TRENDING NEWS

MICROSOFT TO PURCHASE WIND ENERGY FROM DUTCH BASED COMPANY ENECO

Microsoft has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based wind farm development company Eneco to purchase ninety megawatts of energy from its massive 731.5 MW offshore wind project, the Borssele III/IV. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will receive renewable energy from Eneco for 15 years starting...

OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

In early February this year the Global Wind Energy Council published figures revealing that a total of 51.3GW of new wind capacity was added in 2018, made up of 46.8GW of onshore wind and 4.49GW of offshore wind. The increased capacity of offshore wind farms was noted in China, the UK and Germany. A...

POWERING THE FUTURE: WHERE THE WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY HAS BEEN AND WHAT LIES AHEAD

Twenty years ago, they were still a pretty novel sight, but today, they are a common part of our landscape in Siouxland. Wind farms continue to grow in size and number across the U.S. Not everyone is a fan of them, but all indications are that it’s a trend that will continue. They dot the countrysid...

ECO2SOLAR PARTNERS SUNAMP FOR SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE HEATING PILOT

Eco2Solar has partnered heat battery firm Sunamp to deliver a solar PV-powered domestic heating pilot.Solar PV provided by Eco2Solar will be connected to Sunamp’s UniQ range of heat batteries, with energy stored in the batteries able to be used for later generation of hot water.Homes that are part o...

YOUR SOLAR REBATES: NATIONAL AND STATE BASED SOLAR POWER AND BATTERY REBATES

Australians may have missed out on Labor’s renewable energy plans for the nation with their election loss this past weekend. But there’s plenty of help available in solar power and battery rebates – supporting the environment as well as slashing their power bills.Let’s take a look at what financial ...

POWER ELECTRONICS MARKET TO WITNESS ROBUST GROWTH OWING TO RISING TREND OF ENERGY HARVESTING & USAGE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES TILL 2025

The emerging demand for energy-efficient, battery powered devices and use of electronics in different industries is likely to fuel market globally over a forecast period. In 2016, the market size of power electronics was valued at USD 32.33 globally. The growing trend of energy harvesting, usage of ...

INTEGRATING RENEWABLE SOURCES INTO A RELIABLE POWER ECOSYSTEM

Balancing different sources of power, including renewables represents the most efficient and sustainable approach to meeting the energy needs we have now, and those of the next generation. Efficient control hardware combined with the management and optimization offered by virtual power plants provid...

SOLAR INDUSTRY LAUDS ‘AMBITIOUS’ LABOUR PROPOSALS

Ambitious Labour Party plans to install solar on 1.75 million homes in the UK have been strongly welcomed by the country’s domestic solar industry. Ambitious Labour Party plans to install solar on 1.75 million homes in the UK have been strongly welcomed by the country’s domestic solar industry. Thos...

ABB LAUNCHES BLOCKCHAIN-BASED INVERTERS FOR SOLAR ENERGY

nternational electrical engineering company ABB recently launched a pilot to examine how blockchain technology can be used to boost the role of solar in peer-to-peer energy trading and smart grids.The project was a collaboration with an Italian energy aggregator Evolvere to deploy their blockchain t...

CHINA INVESTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY IN CUBA

Cuba began investing in renewable energy in 2014 and is ramping up its efforts in a push to make renewables its principal source of electricity by 2030. According to Xinhua News,China is one of the leading investors in Cuba’s renewable energy program. The goal is for Cuba to derive 24% of its electr...

JAPAN'S ORIX CORP OFFERS TO MATCH GAIL'S BID FOR IL&FS WIND ENERGY

GAIL’s ambition to expand its renewable portfolio through Il&FS’ wind portfolio faces a new hurdle. ORIX Corporation of Japan (ORIX) has now expressed its intent to exercise its right to buy out the remaining stake in IL&FS Wind Energy.ORIX owns 49 per cent stake in IL&FS’ wind portfolio, and GAIL h...

IN INDIA, INVESTMENT IN RENEWABLES SURPASSED FOSSIL FUELS DURING 2018

Global investment in the renewable energy sector has gone up by 55% since 2010, according to the World Investment Report 2019 released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).The report states that in 2018, global energy investment remained relatively stable, at over $1.8 trillion, following three ...

GOLDMAN SACHS BECOMES SOLAR SUPPLIER TO CALIFORNIA CCAS AS ITS ACQUISITION SPREE CONTINUES

Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy has sold its remaining equity stake in the 100-megawatt Mustang solar project, a key resource for California’s flagship community-choice aggregators, to the Renewable Power Group of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Thursday’s deal completes Recurrent’s sale ...

BUSINESSES ARE CONFIDENT OF GROWTH IN INDIA'S RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

In a new report, renewable energy consultancy Bridge to India has revelaed the anticipated progress for India’s renewable energy sector over the next half a decade. As per the firm, rapid development in the solar energy sector is expected to drive the overall energy generation up to 80 gigawatts (GW...

INDIA DROPS A TAD BUT STILL AMONG MOST FAVOURABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY MARKETS

China is the most attractive market for investment in renewable energy for the fourth year in a row and growth there is set to continue despite the country's efforts to trim subsidies, a report by UK accountancy firm Ernst & Young showed on Wednesday.In an annual ranking of the top 40 renewable ener...

TESLA’S NEW YORK JOBS TARGET ON TRACK AS BUFFALO FACTORY EXPANDS BEYOND SOLAR

The electric-vehicle, solar and storage producer must meet certain jobs requirements under an agreement with New York that offered Tesla tax benefits for siting its Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo. There are now 730 full-time workers employed at the Buffalo plant where Tesla's solar roof is produced, a num...

MINNESOTA NONPROFITS USING COMMUNITY SOLAR TO HELP VETERANS, FAMILIES IN NEED

A growing list of nonprofits is partnering with solar developers to lower utility costs for lower-income residents. Minnesota nonprofits are turning to community solar as a tool to fight poverty. Community solar typically involves households or businesses buying subscriptions to projects owned by a ...

LIGHTSOURCE BP CONTINUES SOLAR PUSH WITH 49.9MW SOLAR FARM

Lightsource BP is proposing the development of a 49.9MW solar farm in Nottingham, with a 700MW global pipeline announced. The UK solar firm will fund, develop and build the farm on 205 acres of land at Inkersall Grange Farm. A biodiversity management plan is to be developed in conjunction with the p...

NSW RIVERINA SOLAR FARM WITH BATTERY STORAGE BOOSTS LOCAL JOBS

A new Riverina solar farm in the southwestern New South Wales rural region has been approved by the NSW government. Along with the capacity to generate electicity, there is also 25 MW of battery storage. The $130 million, 100 MW West Wyalong Solar Farm will create around 150 jobs during construction...

NON-HYDRO RENEWABLE TO SHOW STRONG GROWTH OF 22.4% IN VIETNAM, DURING 2019-2030, SAYS GLOBALDATA

May 13, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Non-hydro renewable is expected to show the highest growth rate in Vietnam, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4%, due to government policies and the untapped renewable potential, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics comp...

EVGO CHARGERS GO 100% RENEWABLE

EVgo operates more than 1,100 DC fast chargers in the U.S. and plans to double the network by the end of 2020. EVgo announced that it's the first charging network in the U.S. to contract for 100% renewable energy to power. The company is purchasing electricity ensuring - through certificate - that t...

ATLANTA PROPOSES 100 PERCENT GREEN ENERGY IMPLEMENTATION BY 2035

Atlanta is the latest city pledging to fully switch to green energy by 2035, BBC News reported. It joins over a hundred other cities who have made the pledge. Sustainable energy is an achievable but complicated goal. According to the BBC article, a green energy plan was approved by the Atlanta City ...

FLORIDA'S SOLAR TURNAROUND SPARKS CONCERNS OVER LIMITS ON COMMUNITY PROJECTS

A remarkable turnaround is happening with Florida solar. And while it's still evolving, it's also eliciting concerns in a number of areas. As recently as 2015, the Sunshine State was headed toward over-reliance on natural gas, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. That year, utilities and ...

TEXAS GRID OPERATOR BRACES FOR TIGHT SUPPLY-DEMAND BALANCE THIS SUMMER

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expects a tight supply-demand balance across its grid this summer as the oil and gas industry, along with new industrial load, continue to drive electricity demand higher. On Wednesday, the grid operator for most of the state released its final Seaso...

TIME TO OPEN 'TIME-SENSITIVE' TRANSMISSION PROJECTS TO ORDER 1000 COMPETITION

As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Order 1000, its promise of competition has largely gone unfilled. Two recent reports, one from the Brattle Group and another from MIT Professor Paul L. Joskow, cast a light on the success of Order 1000 and, in particular, the continued lack of competition t...

SOUTH MIAMI COMMITS TO RUNNING ON 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2040

Earlier this year, South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard went "off the grid" for seven days and lived entirely on energy from the solar panels attached to the roof of his home. Stoddard, a longtime critic of Florida Power and Light who is also a Florida International University biologist, told the Miami...

GOOD ENERGY COMPLETES SOLAR FARM SALE

Good Energy has completed the sale of its 5MW Brynwhilach solar farm for a total consideration of £5.6 million. The deal will see the project come under the ownership of CORE Pisces Limited, a subsidiary of CORE Home Nations which is funded by Big Society Capital, alongside local community energy fi...

OYA SOLAR AND CRAUDERUEFF & ASSOCIATES PARTNER TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY SOLAR + STORAGE TO LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK

OYA Solar, a North American turnkey solar developer, and Crauderueff & Associates, a New York affordable solar developer, have signed a joint venture to originate and develop 200 solar + storage community solar projects in New York City on the rooftops of affordable housing properties and low-income...

EVGO COMMITS TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR FAST CHARGING NETWORK

EVgo has contracted for 100% renewable energy to power its fast charging network, the company announced today, making it the first US EV charging network to do so. EVgo will use a combination of Green-e certified wind and solar energy through its electricity suppliers and its renewable energy certif...

SOLAR FOR ALL? REMOVING FINANCIAL OBSTACLES TO GREEN ENERGY

Washington, D.C., Connecticut and more than a dozen other states are investing in programs to make clean energy available to low- and moderate-income households and to give jobs to people like Steven Donerson, a retired soldier and musician whose life fell into a tailspin after the economy tanked in...

JINKOSOLAR SUPPLIES PV MODULES TO A LARGE SOLAR POWER PLANT IN COLOMBIA

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE: JKS), a reputable and innovative solar module manufacturer in the world, today announced JinkoSolar has supplied 250,000 Pieces of 345Watt - 1500V monocrystalline standard modules for one of the largest solar power plant in Colombia...

FOUNDER OF GREEN SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES SAYS NASA'S USE OF SOLAR IS INSPIRING

Operating satellites, space stations, and other orbiting vehicles beyond earth's atmosphere poses many technological challenges, not the least of which is implementing adequate, sustainable power sources. NASA 's solution to the power issue, with the help of its Advanced Energy: Photovoltaics divisi...

GREEN ENERGY PLAN IMPAIRED BY INSUFFICIENT GRID

New York's ambitious green-energy goals are facing tall challenges due to a lack of transmission lines needed to move electricity from the upstate region to the power hungry metropolis of New York City. That is one of the conclusions in the annual report of the New York Independent System Operator, ...

THE CASE FOR U.S. CLEAN ENERGY COOPERATION IN ASIA

Energy demand in Asia will continue to climb in the coming decades, which will have critical economic, climate, and geostrategic implications for the United States. Over the next 20 years, India and Southeast Asia are expected to record the world’s highest carbon dioxide growth rates. For this reaso...

GLOBAL SMART SOLAR MARKET OUTLOOK 2019

The global “Smart Solar” market report includes a broad-range surveillance for Smart Solar market, which allows the purchaser to deeply understand the future trends and anticipate accurate execution. The growth rate predicted through logical investigation gives comprehensive information about the gl...

MICHIGAN REGULATORS APPROVE DTE $273M RATE INCREASE, EV PILOT, NET METERING REPLACEMENT

The Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday approved a $273.3 million rate increase, an electric vehicle (EV) pilot and distributed generation program for DTE Energy, though it denied the utility's proposed system access charge for solar customers. Advocates hailed the passage of DTE's ...

VALUING THE ENERGY RESILIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DISTRIBUTED ENERGY

Reading some of Utility Dive's recent headlines is enough to make you nervous about the state of America's electricity supply. The Russians are hacking into our grid, the weather is bad and getting worse and wildfires have left two of California's three "dominant investor-owned utilities… in dire fi...

GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS INCREASE TO CLEAN ENERGY AUCTION BUDGET

Budget for upcoming Contract for Difference auction increased from £60m to £65m, as industry predicts record level of capacity set to be delivered. The government has officially confirmed the budget for the next clean energy contract auction round later this month, upping the available funds from £6...

THE US-ISRAEL INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE UP TO $1 MILLION IN R&D FUNDING

A joint project between the US Department of Energy and the Israel Ministry of Energy has called for energy technology developers to submit proposals to receive funding. Bird Energy is seeking to provide grants to projects within the renewable energy and energy efficiency and natural gas spaces. The...

FOR THE FIRST TIME, GREEN POWER TOPS COAL INDUSTRY IN ENERGY PRODUCTION IN APRIL

It may seem like green energy has stalled out in the United States with some politicians calling for renewed investment in coal, Federal subsidies for renewable energy dropping by half and conflicts with local residents nixing wind farms. But under the radar, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hyd...

HOW ATLANTA PLANS TO GET TO 100% GREEN ENERGY BY 2035

Like any other city, Atlanta is woven with power lines, trams and buses. The electricity that makes Atlanta run comes mostly from coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Only 6% to 8% comes from renewable sources. "Obviously, going from that number to 100% by 2035 is a bold goal," said Amol Naik, Atla...

MAINE GOVERNOR INTRODUCES BILL REQUIRING 80% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030

Governor Janet Mills of Maine introduced a bill to the state legislature on Tuesday that calls for the state to increase the use of renewable energy such that 80 percent of electricity consumed in the state comes from renewable sources by 2030. The bill also calls for the creation of the Maine Clima...

JAPANESE UTILITIES TURN AWAY FROM COAL PLANS AMID GREEN ENERGY BOOM

Japanese utilities are turning away from new coal-fired power projects in the country amid tighter environmental regulations and increasing demand for greener energy from their key customers. Osaka Gas last week pulled out of plans to build a 1.2 gigawatt coal-fired project, which followed the cance...

AZURE POWER COMMISSIONS 150 MW SECI SOLAR POWER PROJECT

Azure Power, a leading solar power producer in India, announced that it has commissioned a 150 MW solar power plant in Bhadla solar park in Rajasthan. This section is the first phase of 200 MWs allocated to Azure Power by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Government of India enterprise and...

TURKEY PREPARING TO JOIN GLOBAL LEADERS IN ENERGY STORAGE

The Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) has announced a Draft Regulation on Electricity Storage Activities, based on the Electricity Market Law. Attorneys-at-law of CMS in Turkey explain the implications and the planned regulation’s contribution to advancing the country’s sustainable e...

UNDERSTANDING SOLAR FARMS, NEVADA WILL GO 100% RENEWABLE

There are two main types of solar installations, solar rooftops and solar farms. We help you get a grasp on solar farms. Solar farms are a big part of the answer in places like Nevada, which just upped its renewable portfolio standard to 100% by 2050. We also look at how Tesla’s electric vehicle cha...

THE LOOPHOLE: HOW AMERICAN FORESTS FUEL THE EU’S APPETITE FOR ‘GREEN’ ENERGY

The smoke billows like cream in coffee off Lebanon Church road, above the pine stands and winter fallow, a sharp palette of blue and green and white. Heavy with trees and scraps from the surrounding forests of Northampton County, the trucks come and go all day long, downshifting here just before the...

INDIA RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPERS LINE UP US$1 BILLION GREEN BONDS

Two large private renewable energy developers in India are planning to raise US$500 million each through sale of green bonds. The move highlights the tightening flow of funds in the Indian market due to the sustained crisis in the banking sector. According to media reports, NYSE-listed Azure Power, ...

BIRD ENERGY ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING U.S.-ISRAEL COOPERATION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY & EFFICIENCY AND GAS TECHNOLOGIES

BIRD Energy announced its next funding cycle for U.S.-Israel joint project proposals with a focus on Renewable Energy and Efficiency and Natural Gas Technologies. To be considered, a project proposal must include R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university...

ADB ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT RENEWABLE PROJECTS IN THE PACIFIC

As a part of its ongoing Pacific Renewable Energy Program, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an umbrella facility of up to $100 million to provide financing support including loans, guarantees, and letters of credit to overcome constraints to private sector investment in renewable power ...

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ENERGY PRICING AS MARKET COMPLEXITIES GROW

Because energy consumption is one of the largest operating expenses for a data center or manufacturing operation, it’s important that owners and operators understand the potential for price volatility here in the United States. Natural gas and electric rates in the U.S. were stable for most of 2018,...

DUKE TO SELL 1.2 GW, $1.25B IN RENEWABLES ASSETS

Duke Energy announced Thursday it has reached a deal to sell a minority interest in a portion of its commercial renewable energy portfolio, helping to fund capital plans and reduce future debt issuance needs. The assets, owned and operated by Duke Energy Renewables and with an enterprise value of ap...

AUGUSTA ADVISES ON 300MW OF FRENCH SOLAR DEALS

Augusta & Co. (Augusta), a specialist financial adviser to the renewable energy industry, has overseen the sale of a 51.7MW solar portfolio to Tenergie, marking the company’s third solar-based deal in France since December 2018. This brings the total since December to almost 300MW of solar capacity ...

GREEN ENERGY MARKET INDUSTRIAL CHAIN, SOURCING PLANNING, MANUFACTURING BASE FORECAST TO 2028

Green energy that includes green electricity which is produced with less or no environmental impact. This energy does not have greenhouse gases effects and does not contribute to the global warming and is a better alternative to the fossil fuels. The Objective of the "Global Green Energy Market" rep...

BALTICS CLEAR 2020 RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS, UPBEAT ON 2030 GREEN COMMITMENTS

Three Baltic states are among the European Union (EU) member states that have already met, or are close to hitting their 2020 renewable energy targets. These are Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The latter was the first among the three to smash the target – a sizeable 30% of its final energy consumpti...

SAN FRANCISCO COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO GO GREEN BY 2022

San Francisco mayor London Breed has announced a plan to ensure that all commercial buildings in the city larger than 50,000 square feet are powered by renewable energy by 2030. The move will see the city’s 50 largest buildings transition to clean energy by 2022. Smaller commercial buildings will al...

$200,000 GREEN MOUNTAIN ENERGY SUN CLUB GRANT FUNDS SOLAR ENERGY AND HORTICULTURAL TRAINING PROGRAM AT MY POSSIBILITIES

MP received the grant in 2018 to help fund a 200 kilowatt solar panel installation and monitoring system, along with hydroponic growing infrastructure. The projects will cut energy costs at the MP campus and support a new horticulture elective for HIPsters, or Hugely Important People, that MP serves...

EU APPROVES €385 MILLION RENEWABLE ENERGY SCHEME FOR LITHUANIA

The European Commission has approved a €385 million (US$429.7 million) renewable energy scheme to support renewables generation in Lithuania, including hydroelectric power. The Lithuanian government plans introduce a new scheme in May that will provide assistance for the installation of renewable po...

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2050 MANDATED FOR PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico will get 100% of its power from renewable resources by 2050 under legislation signed April 12 by the territory’s governor. There’s a wide consensus that the goal is achievable, perhaps even before 2050. But many questions and disagreements remain over how the island will generate power i...

NEW YORK OPENS SOLICITATION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the third annual solicitation for large-scale renewable energy projects under the state’s Clean Energy Standard on April 23. The solicitation is expected to support 1.5 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year. Bioenergy projects are among those e...

TENNESSEE'S LARGEST SOLAR FARM NOW OPERATIONAL AT MILLINGTON NAVAL FACILITY

The largest solar farm in the state of Tennessee is now operational at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South in Millington. The innovative project is the result of a unique public-private partnership that brought together the City of Millington, the U.S. Navy, Memphis, Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), ...

SOLAR ENERGY MARKET TO SEE 15% ANNUAL GROWTH THROUGH 2023

Strong worldwide interest in renewable energy technologies and significant investments in research and development are factors influencing the solar energy markets, according to a report by BCC Research. The market expects to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% through 2023, when it co...

DUKE, EVERSOURCE COMMIT TO CREATE ENERGY STORAGE SAFETY STANDARDS

Duke Energy, Eversource and 25 other energy companies signed an energy storage corporate responsibility pledge and committed to participate in a taskforce to optimize safety standards, according to an announcement by the Energy Storage Association on Thursday. The pledge prioritizes the safety of em...

GE ANNOUNCES FIRST SOLAR+STORAGE PROJECTS SINCE RENEWABLE BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING

GE Renewable Energy announced on April 15 that it reached an agreement with Helios Energy to develop two energy storage systems as part of the Lenox Solar/Energy Storage project in upstate New York. The hybrid system in Lenox, New York will be installed at the end of the year and is set to be commer...

CLEANTECH SOLAR TO INSTALL CAPTIVE SOLAR PROJECTS FOR BATTERY MAKER EXIDE INDUSTRIES

Indian lead-acid battery manufacturer, Exide Industries (Exide), has entered into three share subscription and shareholders agreements with renewable energy developer Cleantech Solar (Cleantech) to install captive solar projects at its factories. In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, Exide state...

