, SolarEdge made a third acquisition, an uninterruptible power supply company a business not directly related to the inverter space, but still a growing market.

In line with SolarEdges forward-looking tactics, the company has built out a virtual power plant software offering that is compatible with all companies' inverter technology, not just its own. It also launched StorEdge, an EV inverter product.

Enphase on the other hand has made several strategic partnerships to build out its AC module business, which includes partnerships with SunPower, LG, Panasonic and Solaria. The company continues to develop its home energy solution.

SolarEdge and Enphase have grabbed the majority of the U.S. residential market as a result of innovative and forward-looking moves that position them to meet growing demand for holistic energy services.

According to Wood Mackenzies latest forecast, the U.S. residential solar market will reach 2.4 gigawatts in 2019 and grow to 3 gigawatts in 2020.

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Wood Mackenzie's U.S. PV Leaderboard tracks both residential and commercial market shares for inverter suppliers, solar installers and module suppliers.

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SolarEdge and Enphase Now Control 80% of the US Residential Solar Inverter Market - Greentech Media News

This the thirdin a series on teens, sex and social media. The series also looks at how social media has changed the way teens learn about, and engage in, sex, and the practice among young adults of choking during sex.

With smartphones tucked away in their pockets, young people now have easy access to the internet and all its dark corners, including pornographic images and videos showing a gamut of sexual behavior.

So, what should parents do about it?

First, they should realize that even with parental controls and filters that block pornography, tech-savvy teens may still be able to find and view sexually-explicit content on web pages and social media platforms.

Students also are unlikely to hear about online pornography, and the risks associated with it, at school, where sex education curriculum is limited if it is required at all. Thats why experts urge parents to talk to their children and make sure theyre getting the right information at home.

Young people are curious about sex and sexuality because they are not getting comprehensive sex education in school, said Dan Rice, interim executive director of Answer, a national sexual education organization based at Rutgers University. So, for young people, [the internet] is how a lot of them are seeking out their answers.

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Just 24 states, including New Jersey, make it mandatory for schools to teach sex education.

New Jersey became one of the first states to require comprehensive sex education in schools in 1981. Districts typically focus on basics like abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

Not until this year did New Jersey adopt a law that requires school districts to teach lessons on consentin grades 6 to 12. The law requires schools to teach that consent is required before physical contact or sexual activity, to teach about the right to say no, and to discuss respecting others' rightto say no.

States do not require discussions about online sexual content except for New Jersey and California, which require lessons specifically about sexting, or the practice of sending sexually explicit photos, messages, or videos via electronic device.

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Otherwise, its unlikely that the topic will be discussed at all in the classroom.

There are not many teachers who will bring up sexually explicit content in the classroom because of fear for their job, Rice said. If they dont have a curriculum or policy [that covers it], theyre not going to talk about it.

In recent interviews, college students said their high school sex education classes fell short of answering their questions.

My sex education was a list of vocabulary words with terms like gonorrhea and definitions like a type of STD' not what it does, how you can contract it or the fact that it goes away, said Tori DAmico, a 19-year-old college student.

Her high school focused on teaching kids about abstinence, and she said she did not get lessons on safe sex or consent. She described the environment as fear-mongering, comparing it to the scenein the movie Mean Girls where the gym teacher tells students, Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die.

The story continues below the video.

When sex education is provided in schools, it tends to focus on topics like anatomy, the physiology of how people get pregnant, and abstinence, said EmilyRothman, a professor at Boston Universitys School of Public Health who has conducted several studieson porn use by adolescents.

Teachers dont necessarily focus on the dynamics of how people communicate or sexual orientation or what you might enjoy sexually that isnt part of sex education in school, she said.

Just over half ofsurveyed students reported their sex education classes to be useful, according toNew Jerseys Sex Ed Report Card, a report released in December by the Thrive NJ Coalition, a group of parents, community members and advocates. More than 60 percent of surveyed parents gave sex education at their kids' schools as a C.

In the report, the coalitionrecommendedthat New Jersey schools remove the requirement that teachers stress abstinence and failure rates of contraceptives, andexpand teacher training.

The report also notedthat the quality of sex education varies widely among districts and called for the state to createa database of sex education materials and to monitor and assess what's taught in classrooms.

Young people may seek out sexual content online because they are curious, or they may find it by accident, Rice said. As a marketing ploy, some companies will even buy domain names with words that young people may use as search terms.

Parents who find out that a child has seen explicit material should not panic, he said, noting that the young person may also feel anxious about what he or she has seen.

Dont yell at them, he said. Dont freak out, because you dont want to send the message that they cant come to you with questions, because there are going to be other important things they want to talk to you about. You dont want to shut the door.

Parents can start the conversation by asking questions such as:

Parents should explain to their children that what they are seeing is edited adult entertainment that often does not reflect reality, Rice added.

They dont realize the bodies they are seeing and the behaviors they are seeing are not typical," he said. "So, the impact can be poor self-esteem, poor body esteem and unrealistic expectations of what a sexual relationship might look like."

Some parents may find it difficult to talk to their children about sex and consent. Rothmans advice is for parents to open a conversation in a non-judgemental way focused on consent, respect and healthy relationships.

I think itsgood if parents can learn to do it, to coach kids that they should be able to communicate about what they want, tocommunicatethat good sex involves a lot of trust and respect in being comfortable enough to tell somebody what you like and dont like, she said.

Parents may worry that talking about sex and sexuality will encourage young people to have sex. But studies have shown that teens who report talking with their parents about sex are more likely to delay having sex and to use condoms when they do have sex, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Parents should also keep in mind that when teens seek outinformation online, it may not be reliable or a complete picture. Theyshould also find outwhere their child is getting information and whether it's factually and medically accurate, the CDC recommends.

Experts say it's key that conversations about sex and sexuality begin at an early age and that they are nota one-time occasion. Parents can start bygiving correct names for body parts and talking about consent, Rice explained.

There is no such thing as 'the talk,' Rice said. You cant have one conversation and expect that will be it. As they grow and develop, they are going to have different questions in their lives.

If we normalize talking about those things at an early age," he said, "it will be more likely that young people will feel comfortable going to parents when they do have questions.

Staff writers Lindy Washburn,CatherineCarrera, Jessie Gomez and Anthony Zurita contributed to this story.

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Parents: Here's how to talk to your kids about sex in the age of social media - NorthJersey.com

As interest in intermittent fasting keeps growing, a completely different type of fasting trend is coming out of Silicon Valley. Followers of "dopamine fasting" believe that if they deprive themselves from anything stimulating devices, movies, TV, light or even other people they can alter the levels of dopamine in their bodies and reset their brains.

On the surface, it's a life hack that sounds like a good idea: try to modify the dopamine chemical known as one of the "happy hormones" in the body simply by unplugging from devices and stepping away from activity.

"Dopamine fasting is like, 'I'm getting off my devices so I can feel more,'" Dr. Zach Freyberg, an assistant professor of psychiatry and cell biology at the University of Pittsburgh, told TODAY. "It's doing things that are that are meant to keep you sensitized to the world around you."

To fast, followers say they avoid things they enjoy, which can include mobile devices, sex, social media, entertainment, shopping, gambling, exercise, food and alcohol, for a set period of time. Some might even avoid eye contact or chats during that time.

The goal avoiding stimulation in the present, in order to be happier later. For example, love online shopping? During a fast, you'd skip it.

In a way, it's like meditation where people spend time without outside excitement. But this type of fasting is tailored to what specifically causes your dopamine to spike, whether it's red wine, Snapchat or Christmas movies.

Sounds simple, right? Not really.

Your brain is always working. Your neurotransmitters, like dopamine, are always working, Madelyn Fernstrom, a neuroscientist and NBC News health and nutrition editor, told TODAY.

While dopamine fasting focuses on the molecule's role as a neurotransmitter in the brain, dopamine does a lot of heavy lifting throughout the body.

Dopamine is something that's inside of our bodies that our bodies make, Freyberg said. In the brain, dopamine is responsible for lots of important brain functions. You need it to help control mood, you need that to feel a sense of satisfaction and reward.

Trending stories,celebrity news and all the best of TODAY.

People often think of it as the hormone of excitement and novelty seeking, said Dr. Amit Sood, executive director of the Resilient Option, and former professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic.

This means people experience a surge of it when they try something new or anticipate something. Some of what Silicon Valley sells causes dopamine spikes.

A lot of social media is driven by dopamine, he said. Youre just chasing it.

But dopamines role is much more complex. It also helps the brain control movement and exists in other parts of the body, regulating insulin, aiding digestion, managing kidney function and maintaining blood pressure.

Its kind of like an air traffic coordinator. It controls and coordinates the functions of a lot of different organs, a lot of different parts of the body, to make sure they work harmoniously, Fryberg explained.

Not having enough dopamine causes real problems. Parkinsons disease, for example, is a disorder of dopamine, Fryberg said.

The body absolutely needs to make that dopamine because it needs to control the life support systems, he said.

In some ways, eating and exercising can influence dopamine production, but not in the way that dopamine fasting fans think.

When you eat, the amount of dopamine in your blood stream temporarily goes up because that helps control insulin, Fryberg said. There's more and more evidence that exercise can help in Parkinson's patients preserve the amount of dopamine in the brain.

Beyond that that's all we know, he said.