SOLAR TRACKER MARKET CAPACITY TO REACH 39.33 GW BY 2025 - GLOBAL ANALYSIS BY TRENDS, SIZE, SHARE, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The global solar tracker market is driven by increasing demand for energy coupled with stringent government regulations and initiatives. The global solar tracker market capacity is expected to reach 39.33 GW by 2025. The market is growing at a CAGR of 13.8%. Rising awareness about renewable and sust...

DOMINION ENERGY, FACEBOOK RECOGNIZE EARTH DAY WITH ANNOUNCEMENT TO EXPAND SOLAR GENERATION

Dominion Energy and Facebook continue their joint effort to substantially increase renewable energy generation by announcing today the addition of six new solar facilities that will be dedicated to Facebook. This partnership will support Dominion Energy's goal of having 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new s...

NORTH AMERICAN – COSTA RICAN CULTURAL CENTER INSTALLED 459 SOLAR PANELS IN SAN PEDRO HEADQUARTERS

The North American – Costa Rican Cultural Center (CCCN) continues to increase the generation of renewable energy in its facilities, now with the commissioning of 459 solar panels at the headquarters located in Barrio Dent, San José. This investment made through a strategic alliance with YUXTA Energy...

EXPERTS SAY INCREASED DEMAND FOR SOLAR PANELS CAUSES SPIKE IN SILVER PRICES

Researchers from Kent Business School published a paper this week in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research where they state that increased demand for solar panels causes silver prices to spike. After analyzing a series of datasets from the London Bullion Market, installed solar en...

DUTCH ENGINEERS BUILD WORLD'S BIGGEST SUN-SEEKING SOLAR FARM

Dutch engineers are building what will be the world’s largest archipelago of islands made up of sun-tracking solar panels. Growing resistance to the construction of wind turbines or fields of solar panels on land has led the renewable energy industry to look for alternative options. Large islands of...

METHOD SOAP'S FACTORY RUNS ENTIRELY ON RENEWABLE ENERGY AND PRODUCES 1 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD A YEAR FROM ITS ROOFTOP GREENHOUSE

Method's factory is the first green factory of its kind with its LEED Platinum certification. The company manufactures biodegradable natural cleaning supplies outside of Chicago. The factory, known as Soapbox, leads the pact by creating less waste and using less energy. Soapbox features plentiful na...

SLUGGISH UPTAKE FROM RENEWABLES SECTOR AS CLOCK TICKS ON US OPPORTUNITY ZONES

The clock is ticking for renewables developers to grab a bonus handed out in the Trump administration’s 2017 tax reform, celebrated by the Treasury this week. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017’s Opportunity Zones provision, described by advocates as a “giant money fire hose,” could provide a capital...

CLEAN ENERGY DEAL TRACKER: UTILITIES WANT IN ON GROWING DEMAND FOR RENEWABLES

After a significant uptick in corporate renewable energy deals in 2018, the pace of new transactions slowed during the first quarter of 2019. The total capacity of corporate contracts disclosed in the first three months of the year amounted to about 756 gigawatts, about a third of the amount that we...

APPLE SURPASSES CLEAN ENERGY GOAL WITH NEW SUPPLIER COMMITMENTS

Apple Inc. has nearly doubled the number of suppliers committed to run the company's production on 100% clean energy to 44. This helps Apple surpass its goal of bringing 4GW of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020. The company now expects to add 1GW more of renewable energy to its supply c...

SLOVENIA PAYS EUR 135 MILLION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, CHP SUBSIDIES IN 2018

Slovenia’s support payments for electricity from renewable energy sources and high-efficiency cogeneration (combined heat and power – CHP) reached EUR 135.1 million in 2018. The largest amount, EUR 62.8 million, was paid to owners of solar power plants, while fossil fuel CHP generated the biggest sh...

OSERIAN DEVELOPMENT NAMED BEST RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY IN KENYA

Flower producer Oserian Development in Kenya has been named the country’s best renewable energy company, as reported by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). This boosts the company’s goal of creating a carbon-free environment by 2020. Investment in geothermal energy to power operations, use of ele...

ERS TO BUILD 1,000 MW RENEWABLE ENERGY POWER PLANTS OVER NEXT 10 YEARS

Public power utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS) aims to invest EUR 1.25 billion in 1,000-MW renewable energy power plants over the next 10 years, said ERS general manager Luka Petrović. As the company has an enormous potential to use renewables, the ERS strategy is to build 1,000 MW rene...

GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY WILL GROW TEN FOLDS OVER SEVEN YEARS: ALISTAIR SPROUL, UNSW

The renewable energy industry is growing at 25-40 per cent per annum and will be close to ten times its present size in the next seven years. Prof Alistar Sproul, Head of School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering from University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia talks to Ankush Kumar ...

DELHI METRO PLANS TO RUN ALL OPERATION ON SOLAR ENERGY BY 2021

In a bid to promote the consumption of solar energy and to save the environment, the Delhi Metro is all set to use the 60 per cent electricity consumption to meet the demands of its needs and also plans to run all its operation on solar energy within next two years (2021). With that, the Delhi Metro...

JUMP IN RENEWABLE ENERGY JOBS AS SOLAR FARMS OVERTAKE HYDRO POWER

Jobs in large-scale solar farms tripled last financial year, overtaking the hydro sector for the first time, and helping to drive an overall expansion of employment in the renewable energy sector. Data from the Australian Bureau of statistics shows the number of full-time equivalent jobs in the indu...

HOW EUROPEAN DATA CENTERS ARE PIONEERING GREEN TECHNOLOGY

As a preeminent data center provider in Europe, Interxion is among the leaders in both efficient energy practices and the use of renewable energy, showing that being green is a crucial way to win customers in the EU. At Interxion, energy efficiency is a companywide policy, with energy-saving measure...

WITH A FOCUS ON GREEN ENERGY, PUERTO RICO AIMS TO BE BETTER THAN BEFORE

A little less than two years after Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico crippled and facing a daunting road to recovery, the island has set itself on a bold new path toward the future, one that will radically transform its infrastructure and economy through widespread implementation of renewable energy....

WESTERN BALKANS WAITING FOR A GREEN ENERGY REVOLUTION

Countries in the Western Balkans are funding old coal power plants with millions of euros as locals protest against hydroelectric power plants. Nevertheless, environmental activists see signs of hope on the horizon. If the countries of the Western Balkans were to join the European Union tomorrow, al...

UK START-UP OUT TO CAUSE GREEN POWER RIPPLE

UK start-up Ripple Energy has launched a crowdfunding campaign to take forward its “unique” plan to offer consumer ownership of clean power assets combined with energy supply tariffs. The campaign launched on European investment platform Seedrs aims to raise at least £750,000 for 23.21% of the compa...

HOW ATLANTA PLANS TO GET TO 100% GREEN ENERGY BY 2035

Like any other city, Atlanta is woven with power lines, trams and buses. The electricity that makes Atlanta run comes mostly from coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Only 6% to 8% comes from renewable sources. “Obviously, going from that number to 100% by 2035 is a bold goal,” said Amol Naik, Atla...

INDIA WILL HAVE 227 GIGAWATT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY BY 2022

India has set an ambitious target of deploying 175 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 which is now further raised to 227 GW considering that the country is well on its way to exceeding the previously set target, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said today. Addressing the fourth Resilien...

WATTS UP: MAJOR POWER COMPANY AIMING TO INCREASE GREEN ENERGY OUTPUT

Amid rising concern about climate change in Europe and beyond, Polish power company PGE is turning its attention to solar energy, with plans to increase photovoltaic power to 2.5 GW. The EU has been urging member states to increase energy from renewable sources such as solar energy, wind and biomass...

WISCONSIN ADDS CLEAN ENERGY JOBS AMID NATIONAL DROP

Wisconsin added nearly 1,800 new clean energy jobs last year despite a slowing of jobs growth in the industry nationwide, according to a new report. National advocacy groups Environmental Entrepreneurs and Clean Energy Trust have released a study that found Wisconsin jobs in the clean energy industr...

WASHINGTON 100% CLEAN ENERGY BILL GETS ONE STEP CLOSER TO INSLEE'S DESK

Washington's House of Representatives on Thursday approved a 100% clean energy bill, following Senate approval on March 1, making it the fourth state in the country to commit to such a goal. Senate Bill 5116 passed the House 56-42, and will require the state to power 100% of its electricity from car...

PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR SIGNS 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY MANDATE

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Thursday signed into law a 100% renewable energy mandate that the hurricane-battered island must meet by 2050. The Public Energy Policy Law of Puerto Rico, passed last month by territory legislators, directs the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to source 40% ...

HEP TO INVEST AROUND EUR 100 MILLION IN SOLAR POWER PLANTS BY END-2023

The Vrlika Jug, Cres and Vis solar power plants will generate electricity without having a power purchase agreement with the Croatian Energy Market Operator (HROTE) to receive incentives. The solar power plants on the islands of Cres and Vis will help strengthen tourism infrastructure, as their elec...

AKON ENLISTS AI IN HIS GREEN ENERGY VISION

Philanthropist, business mogul and five-time Grammy-nominated artist Akon has announced the signing of a formal partnership between Akon Lighting America (ALA) and leading AI-solutions provider, Group A MondoBrain. The partnership is focused on benefiting the whole of Africa, starting with the Comor...

MOVING TOWARD 100 PERCENT CLEAN ENERGY

The recent flurry of attention given a not-so-new idea, the so-called Green New Deal, has again raised the question of how fast we can act, and how ambitious we can be in reversing climate change and protecting our environment. The risk assessment of not doing enough continues to worsen. We are near...

GLOBAL ECONOMY WOULD SAVE UP TO $160 TRILLION BY SHIFTING TO RENEWABLES, ELECTRIC CARS

Imagine a world where 85% of all electricity comes from renewable sources, there are over one billion electric vehicles on the road, and we are on track to preserve a livable climate for our children and future generations. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reported this week that su...

US ENERGY CONSUMPTION HITS RECORD HIGH IN 2018, SOLAR/WIND/NATURAL GAS GROW

U.S. energy consumption set a record high in 2018, with wind, solar, and natural gas making the largest increases in energy supply, according to a new analysis. The findings come from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which illustrates the results in its energy flow chart. Overall energy consu...

100,000 ZAMBIAN HOUSEHOLDS GAIN CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS THROUGH BEYOND THE GRID FUND

Bringing modern energy to sparsely populated rural areas is a great challenge. Partnerships like this one have helped to make overcoming this challenge possible.” This was the response of Mr Stephen Mwansa, Permanent Secretary (Administration), Office of the Vice President, Republic of Zambia to the...

CALIFORNIA UTILITIES SUPPORT CENTRALIZED RENEWABLES PROCUREMENT PROPOSAL, BUT URGE CAUTION

California's investor-owned utilities are "generally supportive" of a proposed statewide procurement process for renewable resources, they said at an all party meeting last week with state regulators to discuss the proposal. But they cautioned the Public Utilities Commission against moving too quick...

NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR UNVEILS PORTAL TO ENHANCE STATE'S OFFSHORE WIND SUPPLY CHAIN

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, D, announced on Tuesday the creation of a free online state portal to match investors in offshore wind projects with New Jersey-based partners and suppliers, at the Business Network for Offshore Wind's International Partnering Forum in New York City. The New Jersey Offsh...

CLEANCHOICE ENERGY COMMUNITY SOLAR OPENS NEW PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY SOLAR FARM

CleanChoice Energy, a renewable energy company that empowers people and businesses to cut emissions and live cleaner lives, has opened 3 megawatts of community solar capacity for Prince George's County residents. The Simba Community Solar Farm broke ground earlier this year in Cheltenham, Maryland a...

US OFFSHORE WIND SUPPLY CHAIN VALUED AT $68BN; GE SIGNS FIRST SPLIT-BLADE 4.8 MW TURBINE CONTRACT

US offshore wind capex forecast to hit $68 billion by 2030. The value of the U.S. offshore wind supply chain is forecast to hit $68 billion by 2030 with 18.6 GW of new capacity contracted on the Atlantic coast, the University of Delaware said in a new report. There is currently 1.6 GW of contracted ...

SAN ANTONIO RANKED 1ST IN TEXAS, 7TH IN NATION FOR SOLAR ENERGY CAPACITY

In 2018 solar energy capacity in San Antonio grew to a combined capacity of 186.9 megawatts and the Alamo City is now ranked 7th highest in the United States and number 1 in Texas, according to Environment Texas Research and Policy Center's new report. Today, the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy ...

GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND SEES BIGGEST INCREASE THIS DECADE, WITH GAS THE FUEL OF CHOICE: IEA

Worldwide energy demand surged 2.3% last year, a pace the International Energy Agency said was the fastest in this decade, driven by a strong global economy and the rise in heating and cooling load. Natural gas accounted for 45% of the rise in consumption, the group concluded in its Global Energy an...

MORE THAN 80% OF IDAHO’S IN-STATE ELECTRICITY GENERATION COMES FROM RENEWABLES

More than 80% of Idaho’s in-state utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable resources in 2018, the second-largest share of any state in the country, behind only Vermont, according to recently released data from EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Idaho generated 17.4 million megawatthours (...

SOLAR INSTALLATIONS GAIN GROUND IN US CITIES

Solar capacity is gaining in urban areas across the U.S., according to a report released this week by Environment America Research & Policy Center and climate research organization the Frontier Group. The number of U.S. cities with more than 50 megawatts of solar installed jumped from eight in 2013...

AMAZON JUMPS BACK INTO CORPORATE RENEWABLES MARKET

Amazon on Monday said it will buy power from three future wind projects, two of them in Europe and the third in the U.S., while signaling that more deals could be coming soon. The announcement marks a return to the corporate renewables market for one of the biggest buyers of years past. The tech gia...

ALMOST A THIRD OF QUEENSLANDERS WILL INSTALL BATTERY STORAGE AS SOLAR BOOM CONTINUES

Close to a third of Queensland homeowners are keen to install battery storage over the next decade, a survey finds. The annual Queensland Household Energy Survey found 30 per cent of households want to install energy storage to complement their solar panel systems. The Queensland Government’s home b...

NEW PROGRAM MAKES CLEAN ENERGY MORE ACCESSIBLE & AFFORDABLE

The State of Hawai‘i took another significant step forward in meeting the state’s 100% renewable energy goal. On Monday, April 8, 2019, Gov. David Ige announced an innovative new program designed to make green energy installments such as solar water heaters and photovoltaic panels, more accessible a...

PATH TO NET ZERO: CENTRICA SETS GOAL TO DELIVER 7GW OF CLEAN ENERGY SYSTEMS BY 2030

As new partnership with BusinessGreen is confirmed, energy giant unveils sweeping new plan to support the SDGs, accelerate clean tech deployment, and develop a net zero emission strategy Centrica has today launched a sweeping new sustainability vision, unveiling a raft of green targets designed to s...

WONDERFUL TO RUN ENTIRELY ON RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2025

The Wonderful Company recently announced plans to power its entire U.S. operation using only renewable energy by 2025. The Los Angeles-based agricultural company is joining a larger group of other businesses that are shifting their operations away from petroleum-generated electricity. Wonderful wi...

RENEWABLE ENERGY: THE FUTURE OF POWER FOR VIETNAM

Vietnam could meet its long-term energy demands by adding renewable energy sources and cutting-edge battery storage technologies to its arsenal of solutions, experts said at a two-day international conference on renewable energy that ended on April 4 in HCM City. Speaking on the sidelines of the con...

RESEARCHERS WANT TO STORE EXCESS RENEWABLE ENERGY AS METHANE

One of the major drawbacks to renewable energy sources like wind and solar is that we don't have an effective way to store excess energy. When the wind blows, we might have more than enough energy to feed the grid, but we can't store the surplus. Then, on breezeless days, we're left powerless. As tr...

COSTA RICA IS RUNNING ONLY WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE LAST MONTHS

Costa Rica has achieved an extraordinary milestone in the history of green energy. Only with renewable energies, this country has been operating for more than 6 months. The heavy rains in the region have allowed the country to completely renounce fossil fuels, and to feed almost entirely on the elec...

A ROUNDUP OF MAJOR SOLAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY UPDATES FROM MARCH 2019

March witnessed some big announcements in the Indian renewable industry. Several states issued a flurry of orders on relevant issues like RPO compliance and net-metering policies, which have helped the industry gain a better perspective on policies that are often confusing. Here are the highlights a...

INDUSTRY LEADERS EMBRACE A ‘NEW ERA’ FOR UK SOLAR

UK solar is entering a “new era” following the closure of the feed-in tariff last weekend, and industry leaders are prepared to embrace the sector’s subsidy-free future. “Having grown accustomed to the ups and downs of the UK solarcoaster, perhaps it was too much to expect a smooth end to the Feed-i...

FLOATING SOLAR OFFERS UNIQUE BARGAINS — U.S. UTILITIES ARE MISSING OUT

Solar arrays floating on man-made bodies of water can now be cost-competitive with ground-mounted solar and offer unique benefits to utilities. While the technology has a number of advantages, growth in the U.S. has been limited by a lack of definitive data on benefits and financing obstacles due to...

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE: BIFACIAL PV MODULES WILL OPEN NEW MARKETS FOR UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR

Just when you think solar technology has matured and is reaching the nadir of its descent on the cost curve, another major innovation in crystalline silicon modules appears ready to drive those costs even lower. Bifacial technology has arrived and while it is still fairly nascent, the technology alo...

IDAHO POWER CLAIMS ONE OF LOWEST-PRICED SOLAR DEALS AT 2.2 CENTS/KWH

Idaho Power last week announced it has entered into a deal to purchase 120 MW of solar energy at a price the utility believes is among the lowest publicly reported to date. The utility signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Jackpot Holdings, with an initial price of $21.75/MWh — or les...

AS MAINE RE-UPS NET METERING, FIGHT OVER SOLAR TARIFFS BREWS IN CONNECTICUT

As Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would eliminate the state's gross metering and reestablish net metering, another fight over solar compensation is brewing in the Northeast. Last year, Connecticut's legislature passed Senate Bill 9, which included provisions to phase o...

GREECE TO OFFER 456 MW IN MIXED WIND AND SOLAR CAPACITIES IN APRIL 15 AUCTION

Greece’s energy regulator, RAE, will offer 456 MW in the country’s first mixed renewable energy auction on April 15, having received eight applications for a total of 637.78 MW in wind and solar capacities. The applications were submitted by the March 21 deadline, energypress wrote. A 200 MW solar p...

REBA REACHES OUT WITH CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

Doing business by going green is the new trade group created, to support power projects. Big companies are forming a trade association so that renewable energy can be purchased and it becomes easier to shift away from carbon dioxide emissions. The formation of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (R...

GWEC PREDICTS MORE THAN 300 GIGAWATTS OF NEW WIND CAPACITY OVER NEXT 5 YEARS

The Global Wind Energy Council published its Global Wind Report this week, in which it has predicted that the global wind industry will install more than 300 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity over the next five years. The 2018 Global Wind Report is the 14th edition of the Global Wind Energy Council’s (...

GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY MARKET 2019 GROWTH ANALYSIS, OPPORTUNITIES, REVENUE AND SALES, TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS, FORECAST BY 2023

The latest report titled Clean Energy Technology Market 2018 by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 has the simplest recommendation on the topic of the great Clean Energy Technology market. The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market and it does so via in-...

HOW WORLD’S ENERGY SYSTEMS ARE TRANSFORMING

This week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) helped answer questions like where will we get energy in the future. As it conducted a study on real changes on the planet’s energy systems. Electric frameworks are decentralizing; individuals worldwide are utilizing energy uniquely in contrast to previous t...

DETROIT REPOSITION INTO BOOMING SOLAR ENERGY MARKET WITH GAMECHANGE SOLAR

GameChange Solar today announced that the solar market is now growing at a steady pace due to Solar PV having achieved a cost of energy production on par with the lowest cost alternative technologies in the United States. This increase, combined with the rapid growth of GameChange Solar's market sha...

RENEWABLE ENERGY REACHES ONE-THIRD OF GLOBAL POWER CAPACITY AT END-2018

Renewable capacity expansion continues to be driven mostly by new installations of solar and wind energy, which accounted for 84% of all new capacity installed in 2018, finally pushing the overall share of hydro to just under 50%. For the first time total renewable energy generation capacity reached...

INSOLAR AMONG TOP 100 GREEN ENERGY INNOVATORS

Insolar, a leading blockchain company offering enterprise solutions, has been named amongst the top 100 firms by the Start Up Energy Transition (SET), an international initiative which supports innovation in transitioning to greener energy. SET brings together the most outstanding international star...

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: TVA SEEKS MORE FORMS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AS GOOGLE, FACEBOOK BUY 675 MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR POWER

The federal utility created 86 years ago to harness the power of the Tennessee River is seeking proposals for other forms of renewable power, including solar and wind generation, to meet the growing demand for green energy from its customers. The federal utility created 86 years ago to harness the p...

CARVER SELECTMEN DENY SUPPORT FOR 100 PERCENT GREEN ENERGY ACT

The 100% Renewable Energy Act does not have the support of the Board of Selectmen with a majority skeptical of mandates, resulting in a 3-2 vote. Selectman Alan Dunham said he doesn’t like mandates, and that and the lack of detail about the financial costs are among the reasons why he’s against supp...

140 GIGAWATTS OF SOLAR AND WIND CAPACITY INSTALLED GLOBALLY IN 2018

More than 140 gigawatts of solar and wind generation capacity were added globally last year as solar PV consolidated its role as the growth engine of the renewables market, new figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency show. Among renewable technologies, wind remains second only to hydr...