The experts agree that even if the name is an oversimplification of how brain chemistry works, the concept behind dopamine fasting is positive. What "fasters" are truly proposing is taking a break from stimulation and being mindful both healthy practices.

There is no downside, unless you believe you are having an immediate impact on your brain chemistry, Fernstrom, a nutrition scientist, said. It is mistake to think that a short-term behavior of any kind is going to be having an impact on your brain.

Whats more, unplugging and spending time without stimulation might have an opposite effect than anticipated.

Meditation has been shown to increase dopamine in the brain reward activity center, Sood said.

While meditation and avoiding devices is beneficial, Sood encourages people to think of it as adding something to life not subtracting.

It is very difficult to empty your life of something, he said. I tried emptying my mind and it doesnt work. It is not about emptying it. Its about filling it with the right things.

That's why he suggests that people think of something positive while stepping away from devices and overactivity.

If you meditate on gratitude or compassion or kindness it will be more effective, Sood said.

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What is 'dopamine fasting'? How some are trying to change their brains - TODAY

OLCC expands the list of beverage containers you'll pay more for in the new year

The price of kombucha and those hard seltzers that are the hot, new alcohol-delivery beverages will rise by a dime after the first of the year but that's because the containers are now refundable under Oregon's bottle bill.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission on Thursday approved its own rule changes and some passed by the Legislature.

Also added to the bottle bill were what the OLCC described as, "Kefir, drinkable yogurt, milk-based smoothies and other beverages that are primarily milk or plant-based milk but include other ingredients such as fruit."

Containers of milk, cream, half and half as well as plant or nut-based milks are still not refundable and you won't have to pay a deposit on them in 2020.

You count on us to stay informed and we depend on you to fund our efforts.Quality local journalism takes time and money. Please support us to protect the future of community journalism.

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Those empty cans of White Claw will be worth a dime in 2020 - Pamplin Media Group

Cyprus police have arrested three employees of a firm owned by a former Israeli intelligence officer over suspicions they used a high-tech surveillance van to intercept communications.

The latest case follows mounting concern over the operations of Israeli spyware and surveillance companies across the globe who have been implicated in a series of high-profile scandals, including targeting Harvey Weinsteins accusers and selling spyware allegedly used to hack the phones of human rights activists.

The arrests in Cyprus involve a Cypriot-registered company called WiSpear, owned by Tal Dilian, an Israeli described in local media as a former intelligence officer with customers in Africa, the Gulf and far east.

In a bizarre twist, Dilian had been interviewed by Forbes magazine on Cyprus this year boasting of the surveillance capabilities of the vehicle involved, a former GMC ambulance fitted out with about $9m worth of equipment, which he claimed could intercept phones and social messaging apps including WhatsApp from a distance of a kilometre.

A Forbes video, showing the blacked-out van packed with equipment, provoked a media frenzy in Cyprus after it went viral last month provoking calls for an investigation into its activities. The arrests on Thursday follow the seizure of the van last month.

The issue has been pursued by the leader of Cypruss main opposition Akel party, Andros Kyprianou, who has suggested that his party has information that the vehicle was actively involved in spying on the island.

We know a great deal, far more than what we say in public. The information coming to us is extremely alarming, about who is implicated in this process, or what contacts took place during the last years, he added.

When a vehicle with equipment worth $9m [6.9] is out on the streets, and Cyprus being the small place that it is, our suspicions are roused as to what it was doing and how it operated. We expect the government to provide convincing answers.

The Cypriot suspects working for the company, two men and a woman, face 13 charges related to violation of privacy laws, processing private data, falsely obtaining documents and breaking the islands radio communication law.

In an earlier statement police had said their investigation related to data privacy violations. Claims of any wrongdoing are denied by Dilian and WiSpear who claim the van was on the island for demonstration purposes and that claims made by the company to Forbes had been wilfully misconstrued.

For the Forbes interview, however, Dilian appeared to demonstrate to the journalist involved how his equipment could take control of a colleagues Huawei phone from a distance of 200 metres and download malware onto the device.

As the reporter watched, messages from the test subjects WhatsApp account appeared on a monitor in WiSpears van.

According to media reports Dilian spent 24 years in the Israel Defense Forces in an elite combat unit and as chief commander in the technological unit of the IDFs intelligence corps before going into business first with Circles, a smartphone surveillance company which he sold in 2010.

Dilian later founded Intellexa, which claims it can spy on encrypted communications, and WiSpear, whose prospectus offers long-range interception vans.

The company has denied providing services to the Cypriot authorities and says it does not provide intelligence services.

The sole scope of the company is that of selling products and technology it develops, said WiSpear in a statement, adding that the van was only in Cyprus field-testing purposes on company-owned devices and with the knowledge of local authorities.

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Cyprus police arrest three in Israeli-owned spy van investigation - The Guardian