CITY OF SYDNEY ANNOUNCES 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET

The City of Sydney, on Australia’s east coast, announced last week that it intends to further cut its greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to 100% renewable energy to meet all its electricity needs starting next year. Sydney had already set significant climate targets for itself, including a 50...

UK LARGE-SCALE POST-SUBSIDY PIPELINE SOARS 67% IN JUST SIX MONTHS, TOPPING 4.2GW

The pipeline of active large-scale pre-build large-scale solar farms (>250kWp) has seen significant growth during the past six months, and now stands at more than 4.2GW of total capacity. This growth has been driven by the return of established greenfield developers, experienced with the UK solar pl...

DOE CATALYZES CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION IN ALL 50 STATES

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made clean energy research and development (R&D) investments in every U.S. state over the past two years, sending more than $1.8 billion to the national laboratories and to hundreds of private-sector and academic researchers last year alone. Unfortunately, the...

RENEWABLE ENERGY FIRM TO DIVEST NONCORE ASSETS IN BENEFICIAL DEAL

In a March 25 research note, CIBC analyst Mark Jarvi reported that Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (INE:TSX) agreed to sell its Iceland assets, held through a 53.9% interest in HS Orka, for CA$409 million to a European infrastructure fund. From the transaction, "Innergex realized full value," Jarvi w...

ADIA, OTHER OIL-RICH SOVEREIGN FUNDS EXPLORE RENEWABLE ENERGY

Sovereign wealth funds from oil-rich countries in the Middle East are moving to diversify into renewable energy, pushed by regulators and pledges on climate change, but are stopping short of following Norway in shedding some oil and gas investments. Total sovereign wealth fund investments within the...

UK RECORD WIND POWER IN 2018, LEGO’S US SOLAR POWER ACQUISITION, AND MORE

In 2018, renewables and wind power hit record highs for U.K. electricity share, according to government statistics shared by RenewablesUK. Wind provided 17.1 percent of electricity last year in the U.K., with 8 percent coming from offshore wind. Overall, renewables accounted for a third of electrici...

HOW EUROPE IS FARING ON RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS

The European Union's use of renewable energy—such as hydropower, wind and solar—reached 17.5 percent in 2017, keeping it on track for a target of 20 percent by 2020. Each member state has its own renewable energy goal, based on its situation and potential, ranging from 10 to 49 percent. While 11 cou...

ASEAN FAST BECOMING A RENEWABLE ENERGY HUB

Technological innovations and favourable government policies are among the four trends expected to drive Southeast Asia’s transition to renewable energy in the coming years. A report published by global auditing firm KPMG on Tuesday titled ‘The Renewable Energy Transition’ noted that while there ar...

NEW MEXICO’S 100% CLEAN ENERGY LAW PRAISED FOR WORKER RETRAINING, BUT COMMUNITY CONCERNS REMAIN

Last year, New Mexico got nearly 48 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power. According to the Energy Information Administration, 33 percent came from natural gas. Last Friday, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a law that mandates 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, with at lea...

EXPERTS EXAMINE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL

Eighty-six years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural address to a nation mired in the Great Depression. Promising to “wage a war against the emergency,” Roosevelt hinted at the New Deal to come: an unprecedented series of massive public programs and projects intended to p...

FAREWELL FITS: COMMUNITY SOLAR ON A CLIFF EDGE WITHOUT A FEED-IN TARIFF

Community solar is waiting with “baited breath” as the closure of the feed-in tariff (FiT) launches the sector into an uncertain future. With no suitable policy in place, community solar is at risk of “falling off a cliff”, says Emma Bridge, chief executive of Community Energy England. On Sunday, th...

CLEARWAY ENERGY GROUP AND HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC APPROVED TO DEVELOP 75 MW OF LOW-COST RENEWABLE ENERGY ON OAHU

On Monday, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved power purchase agreements between Clearway Energy Group ("Clearway") and Hawaiian Electric Company for the construction of two solar projects on Oahu: Mililani I Solar and Waiawa Solar Power. The power purchase agreements were previous...

RISEN ENERGY: SECURITIZATION OF SOLAR ASSETS VIEWED AS THE NEW TREND IN SOLAR ENERGY FINANCING

On March 25, 2019, Risen Energy Co., Ltd. overseas investment and financing director Zhang Jieling attended the annual BNEF Summit in New York and presented the company's new plans for solar energy financing in 2019. Ms. Zhang said, "As the securitization of solar assets is on its way to becoming th...

FPL ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BUILD THE WORLD'S LARGEST SOLAR-POWERED BATTERY AND DRIVE ACCELERATED RETIREMENT OF FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION

Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's cleanest energy companies, today announced a plan to build the world's largest solar-powered battery system – four times the capacity of the largest battery system in operation – as part of an innovative modernization plan that will accelerate the r...

RENEWABLES PRODUCED MORE ENERGY THAN BROWN COAL AND GAS OVER SUMMER

Growth in wind and solar energy over the past two years has almost entirely replaced the lost output from the Hazelwood power station during summer, a new report says. The latest Green Energy Markets report says renewable energy produced 128% more megawatt hours of electricity than gas and 23% more ...

INNOVATIVE BUSINESS CENTRE: CISOLAR 2019 OFFERS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPING SOLAR ENERGY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

On April 16-18 in Kyiv, will host the main business event of the region in the solar energy field, devoted to latest technology, trends and investments opportunities – CISOLAR 2019, 8th International Solar Energy Conference and Trade Show of Central and Eastern Europe. Today solar energy development...

US DOE AWARDS $36 MILLION TO SOLAR-BASED GRID RESILIENCE PROJECTS

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected up to $36 million in research projects that will advance solar energy’s role in strengthening the country's grid resilience. While fires, natural disasters, and cyberattacks can cause wide-spread power losses, even temporary disruptions in power quality...

HISTORIC CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATION MOVES FORWARD IN ILLINOIS

The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) passed through a key House committee yesterday, moving the comprehensive energy legislation a step closer to becoming state law. The House Energy and Environment Committee voted to advance the Clean Energy Jobs Act, sponsored by State Rep. Ann Williams and State Sen....

PUERTO RICO 100% RENEWABLES BY 2050, $130M FOR SOLAR RESEARCH, AND MORE

Puerto Rico sets goal for 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. The Department of Energy announces $130 million in funding for a solar research project. The Environmental Working Group sees a path to 100 percent renewable energy in the U.S. Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, financial, ...

CONTI SOLAR SELECTED TO PROVIDE EPC SERVICES FOR NJR CLEAN ENERGY VENTURES

Conti Solar, a national solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), O&M and energy storage development company, announced today that it was selected by NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV) to provide EPC services for two commercial solar projects located in Milford and Washington Township, ...

10 EUROPEAN CLEANTECH STARTUPS INNOVATING FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Given that the last five years have been the hottest in recorded history, we’re all concerned about the dramatic impacts that climate change will soon have on our world. Can startups and technology keep up with the pace of global warming? Many are trying, and cleantech has itself become a hot new se...

INDIA’S LARGEST CLEAN ENERGY STARTUP RENEW POWER RAISES $375 MN VIA GREEN BOND ISSUE

India’s largest independent power generation company in the renewable energy sector, ReNew Power Limited, has raised yet another round of funding from international investors as it continues to aggressively push to expand its project pipeline. The capital raised through the green bond issue will be ...

PLANS EMERGE FOR 500MW SOLAR & STORAGE SITE IN THE UK

Following a number of schemes across Europe, in what is generally referred to as the post-subsidy phase of solar farm deployment, potentially the largest solar (and storage) site has now hit the headlines. The site - located across two sites in the Suffolk and Cambridgeshire regions of Eastern Engla...

VISTRA ENERGY SUPPORTS PLAN TO TRANSITION ILLINOIS COAL PLANTS AND REPURPOSE SITES FOR SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE

Vistra Energy (NYSE: VST) supports legislation to be filed in the Illinois General Assembly by State Senator Michael Hastings and State Representative Luis Arroyo, which the company views as a visionary and comprehensive transition plan for its subsidiaries' central and southern Illinois coal plants...

SUNPOWER LED U.S. SOLAR INDUSTRY IN 2018 FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR AS THE NO. 1 COMMERCIAL SOLAR PROVIDER AND A TOP RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PANEL SUPPLIER

While solar adoption in the U.S. ticks upward according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) continues to capture a large share of the distributed generation solar market. In Wood Mackenzie's latest U.S. PV Leaderboard report made available this month, SunPower rema...

NEW RENEWABLE ENERGY INITIATIVE MAKES LANSING A LEADER IN 'GOING GREEN

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor announced his plans to purchase 100 percent renewable energy for all City buildings by July 1st. If approved, Lansing will be the first City in Michigan to do so. Schor will propose his 2019-2020 budget on March 25th; In it, he allocated $280,000 for the new initiative. That...

MITSUBISHI HITACHI LAUNCHES RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICES PROVIDER

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPS) has launched Oriden, a renewable energy solutions provider. Oriden – a play on the English word “origin” and the Japanese word “denki” meaning ‘electricity’ – is the start of a new type of power generation organization. Located in Pittsburgh, the orga...

DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA ANNOUNCES 3 MORE SOLAR POWER PLANTS, TOTALING 195 MEGAWATTS

Duke Energy Florida (DEF) today announced the locations of its newest universal solar power plants, which will provide cleaner, smarter energy solutions to benefit Florida customers. The Lake Placid Solar Power Plant will be built on 380 acres in Highlands County. The 45-megawatt (MW) plant will con...

WIND ENERGY THE KEY IN DRIVE TO ACHIEVE RENEWABLE TARGETS

The Irish government has helped to launch an advertising campaign that will highlight the “central” role of wind energy in tackling climate change. The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) yesterday formally rolled out a national billboard campaign, which it said would focus on the role wind energy ...

PREMIUMS AS SUPPORT MEASURE FOR INVESTORS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS IN NORTH MACEDONIA

The North Macedonian market is currently one of the hot spots for investments in renewables in the CEE region. Both the institutional investors and the financiers have shown a great deal of interest in developing new projects, while the Government itself has announced tender awards for projects with...

PLAN TO MAKE SCOTLAND A GREEN ENERGY SUPERPOWER, THANKS TO HYDROGEN

A NEW blueprint has been drawn up to turn Scotland into a global powerhouse for green energy – a move which economists and scientists say would be transformative when it comes to the wealth and standing of the nation. The study lays the ground for Scotland to take full advantage of the hydrogen revo...

NEW BILLS AIM TO MAKE MARYLAND RELIANT ON RENEWABLE ENERGY

Are more wind farms coming to a Maryland beach near you? This March, environmental activists, energy companies, and Democratic legislators have been pushing for a bill that would increase the state's renewable energy standards to 50 percent by 2030. That standard would rise to 100 percent by 2040, a...

WISCONSIN UTILITY TO EXPAND COMMUNITY PV SCHEME WITH 5MW ARRAY

Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) will add a large-scale project to its community PV scheme after the 500kW maiden installation became fully subscribed. The investor-owned utility filed an application this week with Wisconsins Public Service Commission to expand its Shared Solar Programme with a 5MW ar...

ITALY'S ENEL PUTS FAITH IN GREEN ENERGY, GRIDS TO POWER GROWTH

Enel, Europe's biggest utility, pledged to grow its green energy and grids business in Italy and the Americas on Thursday as it reported a rise in profits and dividends and stuck to its targets for 2019. The Italian state-controlled utility said its net ordinary profit last year rose 9.5 percent to ...

AZURE POWER PUTS OVER 500 MWS OF SOLAR POWER PROJECTS INTO OPERATIONS IN FY19

Azure Power, a leading solar power producer in India, announced it has commissioned a cumulative capacity of over 500 MWs since last fiscal year, bringing the company's total operational portfolio to over 1,400 MWs, one of the largest solar portfolios in India. Over the past three months, Azure Powe...

RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE U.S. DOUBLED IN THE PAST DECADE — SO WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE GETTING WORSE

Renewable energy is on the rise — and settle in, because it's only going to keep growing. According to new data, the U.S. has doubled its use of renewable electricity generation between 2008 and 2018. And not only that, but 90 percent of the new renewable energy sources were either wind or solar pow...

STATKRAFT LOOKS TO VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS AS RENEWABLE ENERGY DEMAND SURGES

The Norwegian hydro giant Statkraft is looking to a virtual power plant model for expansion across Europe. This month the company confirmed plans for 2 gigawatts of VPP capacity in the U.K. later this year, alongside 12 gigawatts in Germany. State-owned Statkraft said it already manages more than 1 ...

IN WHAT WAYS WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ENERGY STORAGE CHANGE THE ENERGY SECTOR

Artificial Intelligence, Energy Storage and the Power Industry: Toward a Smart and Resilient Grid! The global energy industry faces fundamental changes in the way it generates, sells and distributes energy. And some contradictions in the reaction appears. There is strong pressure to improve resilien...

THE SUNNYSIDE OF CANNABIS; CANNABIS GROWTH BOOSTS SOLAR MARKET

Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering hemp and cannabis stocks releases the first article in a two part series on how the growing global cannabis market is boosting ancillary markets, including the solar/cleantech industry. Recently MarketsInsider noted, "Marijuana appears to ...

EDEN SUSTAINABLE AND AMP CLEAN ENERGY LAUNCH MULTI-MILLION-POUND POST-SUBSIDY SOLAR FUND

Eden Sustainable and AMP Clean Energy have partnered on a new, multi-million-pound post-subsidy solar fund. The duo are to develop and finance a number of post-subsidy solar projects and have already amassed a pipeline of around 30MW, around half of which is pegged as being at an advanced stage. The...

CALCOM ENERGY AND BELLA VISTA WATER DISTRICT BUILD SOLAR TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY

CalCom Energy and Bella Vista Water District announce the completion of a 693-kilowatt solar project to provide clean energy for the utility's use in Redding, CA. The system will advance the district's sustainability efforts, improve resiliency and reduce costs by offsetting electricity used to pump...

INDIA'S MEGA RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET TO DRIVE GROWTH OF WIND ENERGY SECTOR: WOODMAC

Aggressive renewable energy target in India and "explosive" growth in the offshore sector are expected to drive a 10-year CAGR of 12.2 per cent in the wind energy sector in Asia Pacific, excluding China, said a report by research group Wood Mackenzie. “Target compliance in India is likely to bifurca...

UAE AIMS TO BOOST RENEWABLE PRODUCTION

As Europe struggles to meet its renewable commitments under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the United Arab Emirates is trying to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and increase green-energy production. The UAE says it has become a West Asian hub for clean energy technology, providing funding to ...

RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM EXPANDING TO BUSINESSES

Santa Monica residents have been receiving cleaner electricity since February and local businesses soon will too. City Council decided last September abandon Southern California Edison (SCE) in favor of Clean Power Alliance (CPA), a new utility that provides electricity from renewable sources such a...

OXFORD PV LANDS £31 MILLION FUNDING FOR PEROVSKITE COMMERCIALISATION PUSH

UK-based perovskite specialist Oxford PV has raised £31 million in a Series D funding round which included participation from a host of global energy companies. In the first portion of its Series D funding, the company saw “major” new investment from Chinese renewables firm Goldwind as well as new f...

50.2 GW OF WIND POWER ADDED IN 2018, A 4% INCREASE FROM 2017

50.2GW of new wind power was added globally in 2018, a 4% increase year over year and the third highest annual total on record, according to the Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables “Global Wind Power Market Outlook Update: Q1 2019” report. Commenting on the research, Luke Lewandowski, Wood Mackenzie P...

PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR $150 MILLION SOLAR FARM IN MICHIGAN

The River Fork Solar Project will be handled by New York-based energy company Ranger Power. It will encompass between 750 and 1,000 acres of land. According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, the energy from the panels will be connected to the electrical grid through a substation just west of 28 Mile Roa...

VERMONT COMPANY DEVELOPS COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT ON BROWNFIELD

Long View Forest and Encore Renewable Energy have commissioned a 745 kilowattpeak community solar array on three acres at the new Long View headquarters and woodyard on Ferry Road in Hartland, Vermont. The project is on a 28-acre remediated “brownfield” property formerly used as a saw mill and lumbe...

DAIRYLAND POWER ANNOUNCES NEW SOLAR ENERGY FACILITY

Dairyland Power Cooperative announces a purchase agreement for a major solar energy facility in Jefferson County. The Cooperative is partnering with Ranger Power for the proposed 149 megawatt Badger State Solar Project. Plans are being made to build in the Towns of Jefferson and Oakland in Wisconsin...

HVAC COMPANY TRANE GETS INTO SOLAR PV INSTALLATION BUSINESS, DEVELOPS CARPORTS FOR FIVE SCHOOLS IN MASSACHUSETTS

While best recognized as a global leading manufacturer of HVAC equipment and Building Automation Systems, Trane also offers comprehensive energy services providing self-funding energy and cost saving projects to building owners globally. Trane not only provides HVAC equipment, building automation sy...

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY REQUIRES ‘A LOT OF GREEN HYDROGEN

The production of so-called green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is seen as a potential game-changer for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system. But getting there will take some time and some intermediary solutions will be needed, says Daan Peters. Daan Peters is the associate di...

NORTH CAROLINA'S SOLAR POWER OUTPUT GREW 36 PERCENT IN 2018

Annual solar energy production in North Carolina jumped 36 percent in 2018, according to the latest government data – firmly placing North Carolina as the No. 2 solar-producing state in the nation. Data (page 54) from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirmed North Carolina's 36 per...

LIVINGSTON BECOMES 8TH TOWN IN U.S. TO GO 100% GREEN ENERGY

The Livingston Township Council voted Wednesday night to give PSE&G customers 100% Green Energy for the next sixteen months, a move that has already won them plaudits from a leading state environmentalist and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair). “Over that time, we will be saving those ratepayers...

HANERGY LAUNCHES COUNTRY'S LARGEST THIN-FILM SOLAR POWER INDUSTRIAL PARK IN THE NETHERLANDS

The world's largest thin-film solar power solution company, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (00566.HK), marks yet another milestone achievement. On March 13th, the clean enrgy giant has recently officially launched Roodehaan solar park in Groningen, Netherlands, generating power equivalent for 3,500 h...

NEW MEXICO SET TO REQUIRE 100% CARBON-FREE ENERGY GENERATION

New Mexico lawmakers passed Senate Bill 489, requiring the state to get 100% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2045. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham praised the landmark legislation and is expected to sign the bill. The state is set to join California and Hawaii in approving ambitious renewa...

SOLAR HELPS BRISTOL COUNCIL MEET CLIMATE TARGETS TWO YEARS EARLY

Bristol City Council has hit its climate targets two years early, with solar playing a crucial role. The council has reduced carbon emissions from its direct activities by 65%, an aim it initially wanted to achieve by 2020. It’s the second year running that the council has exceeded its carbon target...

SPRING STATEMENT: INDUSTRY MIXED OVER ‘WORLD-LEADING’ ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLEDGE

Chancellor Philip Hammond has received mixed feedback from the green economy for his Spring Statement, which included proposals for a new ‘Future Home Standard’. While specific details on the standard have yet to be disclosed, Hammond said it would ensure all new homes are built without fossil fuel ...

TAX INCENTIVES ENCOURAGE CLEAN ENERGY FOR BUSINESS

If you’ve been thinking about outfitting your commercial property with rooftop solar panels, now is a good time. The federal government announced tax incentives in its fall economic statement for businesses wanting to adopt clean energy solutions. Bluewater Power CEO Janice McMichael-Dennis said ren...

5 GREEN BUILDING TRENDS: ENERGY STORAGE A BIGGER PIECE IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PUZZLE

To be sure, the battery and energy storage industry faces big challenges. Price, performance, capacity and a limited supply of key materials still raise questions about scalabilty. Most experts agree that current technologies for batteries, fuel cells and other energy storage products lack the capac...

FPL ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR THE LARGEST COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM IN THE U.S

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today filed a proposal with the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) for a new community solar program that would offer FPL customers the opportunity to directly participate in Florida's transformation to a world leader in solar energy. Through this voluntary p...

THE GREEN NEW DEAL AS ENERGY JOBS CATALYST: FIVE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ASKING

In February, the Green New Deal (GND) was introduced as a resolution in the US House of Representatives aimed at achieving “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers … to create millions of good, high-wage jobs.” Here are five key questions ...

NDP BILL CALLS FOR JOB CREATION THROUGH RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN

People aren't afraid enough of climate change, says a Halifax environment and development professor. "I don't think we appreciate what is actually coming," Kate Ervine, a Saint Mary's University professor with expertise in political ecology and carbon markets. Ervine was at the legislature Tuesday t...

CRACKING SUGAR'S DNA TO PRODUCE NEW GREEN ENERGY TO POWER THE WORLD

Sugar has long been a source of energy for people, but now scientists believe they are close to unlocking its DNA secrets and harnessing its potential as a green fuel. As demand for the sweet stuff in food takes a tumble, its 'reinvention' as a source of green energy could protect the $2 billion ind...

INDIANA TOWN COMMITS TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2050

The city council in Evansville, Indiana has adopted a resolution to use 100% renewable energy for city government operations by 2050. According to the Courier & Press, the resolution is a pledge to reduce the city’s carbon footprint and increase residents’ overall health and wellbeing. It urges the ...

BRD LENDING 9 MLN EURO TO BACK GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS IN ALBANIA

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 9.0 million euro ($10.1 million) loan to support green energy investment projects in Albania, the EU ambassador to Albania said on Tuesday. The financing for Albania is provided under the EBRD’s 85 million euro Western Balkan...

VETIVA, CFAL, AGFWA PARTNER TO FINANCE GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS

Vetiva Capital Management Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Climate Finance Advisory Limited (CFAL) and the African Guarantee Fund West Africa (AGFWA) on the Green Energy Fund (GEF) Programme. The programme seeks to leverage available public and private sector credit funds t...

COMPANY ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR TRANSMITTING IOWA RENEWABLE ENERGY EAST

A development company wants to construct an almost a high voltage underground transmission line to transport wind and solar energy from Mason City to the Chicago area. Direct Connect Development Company will construct the majority of the SOO Green Renewable Rail project along rail owned by the Canad...

TPI TO INSTALL 12 MW / 26 MWH ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OECC & THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE

Today's Power Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., announced today that it will be deploying two 6MW/13MWh lithium ion energy storage systems (ESS) in the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The systems, which will operate under a long term agreement between Today's Po...

ENERGY TOOLBASE INTEGRATES STEM'S INDUSTRY-LEADING AI STORAGE PLATFORM AND EXPERIENCE

Energy Toolbase now includes Stem, Inc., the world leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven energy storage services. This addition gives project developers who use Energy Toolbase the opportunity to design and deploy solar + storage solutions based on Stem's industry-leading energy storage cont...

UK TO GET 30% OF ELECTRICITY FROM OFFSHORE WIND BY 2030

The U.K. this month launched a major commitment to renewable energy development, with a pledge to get 30 percent of electricity from offshore wind by 2030. Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry unveiled plans for a joint government-industry Offshore Wind Sector Deal that would involve a £40 ...

WIND-SOLAR PAIRING CUTS EQUIPMENT COSTS WHILE RAMPING UP OUTPUT

A western Minnesota wind-solar project is among the first of its kind in the country but won’t be the last. A trailblazing wind-solar hybrid project in western Minnesota could be a preview of what’s to come as renewable developers look for new ways to bolster projects. The project, developed and own...

PUERTO RICO'S ENERGY FUTURE IS RENEWABLE

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, it cut short nearly 3,000 lives, displaced thousands of families, and subjected the commonwealth to the longest energy blackout in U.S. history. This tragedy invited a new vision for Puerto Rico’s battered electric grid, and I hoped that a central tenet o...

GGF IMPACT STORIES: HELPING SERBIA INCREASE ENERGY SAVINGS

The Green for Growth Fund (GGF) supports sustainable energy finance and green energy projects through funding, know-how and the tools to succeed in the market. Serbia represents one of the Fund’s largest portfolios and with more than EUR 90 million invested, it is one of the GGF’s biggest success st...

MASDAR DISPLAYS 4GW GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS AT SUMMIT

Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, said that its renewable energy portfolio has grown by 33 per cent over the past year, reaching 4 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy in operation and under development across 25 countries. Speaking at the Intersolar Middle East 2019 conference last week in Abu Dha...

SOLAR FARMS IN SPACE COULD BE RENEWABLE ENERGY'S NEXT FRONTIER

As the green energy revolution accelerates, solar farms have become a familiar sight across the nation and around the world. But China is taking solar power to a whole new level. The nation has announced plans to put a solar power station in orbit by 2050, a feat that would make it the first nation ...

THAILAND’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS

After three years of revision, Thailand recently unveiled its updated power development plan (PDP 2018–2037), which explicitly shows the country’s ambition to embrace renewable energy. PDP 2018–2037 was approved by the National Energy Policy Council on January 24 and is expected to take effect in th...

TRUMP SAID TO AGAIN SEEK DEEP CUTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY FUNDING

The Trump administration is again seeking severe cuts to the U.S. Energy Department division charged with renewable energy and energy efficiency research, according to a department official familiar with the plan. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Office of Energy Effic...

AUSTRALIAN CORPORATE RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTAL HAS 7 GW UP FOR GRABS

As the business case grows for corporates to sign renewable energy power deals, and Australia’s renewable project pipeline expands, the country’s first marketplace has opened for buyers and developers to form perfect power couples. Think of it as Tinder for renewable energy generators and corporates...

DNV GL, WIND INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO STAND UP TO RAINDROP DAMAGE

Energy advisory and certification body DNV GL said Tuesday it has teamed up with 10 commercial partners to study the extent of wind turbine blade damage caused by raindrops and determine how best to develop protection systems. Vestas Wind Systems, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, LM Wind Power, Ørst...

NEW MEXICO SENATE PASSES 100% CARBON-FREE ELECTRICITY TARGET

New Mexico has joined the drumbeat of states pushing for a transition to clean electricity. The state Senate passed the Energy Transition Act (SB 489) late Wednesday night in a 32-9 vote. The ETA would impose a "zero carbon" electricity standard on public utilities by 2045. The bill also ramps up in...

COMMUNITY SOLAR BOOMS IN ILLINOIS, SPARKING FEARS OF A BUST

When the Illinois Power Authority opened applications for community solar projects in February, the state was flooded with nearly 2 gigawatts' worth of project applications. A few weeks later, the Solar Foundation released a new round of jobs figures that showed Illinois added 1,308 jobs in 2018 alo...

AS EXTREME WEATHER FORCES COAL TO FALTER, WHERE WILL RESILIENCE COME FROM

January’s polar vortex renewed Trump administration calls to subsidize uneconomic coal-fired generation to improve grid resilience through on-hand fuel supplies, but reality is disproving this contention — coal is increasingly a grid liability during extreme weather. From bitter cold in North Americ...

UK OFFSHORE WIND TO PROVIDE A THIRD OF COUNTRY’S ELECTRICITY BY 2030

The United Kingdom has finally announced the launch of its much-anticipated Offshore Wind Sector Deal, which will see the country’s offshore industry invest at least £250 million so as to ensure offshore wind generates more than 30% of the country’s electricity by 2030. As is discussed here, the UK ...

CABINET APPROVES RENEWABLE STATUS FOR LARGE HYDRO POWER PROJECTS

New Delhi: To boost hydro power generation, the government Thursday approved a slew of measures including providing renewable energy status for large hydel projects and new funding provisions. Earlier, hydro projects up to 25 MW capacity were considered as renewables and were eligible for various in...

CRISIL PREDICTS RS 1100 BN IN INVESTMENTS FOR WIND CAPACITY ADDITIONS BY 2023

According to numbers recently furnished in a report, India is likely to add 14-16 GW of new wind energy capacity over the next five years (2019-23) at an estimated investment cost of Rs 1100 billion (1.1 lakh crore). Research and rating agency CRISIL has revealed in its, “Execution Headwinds – Viabi...

US UTILITIES BUY MORE RENEWABLES, BUT COAL CLOUD LOOMS AHEAD

First, the good news: major US utilities are buying more renewables. As in, lots more. That’s not exactly a shocker so let’s move on to the bad news: more than 300 new coal production projects could go into operation globally between now and 2022, mainly in Australia, India, China, and South Africa....

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE: MAINTENANCE INSPECTION WINDOWS IN GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS

Power generation plants cannot tolerate an internal electrical failure that impacts the safety and comfort of their personnel or their end-user customer base. Improved operational reliability and productivity can be achieved. By implementing a condition based maintenance program using Electrical Mai...

NEW HAMPSHIRE CONSIDERS OPTIONS FOR BUYING RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR STATE

New Hampshire is preparing to follow the lead of other New England states and create a system for procuring renewable energy on behalf of residents. The New Hampshire Senate has scheduled a vote Thursday on a bill (SB167) to create a commission that would study how the state could acquire long-term ...

CHINA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLED CAPACITY GREW 12 PERCENT ACROSS ALL SOURCES IN 2018

As of the end of 2018, China’s renewable energy installation capacity had reached 728 GW, an increase of 12 percent from a year earlier, according to statistics released by China’s National Energy Administration. This breaks down into 352 GW (up 2.5 percent) for hydro, 184 GW (up 12.4 percent) for w...

STATKRAFT’S LATEST 1GW VIRTUAL POWER PLANT IN THE UK COMBINES RENEWABLES, STORAGE, GAS

Statkraft representatives at the 2016 launch of a battery energy storage project in Germany. Image: Statkraft. Statkraft has partnered with energy & meteo systems to launch a 1GW wind, solar and battery storage virtual power plant in the UK, which it says will further renewables’ penetration into th...

MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN JOIN MOVEMENT TO SHIFT TO 100% CARBON-FREE GRID

The 2018 election is already remaking the landscape for state level energy policy. In the past week, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers proposed in his budget to decarbonize the state’s electricity supply by 2050, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Monday released his own call for 100 percent clean elect...

US ENERGY STORAGE BROKE RECORDS IN 2018, BUT THE BEST IS YET TO COME

The U.S. energy storage industry delivered record deployments in 2018, driven by a strong fourth quarter for utility-scale projects. But the new achievement for the young industry pales compared to what’s to come: an expected doubling in 2019, followed by a tripling in 2020. Such growth will propel ...

BLUEARTH RENEWABLES ACQUIRES 23-MW MIDWEST SOLAR PORTFOLIO

BluEarth Renewables’ United States affiliate has acquired a 22.9 MWac solar portfolio from OneEnergy Renewables, a developer of community and utility-scale solar energy projects in the United States. Known as the Butter Solar portfolio, the projects are located across three states—Wisconsin, Minneso...

NV ENERGY OFFERS RENEWABLE ENERGY RATE FOR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS

Last week, NV Energy filed additional information with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) about the Nevada GreenEnergy Rider (NGR 2.0) that makes available more than a million megawatt hours of renewable energy resources for large commercial customers such as casinos and government ent...

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT WILL BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON FOUR NEW SOLAR PROJECTS TOTALING 300 MW

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced plans to build four new solar power plants this year that are expected to begin powering customers in early 2020: “The construction of four additional solar energy centers is just the latest demonstration of our laser focus on advancing solar energy for ...

SIEMENS GAMESA TO SUPPLY 21 MW OF WIND IN CHINA

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has agreed a contract to supply six SG 3.4-132 wind turbines with a flexible power rating of 3.65 MW to a wind farm project in Inner Mongolia, China, to be developed by the State Power Investment Corporate (SPIC) of China. This is the first order SGRE received ...

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANIES ACHIEVE 27 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY IN 2018 DESPITE LOSS OF GEOTHERMAL

In late February, Hawaiian Electric Companies announced that they have achieved a consolidated 27 percent renewable portfolio standard in 2018, even with the loss of Hawaii Island’s geothermal resource for most of the year following the Kilauea volcanic eruption. Hawaii has a goal of reaching 100 pe...

WIND FARM OPERATORS FIND PATH TO HEDGE AGAINST LOW WINDS

Wind farm operators can’t predict the weather. But they can hedge it. Investment manager Nephila Holdings Ltd. and insurance giant Allianz SE have banded together to offer an insurance policy of sorts to wind farm developers known as a “proxy revenue swap.” It’s a technical way of saying they’re gua...

RYSTAD ENERGY: US SHALE PRODUCERS CUT BUDGETS, BOOST OUTPUT

US shale companies expect to deliver an average of 15% growth in oil production in 2019 vs. 2018. At the same time, operators say they will cut capital spending by 5% this year. Rystad Energy has analyzed the recently released earnings reports for the fourth quarter of 2018 from 45 US operators, whi...

GLOBAL SMART SOLAR MARKET INSIGHTS 2019 – ABB, ITRON, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, SENSUS USA, URBAN GREEN ENERGY (UGE) INTERNATIONAL

The Market Research Store report is a collective informative report that goes through the fundamental characteristics of the Market Research Store, essential to be understood by the client including an expert or even a layman. The “Smart Solar” report put strong focus over some of the significant se...

UK LOCAL AUTHORITY TO PRODUCE ALL ELECTRICITY FROM SOLAR

Two large-scale solar farms are set to make Warrington Borough Council the first local authority in the UK to produce all its own electricity from clean energy. Solar and storage company GRIDSERVE is to build the solar farms in a deal worth more than £60m. They will be the biggest to be built in the...

UKRAINE REACHES 1.33 GW OF INSTALLED SOLAR POWER

In 2018, newly deployed PV capacity in the eastern European country totaled 645 MW. Demand is mainly driven by large-scale projects under the FIT scheme, but residential solar under net metering is also providing a significant contribution. Solar energy saw a record in new PV additions in 2018 with ...

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY TO PROHIBIT RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN KEY DESERT AREAS

Developers will no longer be allowed to develop large renewable energy projects in certain areas of the San Bernardino County desert. After a five-hour public hearing Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to prohibit utility-oriented renewable energy development in rural zones and the...

KAZAKHSTAN ADDS NEW SOLAR PLANT TO GROWING RENEWABLES CAPACITY

The SES Saran solar power plant entered commercial operation in late January in Saran, in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, an area long known for its coal production. Government officials said the plant is part of the country’s “go green” movement, with a commitment to renewable energy as outline...

DEWA TO INSTALL SOLAR PANELS IN 10% OF UAE NATIONALS’ HOMES IN DUBAI TO SUPPORT 50-YEAR CHARTER

Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that the Eight Principles of Governance and the 50-Year Charter, launched by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Moh...

GE TO MARKET MEGA TURBINES FOR OFFSHORE WIND FARMS IN JAPAN

Nikkei reported that General Electric will step up marketing of mega turbines for offshore wind farms in Japan, looking to gain a foothold in the nascent sector here as the company shifts away from fossil-fuel energy. GE plans to sell the Haliade-X wind turbine, which boasts an industry-leading capa...

EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES ARE ENERGY’S RICE AND BEANS

The Green New Deal is capturing the attention of many Americans. Global warming is accepted by 97 percent of all scientists as scientific truth. The impacts are happening faster than we thought, but our public policy and our way of living haven’t caught up with the facts. We seem hungry for a soluti...

SOUTHERN SKY RENEWABLE ENERGY AND WARWICK TURN ON NEW ARRAY

Warwick, RI Southern Sky Renewable Energy RI and the city flipped the switch on the city’s second solar array. The array on West Shore Rd. hosts 2,628 panels that are now producing 1 MW of electricity, contributing to the city’s portfolio of renewable energy. In October, a 6.3 MW solar array on Kilv...

STATKRAFT SEEKS TO REDUCE STAKES IN ITS SWEDISH WIND FARMS

Norway’s Statkraft, a major European producer of renewable energy, is seeking to reduce its stakes in four fully-owned Swedish wind farms to 51 percent and would invest in new projects in the country, the chief executive said on Thursday. Selling some of its ownership in the wind farms, whose produc...

SOLAR + WIND MET NEARLY 9% OF U.S. POWER DEMAND IN 2018

Solar output grew 25% and met 2.4% of all U.S. electric demand last year. But despite dramatic gains in emerging markets, only California, Nevada and Hawaii are meeting more than 10% of demand with in-state solar. Each year in February, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administrati...

ALINTA AND VESTAS PARTNER TO BUILD WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST WIND FARM

Vestas has received a 214 MW wind power order from the leading Australian utility Alinta Energy for the Yandin Wind Farm in Western Australia. Once built, the wind farm will be the state’s largest renewable power plant, providing affordable renewable energy to more than 200,000 homes. Located approx...

FIGURES SHOW RECORD RENEWABLE SUPPLIES AS COAL DECLINE CONTINUES

Renewable power rose to record highs last year, supplying well over a quarter of the UK’s electricity, as coal continued to decline, official figures show. Wind, solar, bioenergy and hydropower accounted for 27.5% of electricity supplies in 2018, up from 23.7% in 2017, the provisional figures from t...

2018 SAW 51.3 GIGAWATTS OF NEW WIND ADDED GLOBALLY

The global wind industry added a total of 51.3 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity in 2018 according to figures published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) on Tuesday, a decrease of 3.6% over 2017 but with a slight growth in the offshore wind market. The Global Wind Energy Council has been dr...

RHODE ISLAND APPROVES VINEYARD WIND PROJECT

The offer to compensate Rhode Island fishermen harmed by the latest offshore wind project was disliked by just about everyone in the packed auditorium, but the deal was ultimately approved for fear it might slip away. “We’ve been backed into a corner. Is there a way out of it? No,” said Grant Moore,...

CLOUDVISIT PREDICTS WIND-POWER PRODUCTION TO DOUBLE BY 2027

MRO company CloudVisit says it has foreseen a milestone: the day when wind power would lead in global energy production. Global wind production is projected to double by 2027, and major companies such as Google and Amazon have already installed notable wind projects, supporting the viability and pro...

COLOMBIA FAILS TO AWARD RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS DESPITE APPETITE

Colombia on Tuesday failed to award 23 energy generation and commercialization contracts in its first renewable energy tender, because the results would have violated antitrust rules, the energy ministry said. The government received proposals from 27 local and international companies to participate...

RISEN ENERGY BREAKS GROUND ON 117MW MEXICAN SOLAR PLANT

Risen Energy has broken ground on a 117MW Mexican solar project, marking the solar panel maker’s entry into build-out phase. Risen Energy stated that the solar plant could generate nearly 269,068MWh of green electricity to Mexico every year. After conducting detailed field analysis and survey, the c...

FLOATING SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT TO BE INSTALLED AT KRUONIS PUMPED-STORAGE PLANT IN LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian Business Support Agency (LSBA) has granted €235,000 (US$267,500) to support development of an experimental floating solar photovoltaic power plant at the existing 900-MW Kruonis pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in Lithuania. The floating solar plant will be developed by Lithuanian s...

DECLARATION CALLS FOR MORE OCEAN-BASED RENEWABLES

On 19 February the Belgian government organised a major international conference on ‘Climate Change and Oceans Preservation.’ Over 500 participants from the worlds of policy, technology and industry attended. The Belgian government asked WindEurope to run the panel on the happy co-existence of ocean...

GLOBAL OIL PLOWS BILLIONS INTO SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE

Global oil companies are plowing billions of dollars per year into solar and into energy storage, as more nations seek to switch their energy sources away from fossil fuels. In only 5 out of 15 acquisition deals done in solar over the past two years, over $8 billion was spent, according to an analys...

US-INCUBATED SOLAR TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHES AT HANWHA FACTORY IN MALAYSIA

Massachusetts-based 1366 Technologies announced Tuesday it is partnering with Hanwha Q Cells on a factory in Malaysia, which will be the first factory to produce 1366's proprietary solar wafers. The wafer manufacturer originally planned to open a plant in the U.S., after receiving $17 million in gra...

ALBERTA VOWS THAT RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL MAKE UP 30% OF POWER GRID BY 2030

In an effort to provide greater investment certainty, The Alberta government has released more details about its plan to have renewable power make up 30 per cent of electricity generation in Alberta by 2030. In an effort to provide greater investment certainty, the Alberta government has released mo...

BLOOMBERG-BACKED ACCELERATOR TO HELP CITIES MEET RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS

The Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) collaborated to launch a program to help cities generate more than 2.8 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity and decarbonize their e...

GREAT WALL MOTOR BETS BIG ON HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLES

Great Wall Motor Co Ltd, one of the country's largest SUV and pickup manufacturers, is making hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles a new focus for its business, expecting it to become a vital sector in the long term, according to a senior company executive. The company's first fuel cell model based ...

BURNED BY RUSSIA, POLAND TURNS TO U.S. FOR NATURAL GAS AND ENERGY SECURITY

Gargantuan tankers pull into this port on the Baltic Sea twice a month, ferrying liquid natural gas from producers in Qatar, Norway and, increasingly, the United States. The fuel will help light and heat millions of Polish homes, while gradually cutting the country’s dependence on coal. This fuel is...

SOLAR ENERGY INCENTIVES BILL MOVES FORWARD

The Maine House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill that would rewrite the state’s solar energy policies, including by reviving incentives that allow homeowners to receive credits for excess electricity. With a 93-48 vote, the House took a step toward restoring the “net metering” or “net energy ...

RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP TOTAL EREN AGREES TO BUY NOVENERGIA

French renewable energy company Total Eren has agreed to buy NovEnergia Holding Company, a power producer which Total Eren said was worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). Total Eren said NovEnergia had a diversified portfolio of wind, solar and mini-hydro power plants representing a total n...

SOUTH AFRICA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY LANDSCAPE

Did you know Independent Power Producers were the first to produce electricity in South Africa with Kimberley switching on its first street lights in 1882? The first power stations were built in the late 1890s to supply electricity to the gold mining industry, and by 1915 four thermal power stations...

NEW YORK SOLAR ADVOCATES USE GREEN NEW DEAL TO EMPHASIZE MILLION SOLAR STRONG CAMPAIGN

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature consider renewable energy proposals that will reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels, address climate change, reduce energy bills while creating new jobs, solar advocates on Tuesday are launching a day of action to get leaders behind the M...

BEHIND-THE-METER ENERGY STORAGE SURGES AHEAD OF UTILITY-OPERATED BATTERIES

Behind-the-meter (BTM) energy storage on-site options that allow energy customers to store capacity for use as needed surged in 2018. In fact, for the first time, customer-operated BTM storage surpassed front-of-meter capacity (operated by electric providers) in the second quarter of 2018. Multiple ...

HOW NEMSA PUSHES RENEWABLE ENERGY GROWTH, CERTIFIES 18 FIRMS

The quest for clean, sustainable and uninterrupted energy sources is further gaining momentum in the Nigerian power sector as the Federal Government throws its weight behind the concept and more indigenous firms are beginning to show up in the process. Pushing the growth of renewable energy projects...

KYOCERA AND LO3 ENERGY TO DEMONSTRATE BLOCKCHAIN-MANAGED VIRTUAL POWER PLANT

Kyocera Corporation and New York-based LO3 Energy Inc. have formed a joint project to test the feasibility of a blockchain-managed virtual power plant (VPP) utilizing a peer-to-peer distributed consensus network. Peer-to-peer systems connect computers equally through a network. On a peer-to-peer ene...

AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION TAPS IOWA STATE LEGISLATOR TO LEAD POLICY IN MIDWEST AND PLAINS

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently announced that it hired Jeff Danielson as its new Central Region Director. Danielson will lead AWEA’s state policy advocacy efforts across the Midwestern and Plains states. Before joining AWEA, Danielson served as an Iowa State Senator for 15 year...

POLAND TO INVEST IN SOLAR PANELS AS POWER PRICES RISE

Poland expects its power capacity to increase by at least 200 megawatts (MW) annually in coming years thanks to planned incentives for smaller electricity consumers to invest in solar panels, the entrepreneurship and technology minister said. Most electricity produced and used in Poland comes from a...

THE CASE FOR SOLAR ENERGY IN LONDON

A Labour member of the London Assembly makes the case for going solar. Like most people, I was disappointed at Ofgem’s recent announcement that energy bills will rise by £120 for millions of households, despite the government’s energy price cap coming into force. The rise will be hugely concerning, ...

CANADIAN FIRM SWITCHES SULAIMANI TO SOLAR ENERGY

A Canadian company is in the Kurdistan Region to work on two projects using solar panels to generate electricity for the province of Sulaimani. The projects aim to initially light up the main streets in the city and then, if successful, be used to supply electricity to schools, hospitals, mosques, a...

DESPITE UTILITY PRESSURE, PURPA HAS CONTINUED TO DIVERSIFY THE ENERGY MARKET 40 YEARS STRONG

The Public Utilities Regulation Policies Act, or PURPA, has been a catalyst for utility-scale solar and other alternative energy projects since its inception and passage 40 years ago. In 2017, PURPA projects accounted for approximately 2,000 of the 4,500 MW of solar energy production added in the Un...

NOTICEABLE SAVINGS WITH DISCREET ROOF-INTEGRATED SOLAR TILES

During construction of his new home in San Antonio, Texas (US), John Bedingfield decided he wanted to include a solar system that would reduce his utility bill and allow him to generate his own clean energy. He needed a system that would both conform to the community’s strict building standards and ...

KWH ANALYTICS STRUCTURES SOLAR REVENUE PUTS ON $500 MILLION OF SOLAR ASSETS

kWh Analytics announced it has structured its Solar Revenue Put credit enhancement on over $500 million of solar assets. Rapid adoption of the Solar Revenue Put highlights kWh Analytics’ usage of data analytics and financial innovation to successfully lower the cost of solar. With the Solar Revenue ...

LINCOLN GAP WIND FARM ENERGISED

Nexif Energy has taken the next step towards renewable power production at the Lincoln Gap Wind Farm, following the successful energisation of the main substation. By powering up more than eight kilometres of overhead power lines and substation, the facility can now begin commissioning the project's...

ENERGY TRANSITION: OIL & GAS TAXES TO FUND SOLAR

A law has been introduced to the New Mexico House of Representatives which would require 1% of state severance taxes to be used toward investment in renewable energy. Let’s take a moment to sit down and discuss everybody’s favorite topic in the world, the very topic that led to the foundation of thi...

RENEWABLE ENERGY GROWTH IN USA TO CONTINUE IN 2019, SAYS DELOITTE

According to Deloitte, the fundamental drivers of renewable energy growth last year are likely to continue this year in the US. Deloitte’s report – ‘2019 renewable energy industry outlook’ – informed that 2018 was a resilient year in the US. It gained ground in spite of uncertainty regarding the fed...

SOLAR PANELS OF SWISS INSOLIGHT ACHIEVE EFFICIENCY OF 29%

The pre-production solar panels of Swiss R&D company Insolight SA have achieved an efficiency of 29% in real-life conditions, the company says. "Over the last two years, our team has brought the product from a lab prototype to a full-size solar panel, connected to the grid and monitored 24/7. Our s...

SCOTLAND'S EMEC WINS LEASE EXTENSION FOR TIDAL ENERGY TEST SITE

Crown Estate Scotland has granted the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) an extension until 2040 of its lease for the Fall of Warness tidal energy test site in Orkney, Scotland. The particular site is located off Eday, one of Orkney’s northern isles, and gives marine energy developers access to ei...

SPAIN’S HOLALUZ GROWS REVENUES, CUSTOMER BASE IN FY 2018

Spanish utility Holaluz posted revenues of EUR 180 million (USD 204.1m) and positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in 2018, underpinned by the 65% increase of the customer base. Holaluz, a company that sources its electricity from renewables, said Wednesday ...

EUROPE'S ANNUAL WIND DEPLOYMENTS DROP 32% IN 2018

The European wind industry brought online 11.7 GW of fresh wind power capacity in 2018, down 32% in annual terms, statistics by WindEurope showed on Thursday. A total of 8.6 GW of onshore and 2.65 GW of offshore wind turbines became operational in the past year, which also saw the decommissioning of...

PE FIRM EQUISTONE TO BUY SOLAR INDUSTRY SUPPLIER RENA

Mid-market private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe has agreed to buy a majority stake in the RENA group, a German wet chemical processing specialist that serves various industries including the solar power sector. The agreed transaction will also see RENA’s management team and CEO Peter Schnei...

MCCARTHY BEGINS WORK ON THREE SILICON RANCH SOLAR PROJECTS IN MISSISSIPPI TOTALING 81 MW

McCarthy Building Companies recently began construction on three solar projects in Meridian, Mississippi. Meridian I and II are part of a 6-MWdc solar project located on 38 acres of the Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian in Lauderdale County. Meridian III is a 75-MWdc solar project on approximately 65...

ABUNDANT ENERGY BUILDS FOUR COMMUNITY SOLAR FARMS IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Abundant Energy has constructed four community solar farms to be administered by Ampion for the Greater Rochester area. The sites will power roughly 1,400 homes, delivering up to a 10% savings on their total electricity costs. Subscriptions are now available to RG&E customers, who can enroll at Thos...

STANDARD SOLAR ACQUIRES 27-MW SOLAR PORTFOLIO ACROSS RHODE ISLAND, NEW YORK

Standard Solar, a solar energy company specializing in the development and financing of solar electric systems nationwide, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 27 MW of distributed generation (DG) solar projects in New York and Rhode Island from Freepoint Solar. Standard Solar will engine...

CONSUMERS ENERGY PLANS TO DEVELOP THIRD SOLAR PLANT IN CADILLAC, MICHIGAN

Consumers Energy announced that it plans to develop its third solar power plant in Cadillac, building on its Triple Bottom Line commitment to people, the planet and Michigan’s prosperity. “Consumers Energy is taking a stand for our planet with our Clean Energy Plan that includes over 40% of our ener...

WHAT’S NEW IN WAKE-EFFECT RESEARCH FOR WIND FARMS

Size matters when optimizing for wind-turbine production. Taller towers with longer blades typically capture greater, stronger winds for power generation. However, turbine size is only one important feature of a successful wind farm. Siting and turbine placement at a wind site is also critical. And ...

FIRST SOLAR IS SITTING PRETTY

The thin film PV maker reported solid year-end 2018 results, with future bookings extending out four years and the fourth of five Series 6 factories already online. There are those who say that given the ongoing ability of Chinese manufacturers to keep cutting costs for crystalline silicon, that no ...

SOLAR FOR LOW-INCOME OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

The Low Income Energy Issues Forum has released a new report focused on improving the availability and benefits of community solar for financially-limited customers. The working group identified five different models that can be used to join different ways to best open community solar to customers o...

BP ENERGY OUTLOOK PREDICTS RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL BE DOMINANT BY 2040

Global oil major BP published its annual Energy Outlook last week and predicted that renewable energy will become the dominant global source of power generation by 2040 at the same time as energy demand increases by around a third, driven primarily by rapid growth in Asia. BP’s annual Energy Outlook...

LG SOLAR PANELS USED IN NET-ZERO HOME TRADE SHOW INSTALLATION

Solar panels from LG Electronics are delivering high-performance energy savings to The New American Remodel (TNAR), the official show home of the 2019 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas this week. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) named LG Electronics USA official partner for t...

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS CLEAR PATH FOR ELECTRIC CO-OPS TO EXPAND SOLAR

Electric cooperative customers in Virginia can expand their solar footprint now that both chambers of the General Assembly have passed legislation. The measure will become law with the expected signature of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. Up until now, the cumulative installed capacity of net meterin...

SELF-CONSUMPTION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE PHOTOVOLTAIC REVOLUTION

The opinion held by majorityof the public is that the self-consumption of electricity is beneficial for consumers and the electrical system in general. Thanks to the outreach of organizations such as UNEF and APPA, self-consumption has a good public image. The proposal for a new Royal Decree to regu...

UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PRICING INCHES UP

LevelTen Energy’s Q4 PPA price index saw a sight increase in the price of utility scale solar power purchase agreements, except for the Southwest Power Pool which saw a healthy chunk of inexpensive projects come online. The United States market saw power purchase agreements (PPA) prices increase by ...

NEW 29% EFFICIENT SOLAR PANEL COMBINES SPACE-GRADE PV CELLS WITH CONCENTRATED GLASS COVER

Swiss company Insolight has reached 29% efficiency for its unique solar panel, as verified by the Solar Energy Institute of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (IES-UPM). Its patented optical system concentrates light onto an array of tiny space-grade multi-junction PV cells. Compared to tradition...

PIONEER CALIFORNIA SOLAR COMPANY SUN LIGHT & POWER INSTALLS 905-KW SYSTEM FOR SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

California’s pioneer solar company Sun Light & Power has successfully completed the installation of a 905-kWp solar array atop the new long-term parking garage at San Francisco International Airport. Sun Light & Power worked with SFO, Nibbi Brothers General Contractors and solar panel manufacturer R...

RENEWABLE INFRASTRUCTURE RIDES HIGH ON GREEN INCOME DEMAND

Renewable Infrastructure Group (TRIG) is planning its first capital raising in two years as the £1.4 billion alternative income fund seeks to take advantage of positive investor sentiment for its high yield and contribution to a more sustainable world. The Guernsey-based investment company, which ge...

CONSULTATION STARTS ON GIANT ANGUS SOLAR FARM PROPOSAL

A community consultation has started as renewable energy giant Lightsource BP prepares to create a giant Angus solar farm. Energy firm Lightsource BP said the development would provide enough power for 14,621 households and be the equivalent of taking more than 3,916 large family cars off the road. ...

21 NEW YORK UNIVERSITIES FORM RENEWABLE ENERGY PURCHASING CONSORTIUM

21 public and private universities in the state of New York have banded together to create the New York Campuses’ Aggregate Renewable Energy Solutions consortium (NYCARES), which seeks to lower financial barriers to renewable energy procurement through combined purchases. The consortium plans to con...

TRINA DELIVERS MODULES TO PETROSOLAR’S 20MW PV PROJECT IN THE PHILIPPINES

China-based PV manufacturer Trina Solar has delivered modules to a 20.4MW solar project being developed by PetroSolar Corp in the Philippines. Trina delivered 61,200 of its Tallmax TSM PD14A modules, manufactured at the company’s Changzhou factory in China, to the Tarlac-2 Solar Power Project (TSPP-...

SUNPIN, DIRECT ENERGY INK PPA FOR 75-MW PV PARK IN CALIFORNIA

US solar developer Sunpin Holdings LLC will sell the output of its 74.8-MW ColGreen North Shore Power Plant in California to a North American unit of UK’s Centrica plc (LON:CNA). Sunpin has signed a structured power purchase agreement (PPA) with Direct Energy, the latter said on Friday. This is one ...

SEAMADE CONSULTS WAVES GROUP ON OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

Belgian offshore wind developer SeaMade NV has selected Waves Group to provide Marine Warranty Surveyor services for the construction of two Belgian sector offshore wind farms, Mermaid and Seastar. "We are currently providing Marine Warranty Surveyor services for the installation of foundations, inf...

RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT IN OREGON WILL COMBINE WIND, SOLAR, & STORAGE

A consortium composed of Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy will construct and operate a new renewable energy facility in eastern Oregon. Dubbed the Wheatland Renewable Energy Facility, it will feature 120 wind turbines capable of producing 300 megawatts of electricity in addition to 50 me...

SHELL ACQUIRES SONNEN TO EXPAND CLEAN ENERGY OFFERINGS

Shell has agreed to acquire 100% of sonnen, a leader in smart energy storage systems and innovative energy services for households. This follows an investment by Shell in May 2018 and means that, post regulatory approval and completion, sonnen will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell.

CHINA BLOCKS NEW SOLAR IN 3 NW REGIONS AMID OVERCAPACITY FEARS

China’s energy regulator will block new solar power projects in far western Gansu, Xinjiang and Tibet this year after the regions reached their capacity limits, it said in a notice late on Thursday. China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) declared a “red alert” in the three regions, making use ...

FORT COLLINS ELECTRICITY PROVIDER PLANS NEW SOLAR FACILITY WITH BATTERY STORAGE

Platte River Power Authority will add 20 megawatts of solar power with battery storage to Rawhide Energy Station near Wellington as soon as early 2020. The new solar facility will join 30 megawatts of existing solar power capacity at Rawhide. It will also include 2 megawatt-hours of battery storage,...

SPRAGUE ENERGY INSTALLS FLEXIBLE THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS ON ITS OIL STORAGE TANKS

What do you do if you want solar panels to help power your business but all your assets are round with curved tops? If you are Sprague Energy, you allow Picktricity, a Massachusetts-based installer of flexible thin film solar panels to glue them to the top of your storage tanks. The first panels wer...

PANASONIC ADDS 10 NEW SOLAR COMPANIES TO ITS PREMIUM INSTALLER PROGRAM

Panasonic Solar Group announced its cross-country expansion of the Panasonic Residential Solar Installer program with the addition of 10 Premium installers located across Panasonic’s three main regions. Over the past six months, Panasonic has promoted more than 16 installers across the country to pr...

ENCORE RENEWABLE ENERGY ADDS ROOFTOP SOLAR TO UVM MEDICAL CENTER IN VERMONT

Encore Renewable Energy announced the commissioning of a 198-kW solar array on the roof of the UVM Medical Center on Holly Court in Williston, Vermont. The project began generating solar electricity in December 2018. UVM Medical Center will receive net metering credits at a discount, along with a st...

CHINESE CITY WANTS 700 MW OF NEW SOLAR WITHIN TWO YEARS

The capital city of pollution-blighted Zhejiang province has announced an ambitious clean air policy in the wake of Beijing’s call for local governments, big lenders and power companies to pull out the stops to restart the solar revolution. With more than 1 GW of installed PV capacity already, the C...

PINE GATE RENEWABLES CONNECTS 570-MW SOLAR TRACKER SITE IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Pine Gate Renewables, a national utility-scale solar developer, owner, and operator, energized its Peony solar project in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, last week. Peony is a 57-MW site spanning 334 acres. It can generate more than 97,400 MWh per year, equivalent to powering over 9,300 homes. Pr...

ELEVEN EU STATES ALREADY MET 2020 RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET: EUROSTAT

The European Union produced 17.5 percent of its power needs from renewable sources in 2017, while 11 of the bloc's 28 members had already achieved a 2020 goal of 20 percent or more, the latest data released by Eurostat showed. Renewables, such as wind, solar and hydro power, accounted for 17 percent...

PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC, NEXTERA ENERGY TO BUILD FIRST MAJOR U.S. ENERGY FACILITY INCORPORATING SOLAR, STORAGE AND WIND

Portland General Electric Company and NextEra Energy Resources announced plans to construct a new energy facility in Eastern Oregon combining 300 MW of wind generation with 50 MW of solar generation and 30 MW of battery storage. The new project, called the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, will ...

PINE GATE RENEWABLES, NARENCO, RPCS COMPLETE 57-MW SOLAR TRACKING PROJECT IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Pine Gate Renewables energized its Peony solar project in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, last week. Peony is a 57-MW site spanning 334 acres. Project partner NARENCO helped install the 175,000 tracker panels on the site. The site features DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis solar trackers by Array Techn...

CAN OFFSHORE ENERGY REPLACE A FAILING NUCLEAR INDUSTRY?

The world's largest offshore wind farm off the Yorkshire coast is to supply its first power to the UK electricity grid this week. Could it fill the gap left by a failing nuclear industry? When fully operational next year, Hornsey One will be the largest wind farm in the world. Its 174 Siemens 7MW tu...

MANUFACTURING NOT IMMUNE FROM US SOLAR JOBS DECLINE

Employment in the US solar sector declined by 8,000 in 2018, or around 3.2%, according to the latest Solar Jobs Census. Overall, solar jobs totalled 242,000, down from around 250,000 in 2017. Losses were largest in California (-9,576) and Massachusetts (-1,320) with Florida (+1,769) and Illinois (+1...

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP FLAGS THAT GENERATE ENERGY FROM WIND AND SUN

Scientists have created flags that can generate electrical energy using wind and solar power. The novel wind and solar energy-harvesting flags have been developed using flexible piezoelectric strips and flexible photovoltaic cells. Piezoelectric strips allow the flag to generate power through moveme...

PICKTRICITY INSTALLS 87.5 KW OF THIN-FILM SOLAR ON PETROLEUM HOLDING TANK

Picktricity, a Massachusetts-based installer of thin-film solar panels, originally approached Sprague Operating Resources, a distributor of refined petroleum products and natural gas, to apply the adhesive solar panels to one of Sprague’s tanks in South Portland, Maine, in 2017. Sprague, a pioneer i...

PPA-BACKED SOLAR ROLL-OUT SEES £20 MILLION PLEDGE IN THE UK

NESF and Zestec have joined forces for the development of a commercial portfolio in the U.K. NESF provides the capital, which will be refinanced through the proprietary PPA model by Zestec. U.K.-based solar asset manager Zestec, and the U.K.’s largest solar fund NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF) have ent...

GRENERGY TO BUILD ANOTHER 30 MW OF PV IN CHILE

The Spanish company has agreed with the Canadian CarbonFree the sale and construction of four new solar plants in Chile worth $33 million. Grenergy announced Monday to the Mercado Alternativo Bursátil (MAB), a sub-market of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles, the Spanish company that deals with the organiz...

DUKE ENERGY RENEWABLES BUYS 100-MW LAPETUS SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT IN TEXAS

7X Energy announced the sale of the 100-MW Lapetus Solar Energy Project in Andrews County, Texas to Duke Energy Renewables. 7X, the original owner and developer, will transition the last stages of development of the solar project to Duke Energy, which also will manage construction and serve as the l...

AMERESCO DEVELOPS 110-KW ROOFTOP SOLAR PROJECT AT RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

Ameresco, energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced the completion of its latest collaboration with Rhode Island College to install a 110.9-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the rooftop of Donovan Dining Center. The $300,000 project is expected to save the college more than $231,0...

GREEN NEW DEAL BILL AIMS TO MOVE US TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY, NET-ZERO EMISSIONS

On Thursday morning, NPR posted a bill drafted by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) advocating for a Green New Deal that is, a public works bill aimed at employing Americans and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the face of climate change. The House bill opens by citing two recent cl...

UK LOW CARBON ECONOMY GREW IN 2017 DESPITE CONTINUED SOLAR, ONSHORE WIND CONTRACTIONS

The low carbon and renewables economy posted strong growth in 2017, but onshore wind and solar PV continued to be beset by a retraction of government support. Earlier this week the government’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its final results of the low carbon and renewable energy (LC...

MEXICO CANCELS FOURTH ENERGY AUCTION

After being “temporarily suspended” in early December, Mexico’s fourth long-term auction has now been canceled for good. The Mexican government said the cancellation of the procurement exercise was made in compliance with the current legal framework, and with technical, economic and energy planning ...

NINE LAWS THAT HELPED NEVADA SOLAR APPLICATIONS GROW 450%

NV Energy’s recently released Renewable Generations report showed that solar power interconnection applications increased by 450% in 2018 versus 2017, with half of the systems applied for installed as well. The state of Nevada is seeing action both big and small in the solar industry. In 2018, we sa...

INDIANA UTILITY NIPSCO INKS DEVELOPMENT DEALS FOR 800 MW OF WIND

Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of US utility NiSource Inc (NYSE:NI), has agreed with three separate project developers to add about 800 MW of new wind power capacity in Indiana by late 2020. NIPSCO, which looks to become coal-free by 2028, has entered into an agre...

SUNGROW SHIPS 200 MW OF 1,500-V CENTRAL INVERTERS TO TECHREN-2 SOLAR PROJECT

Sungrow announced it recently supplied its 1,500-V turnkey central inverter solution to Techren-2, a 200-MW solar project in Nevada. The project is expected to be grid-connected by the end of 2019 and creates hundreds of jobs for the local community. The project is in an arid high plateau which can ...

GERMANY INSTALLED ALMOST 3 GW OF SOLAR IN 2018

PV demand grew 68% year-on-year from the level seen in 2017 as Germany’s cumulative installed solar generation capacity reached 45.92 GW. Germany’s Federal Network Agency the Bundesnetagentur has reported 2,960 MW of newly installed PV capacity was added in Germany last year, with 376.5 MW added in...

ARRAY TECHNOLOGIES STARTS 30TH YEAR IN SOLAR PROMOTING SMARTRACK TO OPTIMIZE BIFACIAL PV PRODUCTION

Along the many ups and downs of the solar coaster, Array Technologies trackers have stood the test of time as 2019 marks the company’s 30th anniversary. “When I started in the solar industry over 30 years ago, I dreamed about the growth and development that this industry would go through,” said foun...

CONTI SOLAR REACHES 650 MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR PROJECTS

The national solar engineering, procurement, construction, energy storage and O&M company, Conti Solar, recently announced it has completed or started 650 megawatts (MW) of solar projects since it began operations in 2004. Of the completed projects, several of the recent highlights are the 21 MW Rho...

HUGE SOLAR AND BATTERY STORAGE PROJECTS PROPOSED FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Two new massive solar and battery storage projects have been proposed for South Australia, continuing the momentum in new investment that will likely see the state produce the equivalent of 100 per cent of its electricity needs through wind and solar as early s 2025.

“SUN IN A BOX”: A NEW WAY TO STORE RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR THE GRID

Delivering solar- or wind-generated power on demand, the system, which uses molten silicon, should be cheaper than other leading options. MIT engineers have developed a conceptual design for a system to store renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, and deliver that energy back into an electr...

E.ON FINALLY BEGINS CONSTRUCTION ON ANNOUNCED 100-MW WEST OF THE PECOS SOLAR PROJECT

E.ON announced it has started construction on its West of the Pecos solar project, located in Reeves County, Texas. The 100-MWac project is expected to come online in December 2019 and consists of more than 350,000 photovoltaic panels built over a 670-acre area. E.ON expects approximately 300 jobs w...

GAMECHANGE SOLAR SURPASSES 4 GW OF TOTAL DEPLOYED SOLAR

GameChange Solar announced that it has surpassed 4 GW in sales over the past four years. The total includes over 1 GW of trackers, which saw a 500% growth rate in 2018. GameChange has become a growing solar structure and tracker company in the US market due to a focus on cost reduction, faster insta...

APA SOLAR RACKING UNVEILS NEW 3-RAIL RACKING SYSTEM

APA Solar Racking launched its proprietary three-rail TITAN Series Racking System, which features an asymmetrical clamping design. APA has worked the past several years with structural engineers, professional engineering firms and installers to develop a solar racking system that is both highly opti...

SOLAR INSTALLER SIRC TO BUY ROOFING BUSINESS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

US solar and roofing installer Solar Integrated Roofing Corporation (OTCMKTS:SIRC) plans to acquire a “well-established” sector player in South Orange County to grow its footprint in Southern California. SIRC’s CEO David Massey said in a statement on Tuesday that the company has entered into a lette...

ONYX INSIGHT SUPPORTS DIGITISATION OF WIND ENERGY O&M

Onyx InSight has provided fieldPRO software to ERG Germany to support the digitisation of wind energy operations and maintenance (O&M) practices across a portfolio of 17 wind farms, totalling 117 turbines. ERG Germany is currently using the fieldPRO cloud software platform to manage inspections acr...

LATIN AMERICAN SOLAR DEVELOPER ATLAS RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS BRAZIL

Atlas Renewable Energy has recently added Brazil to its portfolio of Latin American investment countries, with the start-up of the 67.1 megawatt São Pedro solar plant in Bom Jesus da Lapa, state of Bahia. Already holding a 1.2 gigawatt solar portfolio in Latin America, the second-largest in the regi...

US EIA ANNUAL ENERGY OUTLOOK WILDLY MISSES THE MARK, AGAIN

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has often come under fire for its outlooks, both short- and long-term, as it has repeatedly under-represented the growing role of renewable energy technologies in the future energy mix, and with its recently-published Annual Energy Outlook 2019 the EIA ...

TWO NEW PIVOT ENERGY COMMUNITY SOLAR GARDENS NOW ONLINE IN DENVER

Pivot Energy announced that two community solar gardens have come online in Denver at S*Park, a mixed-use development in RiNO, and Stanley Marketplace, a community focused marketplace in Stapleton. In addition to providing solar bill credits to tenants of both buildings, the rooftop solar arrays wil...

CALIFORNIA SOLAR AND STORAGE DEVELOPMENT COULD BE WAY BIGGER IF GROUPS WOULD RESOLVE FIVE ISSUES, SAYS CALSSA

The California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) released a white paper detailing barriers that prevent customer-sited solar and storage from maximizing its potential as a grid resource. The white paper describes opportunities for distributed resources to provide value to the electric grid and ...

OCTOPUS MAKES FIRST STRIDES INTO ENERGY NETWORKS SECTOR WITH ECLIPSE POWER INVESTMENT

Octopus Investments has made a multi-million-pound investment in independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) Eclipse Power, marking its maiden investment in the networks sector. Octopus, which is already the largest asset holder of UK solar farms and is the parent company of challenger supplier...

US LEADS AS THE VOLUME OF CORPORATE CLEAN ENERGY BOUGHT SMASHES RECORD

Companies in the United States accounted for more than 60% of the clean energy deals signed by corporations worldwide last year, according to BloombergNEF. A proposed renewable portfolio standard for Chinese business, though, could turn the picture upside down in a year’s time. Analysts at Bloomberg...

JORDAN SUSPENDS RENEWABLES AUCTIONS, NEW LICENSES FOR PROJECTS OVER 1 MW

Auctions and new licenses will be suspended until the Jordanian government has assessed the capabilities of its power network. Jordan’s Energy, Water and Environment Association (EDAMA) has revealed the government earlier this month suspended all bids and tenders for energy generation projects until...

TRIMARK LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE FOR UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR PRODUCERS

Trimark Associates, a provider of metering, SCADA and energy storage technology solutions for the electric power industry, announced the launch of its newly designed and updated website. The website features intuitive navigation, enhanced functionality and enriched content. “Our new website content ...

KUYKENDALL SOLAR CORPORATION ADDS 21-KW ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY TO OAKLAND CHARTER ACADEMY

The future is bright at Oakland Charter Academy as solar panels were installed on the roof of their school by Kuykendall Solar Corporation. This 21.122-kW solar power system is expected to offset approximately 33% of its annual electricity consumption. “Our system had its final inspection this week ...

RANGER POWER TO INSTALL SOLAR FARM IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN

The Shiawassee County Planning Commission in Michigan unanimously approved Ranger Power’s Special Use Permit request for the Assembly Solar Project, a proposed $250 million solar farm in Hazelton and Venice Townships that will create hundreds of jobs. This is the final step in the zoning approval pr...

RENEWABLE ENERGY STOCKS WILL SOAR AS PRODUCTION COSTS DROP

Something that Paul Mampilly and I discuss frequently when we talk about investments is the emergence of “new world” companies. These are the disruptors the companies that not only thrive in their industry, but also transform the way we live. The example that I brought up recently was Amazon, which ...

REPORT SIGNALS RENEWABLE ENERGY BOOM IN MENA REGION

The capacity of photovoltaic plants installed in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has almost quadrupled in 2018 compared to the previous year. According to Ecofin news agency, 3.6 GW of photovoltaic contracts have been awarded last year against 1 GW in 2017. Some of the plants have bee...

FOREFRONT POWER COMPLETES 27 MW OF NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR

ForeFront Power announced that the company’s first community solar projects in New York are now operational and providing clean, renewable electricity to subscribers across National Grid and Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) service territories. The nine projects, representing 27 MW of capacity, are t...

RENEWABLES IN BRITAIN TO OVERTAKE FOSSIL FUELS BY 2020

Renewable electricity is on track to overtake fossil fuels to become the dominant source of electricity generation in Britain by 2020 according to a new report from British power analysts EnAppSys. EnAppSys published its annual market review and forecast earlier this month in which it outlined power...

SIEMENS GAMESA LAUNCHES SG 10.0-193 DD OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE, Zamudio, Spain) has launched the SG 10.0-193 DD, the company’s first 10+ MW offshore wind turbine. Based on its experience since establishing the world’s first offshore wind park in 1991, the newest wind turbine in the SGRE offshore portfolio builds on five gen...

BUDGET 2019: INDUSTRY EXPECTATIONS IN THE SOLAR POWER SECTOR

The Indian solar energy sector has mixed expectations from the upcoming union budget. While a majority of industry stakeholders anticipate tax reduction, better rate of interest, subsidies for developers in the Union Budget 2019-20, others do not expect mega announcements with general elections arou...

ENERGY FROM OFFSHORE WIND COULD BE STORED BELOW THE SEABED

Scientists at the universities of Strathclyde and Edinburgh believe rocks in the seabed off the UK coast could provide long-term storage locations for renewable energy production. In a paper in Nature Energy, Dr Julien Mouli-Castillo of the school of geosciences at Edinburgh University described a t...

HOW FREE MARKETS ARE EMBRACING RENEWABLE ENERGY

The recent decision to confirm Santiago in Chile as the host for the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference is fitting and significant. Chile has clearly demonstrated how a market economy can transition the balance of its electricity mix from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It is also one of the most l...

STATKRAFT SIGNS RENEWABLE ENERGY PPA FOR LARGE INDUSTRIAL CONSUMERS IN IBERIA

Spanish energy sourcing platform Fortia Energia has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Norwegian renewables firm Statkraft for power supply to large industrial customers in Spain and Portugal, mainly from Statkraft's wind and solar portfolio.In total, Statkraft will supply 3,000GWh...

GREEN STREET POWER PARTNERS DEVELOPS 5-MW MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY SOLAR ARRAY

Green Street Power Partners (GSPP), a commercial solar developer, owner and operator, has completed construction on a 5-MW ground-mounted community solar project in Boxborough, MA. All of the power is being sold to project partner Littleton Electric Light & Water Departments (LELWD), and it already ...

PINE GATE RENEWABLES COMPLETES 57-MW PEONY SOLAR PROJECT IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Pine Gate Renewables, a national utility-scale solar developer, owner, and operator, energized its Peony Solar project in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Sitting on 334 acres, Peony is a 57-MW site and can generate more than 97,400 MWh per year. Project partner NARENCO helped install the 175,000 ...

FPL PLANS TO INSTALL 30 MILLION SOLAR PANELS IN FLORIDA BY 2030

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced a groundbreaking “30-by-30” plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030 to make the state of Florida a world leader in the production of solar energy. FPL has secured solar sites throughout the state, which will allow the company to continu...

WESTERN SYDNEY SUBURBS ADD SOLAR PANELS AS ENERGY COSTS BITE

Solar’s hot year in 2018 doesn’t look to be cooling down with new research showing more than 230,000 Sydney households are hoping to install rooftop solar this year. Residents of outer-suburban areas who live in detached houses and are mindful of their hip pockets are more likely to take up the tec...

STANDARD INDUSTRIES LAUNCHES GAF ENERGY TO ASSIST HOMEOWNERS BUYING A NEW ROOF TO ALSO BUY SOLAR

Standard Industries, the world’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, announced the launch of GAF Energy, a new company that aims to revolutionize the adoption of rooftop solar for everyday consumers. Working in partnership with GAF, a Standard Industries company and the largest roofing a...

SOLAR WOLF ENERGY ADDS 5-MW ARRAY TO NEW HAMPSHIRE VEGETABLE FARM

Solar Wolf Energy, a nationwide solar panel and system installer based out of Central Massachusetts, announced that they’ve agreed to construct and commission a 5-MW agricultural solar farm in Concord, New Hampshire. The system will be built on 15 acres of land at Lewis Farm in Concord. The owners o...

NAUTILUS SOLAR ACQUIRES 3-MW COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT IN DEVELOPMENT IN RHODE ISLAND

Nautilus Solar Energy has acquired a 3-MW community solar development from ISM Solar Development, a developer of large commercial and utility-scale solar projects. The project is qualified under Rhode Island’s emerging community solar program. Construction is targeted for completion during the first...

LONGI SOLAR PANELS ADDED TO SUNNOVA’S APPROVED VENDOR LIST

LONGi Solar has been added to the approved vendor list of Sunnova Energy. Through this new partnership, Sunnova’s network of local installers can offer LONGi’s 60-cell LR6-60PB family of black-on-black modules with power density up to 315 W to residential customers across the United States. Before b...

NEW CALIFORNIA LAW AMPS UP SOLAR CONSUMER PROTECTION

California homeowners now enjoy new rights under a new law championed by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The intent of Assembly Bill 1070 is to protect consumers looking to invest in solar power while discouraging unethical practices from the dishon...

SAUDI TO PRODUCE 60 GW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030, SAYS OFFICIAL

Saudi Arabia aims to produce 60 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, according to a senior official in the kingdom. Speaking to the UAE’s state news agency, WAM, Dr Khalid bin Saleh Al Sultan, president of the King Abdullah Atomic and Renewable Energy City, said that the country is looking to gene...

STUDY: RENEWABLE ENERGY SUBSIDIES COSTLY TO TAXPAYERS, BENEFIT BIG COMPANIES

The federal production tax credit for wind energy producers has cost the U.S. government billions of dollars in revenues while benefiting just a few large corporations, says a new study by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy producers has cost ...

CHINA MAKES GREAT STRIDES IN ENERGY TRANSFORMATION

China is making great efforts in transforming its energy structure, topping other countries in the growth of renewable energy. By the end of 2018, China's renewable energy generating capacity had reached 650 million kilowatts, up by 14 percent year-on-year. A total of 1.6 trillion kilowatt-hours of ...

CLEAN ENERGY GRANT REVERSAL MAY LEAVE INDUSTRY CAUTIOUS

Renewable energy developers using tax credits to finance projects may now have to rethink how they fund future projects. A Jan. 7 Federal Claims Court decision sided with the Treasury Department and ordered a wind energy developer to pay back $5.63 million in grants in lieu of tax credits, an inflat...

SPAIN BRINGS RENEWABLE ENERGY TO STATE-OWNED PARADORES

Many of Spain’s Paradores a chain of state-owned, luxury hotels are ancient castles and monasteries that have been around for, well, forever. But the country is embracing the future by introducing renewable energy at all 97 locations. The country announced that, beginning on the first of January, ...

REPORT REVEALS RACIAL DISPARITY IN U.S. ROOFTOP SOLAR DEPLOYMENT

Although the popularity of rooftop solar panels has skyrocketed because of their benefits to consumers and the environment, the deployment has predominantly occurred in white neighborhoods, even after controlling for household income and home ownership, according to a study by researchers from Tufts...

SIEMENS GAMESA SECURES EUR 900M GREEN GUARANTEE LINE IN SPAIN

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (BME:SGRE) announced today it has secured a EUR-900-million (USD 1bn) green guarantee line with Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (NYSE:BBVA), or BBVA. This the inaugural deal under BBVA's s new sustainable transactional product linked to the United Nation...

DATA CENTERS ENERGY CONSUMPTION MAKE A STRONG CASE FOR SOLAR

A recent report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the atmosphere will warm up by as much as 2.7 degrees above preindustrial levels by 2040. Fortunately, many companies that generate huge amounts of ...

RENEWABLE ENERGY ON A CROWDED AGENDA A CAPITOL

Expanding renewable energy has very broad support from the public, but advancing it faces a pushback from groups that would be economically hurt and by a legislative agenda that will be crammed with other important issues, from education to transportation funding and gun legislation. "There's a lot ...

AS COST OF RENEWABLE ENERGY DROPS, FOCUS SHIFTS TO DEVELOPING ANCILLARY STORAGE INDUSTRY

With the cost of renewable energy coming down and the market potential expanding, an ancillary industry for storage is the need of the hour, said P.C. Maithani, Advisor, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. Speaking at the 6th International Conference and Exhibition on Energy Storage, EV & Microgrids...

OPELIKA TAKES STEP TOWARD RENEWABLE ENERGY

An agreement between the city of Opelika and the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority will help harness and use excess energy. Mayor Gary Fuller requested that the city participate in the Small Renewable Behind-the-Meter Generation Rider SRG-2011 program, which allows the Alabama Municipal Electric ...

SPAIN PROPOSES TRADING IN NUCLEAR PERMITS FOR OTHERS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

A couple of months ago the Spanish Government announced that it would not prolong the useful life of any of the nuclear plants in Spain beyond 40 years, so that it would prioritise the closure of plants of this period. Precisely to incentivise the closure of these plants, it has proposed giving the ...

CHINA LAUNCHES SUBSIDY-FREE SOLAR, WIND POWER AFTER PROJECT COSTS FALL

China will launch a series of subsidy-free wind and solar projects this year to take advantage of a rapid fall in construction costs since 2012 and tackle a gaping payment backlog, the country's top planning agency said on Thursday. Last year, the government was forced to suspend all new subsidised...

35% OF MOROCCAN ELECTRICITY CAME FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES IN 2018

Rabat Morocco produced 35 percent of its electricity output from renewable energy sources by the end of 2018 with an installed capacity of about 3,000 megawatts, Minister of Energy, Mining, and Sustainable Development Aziz Rabbah said Wednesday in Rabat at the ministry’s media day. The kingdom aims ...

WIND DEAL MAY ALLOW HOLY CROSS ENERGY TO REACH RENEWABLES GOAL EARLY

Holy Cross Energy may reach its goal of providing 70 percent renewable energy nine years ahead of schedule. In a deal with Denver-based energy wholesaler Guzman Energy, the Glenwood Springs-based HCE will develop a new wind farm to serve the Rocky Mountain region and bringing the electric cooperativ...

WEC ENERGY ACQUIRES 80% STAKE IN COYOTE RIDGE WINDFARM

US-based WEC Energy Group has bought an 80% stake in Coyote Ridge windfarm from Avangrid Renewables. WEC Energy Group paid $145m for the project interest and all related tax benefits. Located in Brookings County, South Dakota, Coyote Ridge windfarm is currently under development and will be operated...

COMMISSION APPROVES LARGEST CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT IN NEVADA HISTORY

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) last month approved NV Energy's Integrated Resource Plan, which will bring 1001 MW of new renewable energy projects to Nevada, including, for the first time, 100 MW of battery storage capacity. Three of the projects will be located in northern Nevada ...

A GOOD YEAR FOR GREEN ENERGY HELPS SCOTLAND CLOSE IN ON RENEWABLES TARGET

The Scottish Government aims to generate half of Scotland’s overall energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030. Data for 2017 published yesterday show the equivalent of 70.1% of gross electricity consumption came from renewable sources, a substantial rise on the 54.4% recorded in 2016.

RPCS AND GENPRO ENERGY PARTNER FOR 209-KW SOLAR PROJECT ON NEBRASKA FILL SITE

RPCS, GenPro Energy Solutions and the City of Atkinson, Nebraska, have partnered to build a 209-kW solar array on a city-owned site formerly used for fill a place where soil, trees and debris were brought then covered with dirt. Due to the nature of the site, project construction initially saw parti...

IOWA PRIVATE UNIVERSITY POWERS ON 1.1-MW SOLAR+STORAGE SYSTEM

Maharishi University of Management’s new solar power plant powered up for the first time Mid-December. The solar-plus-storage facility incorporates both single-axis tracking and vanadium-flow battery energy storage. Designed and installed by Ideal Energy, it is the first system of its kind in the Mi...

GOVERNMENT PROPOSES NEW SMART EXPORT GUARANTEE FOR SUPPLIERS AND SMALL-SCALE RENEWABLES

The government has unveiled proposals to introduce a new ‘Smart Export Guarantee’ (SEG) for small-scale renewables, legislating for large suppliers to essentially purchase green power exported to the grid. Designed to replace the current export tariff which closes to new applicants from 31 March 201...

XCEL WANTS TO EXPAND GREEN ENERGY 'RENEWABLE CONNECT' PROGRAM

Xcel Energy plans to more than triple the size of a program that allows its customers to have their energy consumption credited to renewable sources. The expansion of Xcel's "Renewable Connect" program is aimed partly at corporations and governments that want specifically earmarked renewable power f...

SUNPIN SOLAR DEVELOPING 30-MW PV PROJECT IN ILLINOIS

The city of Greenville, Illinois, has signed an option and lease agreement California solar developer Sunpin Solar for the community’s first solar project. The solar site, directly north of I-70, is approximately 70 miles south of Springfield, Illinois. This 150-acre site will host an approximate 30...

TOUGH TEXAS MARKET CONDITIONS DEFIED AS 42MWH BATTERY SYSTEM COMES ONLINE

While market opportunities for energy storage in Texas are considered to be limited, the largest battery project in the state so far, a 42MWh system, has just come online. Texas has no capacity market payment mechanism, utilities are not allowed to own storage due to competition rules as it is still...

MACEDONIA UTILITY TO BUILD SOLAR PLANT ON FORMER COAL MINE

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a €5.9 million loan to Macedonian state-owned electricity company ELEM to build a large-scale solar power plant on the site of a former lignite coal mine. The new solar plant is ELEM’s first and will be the largest in the count...

ROOFTOP SOLAR CURTAILMENT TO EASE WITH REFOCUSED HAWAII ENERGY CONTRACTS

Hawaiian electric utilities have been forcefully de-linking residential rooftop solar generators at peak hours for several years, but the installation-discouraging practice may fade as refocused utility-scale solar+storage contracts come into effect. Beyond Hawaii, these new contract types, which sh...

GREEN ENERGY SUPPLIERS GRANTED TEMPORARY PRICE CAP DEROGATIONS

A trio of green energy firms has been granted temporary derogations from the energy price cap, allowing them to charge above the determined limit on standard variable tariffs (SVTs). Good Energy, Ecotricity, and Green Energy all had electricity tariffs temporarily exempted from the price cap owing t...

FRENCH FIRM TO BUILD 40MW SOLAR PLANT IN ELDORET

Kenya-based French solar firm Alten Africa has picked compatriot renewable energy firm Voltalia to build its 40-megawatt (MW) solar plant in Eldoret. Alten said Voltalia it already started construction at the Uasin Gishu project last December. “Alten Africa ratifies the choice of Voltalia to execute...

2018 WAS A “FULCRUM YEAR” FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE US

Donald Trump can huff and puff until he is blue in the face about the wonders of burning coal to make electricity, but experts in the field of renewable energy tell Inside Climate News that 2018 was a “fulcrum year” for energy generation in the United States. The old paradigm that has been in place ...

RENEWABLES, LED BY WIND, PROVIDED MORE POWER THAN COAL IN GERMANY IN 2018

According to the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany's renewable power sector produced more electricity than coal in 2018 for the first time ever, with renewables providing 40 percent of the year's produced electricity and coal providing 38 percent. Of course, "renewables" include an aggregate of differen...

FIVE ALIVE FOR 800MW NY OFFSHORE WIND CALL

Five developers including a number of joint ventures have signalled their intent to take part in New York’s debut offshore wind solicitation for around 800MW of capacity. The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority said in a tweet that Equinor has indicated its interest. The Norwegian...

SOLAR PLUS STORAGE FOR A DIME IN HAWAII

The various utility subsidiaries of Hawaiian Electric Industries have submitted bids to state regulators for seven solar plus storage projects totaling 262 MWac of solar and 1,024 MWh of energy storage, with power purchase agreement prices ranging from 8-12¢/kWh. In 2015 Hawaii passed legislation re...

A LITTLE BIT OF GRID DATA GOES A LONG SOLAR POWER WAY

NREL has found that pre-applications for systems 500 kWAC and greater in Massachusetts were correlated with a 24% increase in interconnection service agreements approved although complexities make proof of causation difficult. In most places, in order to gain greater insight into the electricity tra...

NEW YORK’S SOLAR FOR ALL PROGRAM WILL AWARD NO-COST COMMUNITY SOLAR TO 10,000 LOW INCOME RESIDENTS

In a bid to reduce the energy costs for low-income New York households, while also helping to increase access to renewable energy for both renters and homeowners alike, the state is enabling no-cost community solar for up to 10,000 residents. In early December, the New York State Energy Research and...

FIRST POWER PRODUCED BY DANISH OFFSHORE WINDFARM

First power was produced by what will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm, Horns Rev 3 in late December. When Horns Rev 3 is in full operation later in the first half of 2019, its 49 turbines will increase annual Danish electricity generation from wind energy by about 12%. The 8.3-MW turbines ar...

JOHN HANCOCK TAKES EQUITY INTEREST IN 413-MW PINE GATE RENEWABLES SOLAR PORTFOLIO

Pine Gate Renewables has entered into a partnership with John Hancock to own and manage 413 megawatts across 35 solar facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Oregon. Pine Gate Renewables a national utility-scale solar developer, owner and operator will continue to operate and provide asset ...

NTR SECURES COMMITMENTS OF €229M FOR SECOND RENEWABLE ENERGY FUND

Ireland-based renewables investor NTR has attracted investment commitments in the region of €229m for the second round of its renewable energy fund. NTR’s Renewable Energy Income Fund II is targeting €500m worth of investment, having already secured €145m in the first phase. The new sum of committed...

IN 2018, HAWAII MADE BIG PROGRESS ON PATH TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY

Utility Hawaiian Electric, whose subsidiaries include Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light, says progress on renewable energy continued to help drive the transformation of the Hawaiian Electric companies in 2018. In the 10 years since the creation of the state’s Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, th...

WIND & SOLAR POWER COULD REPLACE COAL IN TEXAS, FINDS NEW STUDY

A new study from Rice University on the growing role of wind and solar electricity in powering Texas has been attracting widespread attention. John B. Billingsley, CEO for two of the state’s premier renewable power developers, says that the study underscores the critical importance of renewable ener...

THIN-FILM PV COMPANY SUNFLARE READIES PRODUCTION BOOST WITH BIG EQUIPMENT PURCHASE ORDER

Thin-film PV could be on the upswing in the U.S. residential solar sector. Swedish solar energy company Midsummer has received an order from Sunflare for equipment for the production of thin film solar cells worth over $7 million. The production equipment will be installed at a new solar panel facto...

CALIFORNIA’S VINEYARDS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW TO DESIGN, DEVELOP WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY FOCUS

With opening a few months away, The Vineyards already is generating anticipation as Southern California’s newest upscale and pedestrian-friendly shopping and entertainment center. What’s more, The Vineyards will also feature some of the region’s latest and most sustainable operating systems and eco-...

BIOGAS MARKET TO SEE INCREDIBLE GROWTH DURING 2015 – 2023

Biogas is a combination of various gases that are generated through anaerobic digestion, fermentation, or other processes. It is primarily generated using waste products from the agricultural industry, sewage or edible waste, plant and industrial waste, and municipal garbage collection. Biogas commo...

US ON CUSP OF UNPRECEDENTED SOLAR BOOM

U.S. developers have applied to build 139 GWac of large-scale solar projects in the territory of six grid operators around five times what is currently online across the country and that figure doesn’t even cover the entire United States. By any metric, we are looking at an unprecedented boom in sol...

2018 FARM BILL INCLUDES KEY RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM

The Department of Agriculture’s renewable energy grant and loan programs are pulled together under an initiative called REAP for Rural Energy for America Program. REAP got its start in 2008 as an iteration of the agency’s Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. That prog...

U.S. THIN-FILM SOLAR PANEL COMPANY SUNFLARE WILL EXPAND ITS CHINESE MANUFACTURING FACILITY WITH NEW EQUIPMENT

Swedish solar energy company Midsummer has received an order from Sunflare for equipment for the production of thin-film solar cells worth over $7 million. The production equipment will be installed at a new solar panel factory in China, which will open next year. Production of the equipment begins ...

WHILE GIANTS SLEEP, NEW PLAYERS WILL REALISE THEIR SOLAR DREAMS IN 2019

The total volume of annual solar power deployment will increase by 18% in 2019, according to the market research firm IHS Markit. The firm expects 123GW to be installed during the New Year. That growth is in spite of the brakes being placed on the world’s two biggest markets, the U.S. and China. In ...

EL PASO ELECTRIC TO DIVERSIFY MIX WITH SOLAR AND STORAGE, MAYBE WIND

El Paso Electric (NYSE:EE) on Wednesday said it will contract 200 MW of solar and 100 MW of battery storage capacity, and also unveiled plans to buy additional wind and solar power to further diversify its mix. The utility, operating in Texas and southern New Mexico, held a competitive bidding proce...

BP WIND SELLS 430-MW TEXAS PORTFOLIO TO ARES

Funds managed by affiliates of Ares Management Corp (NYSE: ARES) have acquired a 430-MW portfolio of wind projects in Texas from BP Wind Energy, a unit of UK oil major BP plc (LON: BP). The deal was announced by BP on Friday as part of the latter’s restructuring programme through which it seeks to o...

ORMAT ADOPTS HYBRID SOLAR+GEOTHERMAL TECH

Ormat Technologies, the world leader in geothermal energy, is once again going hybrid, adding solar energy to geothermal plants to raise efficiency and to boost income from the energy off-taker, Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA). The 18-megawatt photovoltaic solar installation will ...

NEW VESTAS WIND INSTALLATION TO BE TALLEST IN THE U.S.

Vestas has received an order for 56 V136-3.45 MW turbines delivered in 3.6-MW Power Optimized Mode for an undisclosed wind project in the U.S. The project will be the tallest in the United States. Deploying taller towers unlocks new and previously unharnessed wind resource areas, and further increas...

CALIFORNIA WILL BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO REQUIRE SOLAR PANELS ON NEW HOUSES

Beginning in 2020, newly built homes and multi-family residences in California that are up to three stories high must have rooftop solar panels or connect to shared solar systems. The rule, first passed as a measure by the California Energy Commission in May, secured the approval of the Building Sta...

COHEN: LONG ISLAND CAN BE A CLEAN ENERGY LEADER FOR THE NATION

No one who lives in a coastal area like Long Island can afford to ignore our changing climate. From southeastern hurricanes to California wildfires, extreme weather is becoming the norm. The good news is that we already have a roadmap to a better future. The clean energy economy we have developed on...

ROOF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATION MARKET SCRUTINIZED IN NEW RESEARCH

This study presents the Roof Solar Photovoltaic Installation production, revenue, market share, and growth rate for each key company, and also covers the breakdown data (production, consumption, revenue and market share) by regions, type and applications; history breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, an...

CLEAN ENERGY YEAR IN REVIEW 2018: REVERSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLLBACKS

Many of us learned in high school about Newton’s third law of physics: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 2018 was a lesson in physics: the Trump administration’s furious assault on pollution protections has, in turn, catalyzed a powerful and growing movement that is pushing ...

NORTH WALES ENERGY FIRM BACKS SOLAR POWER TO GO SOLO

David Jones, managing director of Hafod Renewables, said it’s time for solar energy to pay its own way and he has backed the Government decision to scrap their subsidies for solar power. The government has said households that install solar panels in the future will be expected to give away unused c...

SHETLAND COUNCIL EYEING UP WHAT WOULD BE UK’S LARGEST RENEWABLE HYDROGEN PROJECT

The idea of turning surplus energy from a wind farm in Shetland into hydrogen to use for heating and transport is being explored leading to hopes that it could kick-start other local renewable operators into doing the same. The plans, led by the Shetland Island Council’s (SIC) carbon management team...

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM LOCATES NEARLY ALL US SOLAR PANELS IN THE COUNTRY

In their quest to understand more about the use of solar energy in America, Stanford University researchers identified the GPS location and size of US solar panels installed across the contiguous 48 states. To obtain accurate numbers, they employed a machine learning algorithm using artificial intel...

NEXAMP SOLAR ARRAYS NEAR COMPLETION IN AMHERST, HADLEY

Two large-scale solar arrays being constructed in Amherst and Hadley are nearing completion and will give area residents the opportunity to obtain their power from a renewable source. The solar farms, off Sunderland Road in North Amherst and between Westgate Center Drive and the Hampshire Mall in Ha...

MECHATRON DUAL-AXIS TRACKERS INSTALLED AT CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’S HEADQUARTERS

Dual-axis tracking manufacturer Mechatron-Solar is pleased to announce a new partnership with Collins Electrical Company for the installation of a dual-axis tracker M18KD on the south side of Collins’ corporate headquarters in Stockton, California. This is the first installation of tracking equipmen...

GREEN STREET POWER PARTNERS DEVELOPS 3-MW COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT ON LANDFILL

Green Street Power Partners, a developer, and financier of commercial solar, has completed construction on Taunton Municipal Light Plant’s (TMLP) first community solar project, located on a landfill in Raynham, Massachusetts. The 3-MW system spans a 14-acre parcel and is expected to produce about 3....

CONNECTICUT REGULATORS APPROVE REVOLUTION WIND POWER CONTRACT

Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind has received approval from Connecticut regulators of its 20-year power-purchase agreement for the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm. Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority have approved Ørsted’s long-term power-purchase agreement with Eversource and United Ill...

NEW OFFSHORE WINDFARMS PUSH UK RENEWABLES TO RECORD

Almost a third of the UK’s electricity came from renewable sources between July and September, as wind turbines and solar panels helped achieve a quarterly record for green energy. Major new offshore windfarms connecting to the grid pushed renewables to 33.1% of electricity generation across the qua...

A 21,000% GAIN SHOWS SKY-HIGH VALUE OF OFFSHORE WIND LEASES

An Italian construction company just sold its lease to develop a wind farm in waters off the New Jersey coast for $215 million, about 21,000 percent more than it paid only three years ago. Toto Holding SpA’s U.S. Wind unit, which paid about $1 million for the lease off Atlantic City in 2015, resold ...

ALT ENERGY GOES MAINSTREAM IN US WITH TEXAS LEADING THE WAY

Ignore the vapid efforts by the US administration to resurrect antiquated energy industries like coal. Economies of scale have provided wind and solar power suppliers the capacity to compete and win on price in several regions of the country. The free market has spoken. Politics will listen. The lea...

HIGHER MODULE EFFICIENCIES AND INVERTERS DRIVING SOLAR POWER COST DECLINES

NREL’s Q1 2018 cost report for solar power systems saw a 5% drop in residential costs and a 2.6% fall in commercial, but a 1-2% increase in the utility-scale space compared to the previous year. The purpose of the U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System Cost Benchmark: Q1 2018 is to provide bottom-up account...

PA’S LARGEST SOLAR FARM TO POWER PHILLY GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS

The 70 MW Adams solar farm will be by far the largest in the state when completed in 2020 and its electricity will power 22% of the demand from Philadelphia government buildings. The upcoming Adams Solar farm in Adams County, Pennsylvania will be seven times larger than any other solar project in th...

LYON, JERA, PLAN TO START ON CAPE YORK SOLAR + BATTERY PROJECT IN EARLY 2019

Lyon Group and Japanese energy company Jera say they plan to begin construction of a large solar plus battery storage project in north Queensland in early 2019, after reaching agreement on the project’s generator performance standard with the Australian Energy Market Operator this week.

DAROGA POWER DEVELOPS 1.2-MW COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT IN NEW YORK CITY

The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced that the largest community solar project in New York City has been completed and is operational. Located in Brooklyn, 196 households and businesses will receive power from the 1.2-MW solar array. It was developed by Dar...

US WIND ENERGY COULD ALREADY POWER A THIRD OF US CARS FOR A YEAR

The wind generation already in operation in 2017 would power 75 million US cars for a full year if they were electric. The US wind generation installed in 2018 alone will power about 2 million US electric cars for a year. Let’s take 2017, as the full year’s generation of 254.2 TWH is known. That’s a...

CORPORATE SOLAR PROCUREMENT KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK IN 2018

According to Rocky Mountain Institute corporations have signed contracts for 2.8 GW of solar in the United States this year, a gigawatt more than the deals signed in all previous years combined. It’s been a banner year for corporate renewable energy. According to the latest numbers from the Business...

NEW WINDOW FOR DUKE ENERGY SOLAR REBATES OPENS JAN. 2

Another wave of solar energy is expected Jan. 2 when the window opens for customers to apply for Duke Energy’s solar rebate program. So far in 2018, more than 1,300 customers have installed systems and qualified for rebates. North Carolina is No. 2 in the nation for solar power, including more than ...

SUNSHARE AWARDED SIX NEW DENVER COMMUNITY SOLAR GARDENS BY XCEL ENERGY

SunShare announced that it has been awarded six new community solar gardens by Xcel Energy, totaling 12 MWdc. SunShare was selected in a competitive bidding process and will be able to serve more than 2,500 residential households in the Denver metro area as well as additional municipal, governmental...

GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR A CARBON-FREE NEW YORK BY 2040

Governor Cuomo announced as part of his 2019 legislative priorities that New York will transition to carbon-free electricity by 2040. This beats California’s carbon-free deadline by five years. According to the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Cuomo even referred to the plan as the Green New Deal...

NEW YORK UPDATES STATE ENERGY STORAGE GOAL TO 3 GW BY 2030

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Public Service Commission approved two initiatives to dramatically increase New York’s energy efficiency and energy storage targets to combat climate change. The new energy efficiency target for investor-owned utilities will more than double...

APA DUMPS RCR AS IT SEEKS TO COMPLETE DARLING DOWNS SOLAR FARM

Listed infrastructure group APA has formally dumped RCR Tomlinson as the contractor for its 110MW Darling Downs solar farm in Queensland, following the collapse of the big engineering and contracting group. The termination, announced on Thursday, was expected after RCR called in voluntary administra...

AER UPDATES RIT-T GUIDELINES TO LOOK BEYOND POLES AND WIRES FOR NETWORK UPGRADES

A key, but contentious test that guides major electricity network investments has been given an overhaul by the Australian Energy Regulator, in line with the rapidly changing face of the National Electricity Market and the wholesale shift to renewables. The improvements, announced on Friday, apply t...

U.S. UTILITIES TEST DISTRIBUTED ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Distributed energy management systems can capture added value from solar and storage by shaving peak loads, providing grid services, and deferring grid investments. Utilities testing such systems have shared their lessons learned, while Western Australia leapfrogs ahead. At least 23 U.S. utilities h...

STEDIN AND GE POWER MOBILIZE NEW TECH TO MANAGE RENEWABLE GENERATION IN NETHERLANDS

GE and Stedin, a distribution network operator (DNOs) in the Netherlands, went live this week with the first European implementation of Transmission Forecast (T-Forecast) software from GE’s Grid Solutions. Part of the Digital Energy portfolio, this new solution forecasts power flow across transmissi...

CENTRAL NEW YORK COMPLETES 242 CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVES

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Central New York Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB) announced that Central New York communities have completed 242 high impact clean energy actions as part of NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities Program. This announ...

UK R&D BEATS BIOFOULING FOR OFFSHORE BOOST

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Scotland, Eon and other companies have joined forces to research practical methods to reduce impacts of biofouling on offshore wind turbines. The CleanWinTur project, funded by Innovate UK, will develop an ultrasonic system that performs continuous conditi...

U.S. RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS PROVIDER LANDS TWO CONTRACTS

UGE International Ltd. announced in a news release it signed two financed contracts with packaging firm Philippine Aquapak Industries Inc. Together, the projects have an upfront value to UGE of about $300,000. UGE is to provide this company in the Philippines with a solution for 233 kilowatts of ren...

TARIFFS STRIKE A BLOW TO UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR MARKET

The Section 201 solar tariffs took a toll on utility-scale solar installations in the third quarter according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report for Q3 from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The residential market, meanwhile, continued to stab...

FORMER GANG MEMBERS ADD SOLAR TO SAFE HOUSE IN LOS ANGELES

After waiting for years, Homeboy Industries, a nonprofit that provides training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women, goes solar. The project, originally launched in 2014, involves a multitude of partners, ranging from: Everybody Solar a nonprofit dedicated...

35 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SUPPORT 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY, GREEN NEW DEAL

Sunrise Movement has racked up impressive support in its final push before Congress retires for the year, but it is not clear that this will be enough. The concept of a Green New Deal a massive public works program aimed at reducing emissions in part through massive, rapid deployment of zero-carbon ...

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WANTS YOU

The Solar Energy Technologies Office is seeking feedback from solar professionals on what topics it ought research within solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, systems integration and soft cost reduction. Recent research suggested that government policy has offered significant support to declines in t...

RENEWABLE ENERGY TO POWER BEIJING'S NEW AIRPORT

Renewable energy will take up more than 10 percent of the Beijing Daxing International Airport's energy consumption mix when construction is completed next year, said the municipal authorities on late Wednesday. Such a renewable energy adoption level will be the highest among all airports in the cou...

AUSTRALIA'S GREEN BANK SUPPORTS NEW RENEWABLE ENERGY FUND

Australian asset manager Infrastructure Capital Group (ICG) has raised AUD100m (€63.4m) from the government-owned green bank Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). Its new Australian Renewables Income Fund (ARIF) will focus on large-scale wind and solar technologies, as well as emerging opportunit...

WIND, SOLAR ACCOUNT FOR JUST 30% OF US' 10-MO CAPACITY ADDITIONS

About 6.4 GW of wind and solar power plants became operational in the US in the first 10 months of the year, during which the country also put online 14.7 GW of gas-fired power capacity. Wind capacity additions have fallen to 3.09 GW in January-October 2018 from 5.02 GW in the same period of 2017.

1414 DEGREES’ MOLTEN SILICON BIOGAS ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM SET FOR TRIAL IN S.A.

South Australia continues to build on its track record of pioneering cutting-edge renewable energy technologies, as the components of a world-leading, Adelaide-made molten silicon energy storage system make their way to their destination at a waste-water treatment plant.

DENMARK, UK, & CANADA LEAD IN USING TECHNOLOGIES TO LIMIT CLIMATE CHANGE

Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Canada lead the world when it comes to implementing measures to mitigate climate change, according to new research published earlier this month at the UN climate change conference, COP24, currently underway in Katowice, Poland, which assessed 25 countries that accoun...

FIRST SOLAR SEES A DOUBLING COMING IN 2019

The PV maker projects 5.4 to 5.6 GW of solar module shipments next year, more than double its current projected 2018 volumes of 2.6 to 2.7 GW. First things first: First Solar was sold out through 2020 as of the Q3’18 earnings call, with 11.3 GW of future volume booked. The company’s Series 6 solar m...

SOLAR ‘COULD SOON BE UK’S CHEAPEST SOURCE OF ENERGY’

The U.K. Solar Trade Association has published a new assessment, finding that the cost of generating solar electricity in the British Isles has already fallen far below its earlier predictions, and could reach GBP 40 (US$50)/MWh by 2030. With the U.K. solar market set to see at least some movement i...

ENEL SWITCHES ON 185-MW WIND FARM IN ILLINOIS

The North American unit of Italian utility Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL) today announced it has started operation of the 185-MW HillTopper wind farm in the US state of Illinois. Enel Green Power North America Inc (EGPNA) built HillTopper in Logan County at a total cost of USD 325 million (EUR 286m). The facil...

EMBRACING THE POWER OF CHEAP RENEWABLES TO DELIVER A CARBON EXIT

Politicians and industry gathering in Katowice for COP24 are facing one of the most challenging issues in the debate about decarbonization: how can harder-to-abate sectors, such as steel and plastics production and heavy-duty transport, truly deliver net-zero carbon emissions in the future. The key ...

ENGIE BUYS 130MW UNDER-CONSTRUCTION SOLAR FACILITY FROM DHAMMA ENERGY

The deal was announced on Tuesday and takes place alongside a 15-year PPA (power purchase agreement) whereby Engie will eventually sell power produced by the plant to steel producer Gerdau. The project, located in the north-western state of Sonora, is currently ready for construction and is set to b...

AUSTRALIA IN MIDST OF $20 BILLION WIND AND SOLAR INVESTMENT BOOM

The Coalition government tried to prevent it and failed, and haven’t stopped complaining about it ever since. And now we can see why: Australia is in the midst of an extraordinary investment boom in large-scale wind and solar projects, and battery storage, far beyond what even the industry’s most ar...

CALIFORNIA NET-METERING POLICY REVISION WILL PROVIDE EASY NEM ELIGIBILITY TO DC-COUPLED SOLAR+STORAGE SYSTEMS

A new SepiSolar white paper reveals the financial benefits of a pending revision to California’s net energy metering (NEM) policy. When finalized, commercial DC-coupled solar+storage installations will not only be able to benefit from NEM, but will also be able to increase solar system size, reduce ...

SEIA PRAISES 2018 FARM BILL REPORT FOR CONTINUED RENEWABLES SUPPORT

House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Ranking Members Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) released the text of the bipartisan, bicameral 2018 Farm Bill conference report. “America’s farmers and ranchers are weathering ...

SIEMENS GAMESA SIGNS WIND TURBINE SUPPLY CONTRACT FOR 249 MEGAWATT MEXICAN WIND PROJECT

Spanish wind energy giant Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announced on Monday that it had signed its first contract to supply its new 4.X wind turbine platform to two Mexican wind farms worth a total of 249 megawatts (MW). Siemens Gamesa revealed that it had signed a contract with Enel Green Power t...

ALL THE SOLAR POWER INSIGHT A HEART COULD DSIRE

The group behind the long term policy tool of choice for many, the DSIRE renewable and efficiency policy database, is now offering biweekly legislative and regulatory tracking, data products, and webinars related to solar energy, grid modernization, and electric vehicles across the USA.

ROOM FOR RESIDENTIAL SOLAR TO REACH 41 GW BY 2025

A new analysis by Credit Suisse forecasts that installed residential solar capacity could grow more than 3x to reach 41 GW by 2025, and shows that there is plenty of space on rooftops to do this. When most Americans think of the energy transition, they often picture of the iconic image of solar pane...

AUSTRALIAN CLEAN ENERGY PROJECT INVESTMENT IN 2018 TO TOP $20 BILLION

Australia’s renewable energy and storage project pipeline has surpassed $20 billion worth of investment in 2018, with currently 14.6 gigawatts (GW) of projects under construction which will deliver 13,000 direct jobs across 80 projects. The Clean Energy Council of Australia published new figures on ...

COLORADO ENERGY OFFICE HELPS LAUNCH “GREEN BANK” TO SPUR CLEAN-ENERGY INVESTMENTS

The Colorado Energy Office is helping launch a “green bank” that will leverage private dollars to enhance and spur investment in clean-energy projects. The energy office has formed the nonprofit Colorado Clean Energy Fund, which will team up with the Coalition for Green Capital and other organizatio...

GUZMAN ENERGY ISSUES RFP FOR UP TO 50 MW OF SOLAR IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION

Guzman Energy, a wholesale power provider based in Colorado, announced that it is seeking Requests for Proposal (RFP) for the addition of up to 250 MW of renewable energy to serve their expanding load portfolio in the Rocky Mountain region. Guzman specifically seeks cost-competitive bids for 200 MW ...

DUKE SOLAR SOLICITATION NEARLY 6X OVER-SUBSCRIBED

78 proposals ranging from 7 MWac to 80 MWac are vying for spots under the 680 MW solicitation, which has been issued as part of a compromise between Duke and the solar industry. Last week the independent administrator for Duke’s 680 MW solar solicitation revealed data about the projects which have b...

SOLAR REQUIRED ON NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN MASSACHUSETTS TOWN

Watertown, Massachusetts now requires solar power with all new commercial construction and retrofits of structures greater than 10,000 sq feet – as well all structures that include ten or more residential units. Solar power as a required part of new construction is starting to catch hold. Last year,...

CO-OP ENERGY PARTNERS WITH DNV GL FOR ADVANCED FORECASTING OF COMMUNITY ENERGY PROJECTS

DNV GL has announced that it has partnered with Co-op Energy to provide advanced forecasting of renewable energy assets to more than 50 community energy projects across the UK. The partnership allows Co-op Energy to take advantage of DNV GL’s deep knowledge and expertise for gigawatt-scale renewable...

VIKING ENERGY APPLIES FOR FURTHER CHANGES TO ITS CONSENT

RENEWABLE energy developer Viking Energy has applied to have the upper limit of 457 Megawatts (WW) for its consented 103-turbine wind farm removed and replaced with the looser term of “greater than 50 MW”. If approved by the Energy Consent Unit, it will allow the company to potentially use larger tu...

JINKOSOLAR JOINS 49 GLOBAL BUSINESSES TO URGE GOVERNMENTS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

JinkoSolar joined 49 major global businesses with total revenue of $1.3 trillion in signing an open letter urging governments to increase collaboration and step up the fight against climate change. Leaders from the Forum’s Alliance of Climate Action CEOs are committed to using their positions to hel...

SEIA PARTICIPATES IN UNCONSCIOUS BIAS TRAINING TO ADVANCE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Today, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) joins more than 150 organizations for the “Day of Understanding” hosted by CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion to address bias and increase understanding in the workplace and beyond. SEIA will engage its employees in an open conversation about k...

GREEN STREET POWER PARTNERS STARTING 5.54-MW NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT

Green Street Power Partners (GSPP) announced that construction has begun on a 5.54 MW solar project located in New Windsor, NY the largest community solar project in the state of New York to date. Combined, the systems are expected to produce over 7 GWh annually, powering over 750 households in area...

PLATTE RIVER POWER TO GO 100% ZERO-CARBON BY 2030

The Colorado generation co-op has one-upped Xcel Energy, as the 100% renewable energy movement grows even in the energy industry. However, there are some sticky caveats. For years, 100% renewable energy was a visionary idea, not a concrete goal in public policy. And it certainly was not the aim of c...

SHELL TO GET 100 MW OF WIND UNDER NEW CALIFORNIA PPA

Shell Energy North America US LP has agreed to buy up to 100 MW of electricity from a California wind project being developed by Terra-Gen LLC. Shell said on Thursday it has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Coachella Hills Wind LLC for the project with the same name. The scheme...

CLEARWAY ENERGY GROUP AWARDED NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR CONTRACTS

Clearway Energy Group took a step forward in increasing access to solar to customers when it was awarded two community solar contract awards under New York’s “Solar for All” program. The awards build on Clearway’s position in community solar as the company continues to push for new ways to offer the...

SOLECT INSTALLS 235-KW SOLAR SYSTEM FOR MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, CITY BUILDING

The City of Medford, Massachusetts, has collaborated with Select Energy and PowerOptions to install a 235-kW solar energy system on the roof of the city’s new DPW Building. The array consists of 588 solar panels, which are projected to produce approximately 300,000 kWh of energy annually. Medford an...

NEW YORK ANNOUNCES FREE COMMUNITY SOLAR FOR 10,000 LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS

Nine community solar projects within the state will be participating in the “Solar For All” program, providing access to no-cost community solar for low-income New Yorkers. In the latest development under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s NY-Sun program, eight community solar projects across the stat...

SAPPHIRE WIND FARM OPEN HOUSE ROAD SHOW IN THE REGION

With construction and commissioning of the Sapphire Wind Farm now complete, the implementation of community co-investment for Sapphire is about to proceed with a series of “Open House” events in the region, including one in Inverell on Saturday at the RSM Club. The Community Co-Investment initiative...

NATIONAL CORE WILL DEVELOP 2.3 MW OF SOLAR FOR 5,000 LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS IN CALIFORNIA

National Community Renaissance (National CORE), one of the nation’s largest and most respected nonprofit community builders, will develop and construct 2.3 MW of solar energy to several affordable housing properties. This program will provide clean, reliable energy and reduce or eliminate energy cos...

SIEMENS GAMESA SECURES 750 MEGAWATTS OF ORDERS ACROSS EUROPE

Offshore wind energy giant Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy published two announcements in the past week revealing that it has been contracted to supply a total of 750 megawatts (MW) worth of wind turbines to a total of six wind farms across Northern Europe and Turkey and an offshore wind project in ...

SOLAR AND STORAGE GROUPS CALL FOR DYNAMIC PRICING OF ELECTRICITY IN CALIFORNIA

Dynamic pricing could advance renewables while cutting both customer costs and system costs, suggests a petition from solar and storage industry participants. They call for a rulemaking process to give all customers the option to choose real-time pricing. As the enabling technologies of battery stor...

VESTAS BAGS 106-MW WIND TURBINE ORDER IN GREECE

Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH: VWS) said today it will supply and install 106 MW of wind turbines across several sites in Greece as part of a single order from an unnamed customer. More specifically, Vestas will deliver and erect 14 units of the V136-4.2 MW, five V136-3.6 MW and eight V117-...

PENNFLEET WILL PERFORM CUSTOMER TRUCK REPAIRS USING 100% SOLAR ELECTRICITY

A solar-electric energy installation to be completed before year’s end will enable PennFleet Corporation to perform 100% of its customer truck repairs using the power of the sun. PennFleet, a provider of collision repair services, mechanical services and roadside emergency response for medium to lar...

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF ENTIRE U.S. ADOPTED CALIFORNIA’S NEW SOLAR POLICY?

What would happen if builders installed solar panels on all new U.S. homes starting in 2020? According to a new report from Environment America Research & Policy Center, the country could more than triple its current solar capacity by 2045. Specifically, the resulting 203 GW of new residential solar...

RESIDENTIAL SOLAR POWER INTEREST RATES HEADED DOWN

Dividend Solar has received a preliminary rating on a portfolio of $103 million of residential solar power loans from KBRA. The presale report shows a history of decreasing interest rates over the past year across three portfolios offered by Dividend. The United States is going to install around 2 g...

ENSYNC IS BUILDING A SOLAR+WIND+STORAGE MICROGRID FOR OHIO TRUCKING TERMINAL

EnSync Energy Systems announced a partnership with WindStax Energy to build a microgrid at a new PITT OHIO trucking terminal in Parma, Ohio. The microgrid will utilize both solar energy and wind energy generation through a 495-kW photovoltaic system and eight wind turbines that add 48 kW to the syst...

SOLAR ALLIANCE ENERGY DEVELOPING 519-KW CALIFORNIA COMMERCIAL SOLAR PROJECT

Solar Alliance Energy is pleased to announce it has entered into a definitive agreement with a division of Onni Group for the design, procurement and construction management services of a 519-kW combined rooftop and carport solar installation at Manhattan Beach Towers, a mid-rise, multi-tenant offic...

7X ENERGY INCREASES SIZE OF LAPETUS ENERGY PROJECT IN WEST TEXAS BY 42.5 MW

7X Energy announced the additional procurement of solar energy by Brazos Electric Power Cooperative from the Lapetus Energy Project bringing the project from 25 MW to 67.5 MW. 7X is developing the Lapetus solar project that will deliver firm blocks (SolarBlocks) to the ERCOT North trading hub. The f...

SOLARWINDOW TECHNOLOGIES INVESTS $25 MILLION IN MANUFACTURING LINES AND HIRING

Founder and Chair Harmel Rayat is the source of the cash raised. The organic photovoltaic solar cell film technology has scaled from its original one quarter the size of a grain of rice to a one-foot square glass pane. SolarWindow Technologies in investing $25 million, mostly raised from their CEO a...

GREEN STREET POWER PARTNERS COMPLETE 4.8-MW COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT IN MASSACHUSETTS

Green Street Power Partners (GSPP), a national developer and financier of commercial and community solar projects, celebrated the completion of a 4.8-MW community solar project located in Westfield, Massachusetts, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Ceremony attendees included the mayor of Westfield, Br...

CONSTELLATION TO SUPPLY STARBUCKS WITH ILLINOIS WIND POWER

Constellation, a subsidiary of US energy provider Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), announced Wednesday it will supply more than 340 Starbucks stores in Illinois with 100% wind energy. More specifically, Constellation will supply renewable power produced by a 14-MW portion of Enel Green Power North Am...

SOLAR GROWS 30% IN JAN-SEP 2018, WIND UP BY 15%

Renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for nearly 18.0% of net domestic electrical generation during the first three-quarters of 2018, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of just-released data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). ...

EXTRA SPACE STORAGE ADDS 2.7 MW TO SOLAR ARSENAL

The company has partnered with Pivot Energy to provide 2.7 MW of capacity over 23 Colorado and Illinois locations. Finalizing a deal with developer Pivot Energy, Extra Space Storage has announced that the company will be adding 2.7 MW of solar capacity across its 23 Colorado and Illinois locations. ...

CAPITAL DYNAMICS, TENASKA JOIN BOOMING MIDWEST SOLAR MARKET

The developer and asset manager have signed a deal to develop 2 GWac of solar projects in six Midwestern states more than the entire capacity that is currently online in those states. But this appears to only the beginning for the region. Capital Dynamics has been moving quickly in U.S. solar. The c...

MARYLAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION COMPLETES VALUE OF SOLAR REPORT

A recent report from the Public Service Commission found solar energy can provide Maryland $1.39 billion in labor revenue and over 13,800 direct jobs by 2028. The Maryland-DC-Delaware-Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association (MDV-SEIA) found the report provides an essential analysis of the impac...

SOLAR POWER PROJECT PIPELINE PARTYING LIKE IT’S 1999

Per S&P Global Market Intelligence’s installation data, the total U.S. utility-scale solar project pipeline grew by 5.8 GWac in Q3 ‘2018, with the 2019-2020 pipeline increasing by greater than 50% over the last two quarters to 23 GW. First, say these three words out loud: Investment Tax Credit (ITC)...

CAPITAL DYNAMICS INKS 2-GW SOLAR DEVELOPMENT DEAL WITH TENASKA

Switzerland-based asset manager Capital Dynamics has entered into a development services agreement with US power producer Tenaska in connection with a roughly 2-GW greenfield solar pipeline. The deal, closed on November 26, calls for Tenaska to develop 14 solar projects in the Midcontinent Independe...

DNV ROLLS OUT BIFACIAL SOLAR TESTBED IN CALIFORNIA

DNV has begun installing what it calls the largest bifacial solar panel test facility in the world, at Davis, California, with the goal of benchmarking brand variations in the market to facilitate widespread adoption. The $250,000 project recently won a $200,000 grant from the US Department of Energ...

TENASKA DEVELOPING 2,000 MW OF SOLAR IN THE MIDWEST MARKET

Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset management firm, announced that its Clean Energy Infrastructure (CEI) business has signed an agreement with respected energy developer Tenaska to develop a portfolio of greenfield solar projects in the Midwest. The deal closed on November 26, 201...

PIVOT ENERGY BRINGING 2.7 MW OF SOLAR TO SELF-STORAGE UNITS IN COLORADO, ILLINOIS

Pivot Energy is pleased to announce its partnership with Extra Space Storage (EXR), to further EXR’s mission to reduce its carbon footprint by adding 2.7 MW of new solar projects. EXR selected Pivot Energy to develop and build solar projects across 23 EXR locations in Colorado and Illinois, with the...

PNM CALLS FOR 50 MW SOLAR PROJECT TO SUPPORT C&I PROGRAM IN NEW MEXICO

The company has issued a request for proposals for 50 MW of solar to support its simultaneously-announced subscription program for government, tribal and other large customers. New Mexico utility PNM has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of a 50 MW solar power project to suppo...

SEIA URGES CONGRESS TO INCLUDE ENERGY STORAGE IN THE ITC

In a letter filed Nov. 26, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), alongside a broad coalition of energy trade and advocacy organizations, urges Congress to modify the tax code to include energy storage as an eligible technology for the investment tax credit (ITC). Following is a statement o...

BALDWIN CITY SIGNS UP FOR SOLAR FROM WESTAR ENERGY PROJECT

Baldwin City, Kan., is adding solar to its energy mix through a new agreement with Westar Energy. On Nov. 20, Mayor Casey Simoneau signed an agreement through which Baldwin City will purchase energy from a 1 MW solar array that Westar Energy will own and operate. The project will be located next to ...

COMCAST INSTALLS SOLAR AT NEW HAMPSHIRE HQ

The system has an annual capacity of 500,000 kW hours and features EV charging stations. The ever-growing list of large corporations investing into solar power has received another entry, as Comcast announced the company has finished the installation of a canopy system at its Northeast Division head...

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC EMBRACED BY ACTIVIST INVESTOR FOCUSED ON RENEWABLES

Citing Hawaii’s potential to reach 80 percent renewables by 2030, saving $6.5 billion in the process, the investment fund’s founder says Hawaiian Electric “has the potential to be the utility of the future.” Aiming to accelerate Hawaiian Electric Industries’ renewables transition, ValueAct Capital M...

COORDINATED DEVELOPMENT COULD HELP WIND FARMS BE BETTER NEIGHBORS

As onshore and offshore wind energy farms have proliferated globally in recent years, new research led by the University of Colorado Boulder highlights a previously underexplored consequence: a wake effect from upwind wind farms that can reduce the energy production of their downwind neighbors.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A 90% EFFICIENT SOLAR PANEL

NovaSolix hopes to use carbon nanotubes to capture a broader portion of the sun’s electromagnetic spectrum, a process they hope will yield a 90% efficient solar cell at a tenth of the cost of modern solar modules. The idea of collecting energy from the sky, and using it to in our homes to nuture, ou...

ENGIE SIGNS SOLAR PPAS WITH STEEL FIRM AND AIRPORT OPERATOR IN MEXICO

French power giant ENGIE has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply energy from a 130MW solar PV plant to steel producer, Gerdau, in northern Mexico. The PV plant being developed in Sonora, has around 400,000 solar modules and is due to be operational at the end of 2019. Once comp...

INNOGY WINS CONSENT FOR 126-MW WIND FARM IN NEW YORK

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) has given the green light to Innogy SE’s (ETR: IGY ) 126-MW Cassadaga wind project. The approval covers the construction and operation of the onshore wind farm and related transmission infrastructure, including underground and overhead lines, substa...

VINEYARD WIND FACES RHODE ISLAND PERMITTING SETBACK REPORT

A Rhode Island fishing board has denied permission to the 800-MW Vineyard wind project off Rhode Island and Massachusetts, creating a major hurdle in the approval process, the Providence Journal reports. With a unanimous vote, the Fishermen’s Advisory Board, which advises the Rhode Island Coastal Re...

DOE-FUNDED RESEARCH TO TEST VIABILITY OF BIFACIAL PV MODULES

Through federal funding, DNV GL, a global quality assurance, and risk management company, aims to accelerate the commercial deployment of bifacial PV modules. DNV GL was recently selected to receive a $200,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office for the ...

A 15% EFFICIENT SOLAR WINDOW THAT DELIVERS 120% OF US ELECTRICITY

University of Michigan team hopes to offer a 15% efficient solar window product, that allows 50% of the light through, and have received $1.3 million from the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop it further. Last year, a group from Michigan State published research sugg...

SALT RIVER PROJECT EYES 1 GW OF FRESH SOLAR IN ARIZONA

Arizona not-for-profit public utility Salt River Project (SRP) last week unveiled plans to add 1 GW of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity to its network by end-2025 amid rising customer demand for clean power. As part of the plan, the utility intends to deploy about 200 MW of solar capacit...

IEA VERSUS THE REALITY OF SOLAR PV

Last week, the IEA published its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2018. Even in its low ball scenario, it imagines that installed solar PV capacity will overtake that of all other forms of energy apart from a gas by 2040. Which, if you ignore the predicted continued dominance of oil, coal, and gas, is goo...

HOW CITIES CAN FUND THEIR 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE AMBITIONS

We’re inspired by the passage of the Portland Clean Energy Initiative this week, a ballot measure that will now provide $30 million per year for the city’s clean energy and climate work. Even better, the funds will target local energy deployment that lifts up low-income folks and people of color wit...

SUNPOWER COMPLETES LARGE SOLAR CANOPY FOR COMCAST’S NEW HAMPSHIRE HEADQUARTERS

Comcast announced the completion of a 950-panel, ground-mounted solar installation that will help power its Northeast Division headquarters office in Manchester, New Hampshire. Comcast worked with solar energy company, SunPower, to install the parking lot-based solar array, which will generate as mu...

THE U.S.’ SMALLEST STATE HAS BIG RENEWABLE ENERGY AMBITIONS

“Though she is little, she is fierce.” A line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream or an appropriate description for the State of Rhode Island? Judging by its milestones in the renewable energy industry, the smallest state in the U.S. is living up to this mantra. Rhode Island made history in...

LAWMAKER PROPOSES PARITY FOR FEDERAL PENSION COLAS

One northern Virginia lawmaker wants federal employees’ pension programs to have parity in how annual cost of living adjustments are applied, ending more than 30 years of what he described as an “unfair system.” On Tuesday, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., introduced the Equal COLA Act, a bill that would...

KDC SOLAR STARTING 5.5-MW NEW JERSEY SOLAR PROJECT

KDC Solar, owner, and operator of solar power facilities has announced the commencement of construction on a 5.5-MW solar power system located in the Bridgeton and Fairfield Townships in New Jersey. The solar project will supply electricity to the adjacent Ardagh Group glass manufacturing facility, ...

REPORT FINDS OUTDATED ELECTRICITY MARKET RULES HINDER RENEWABLE ENERGY GROWTH

Record low costs and consumer demand are driving growth in American wind and solar energy. However, outdated wholesale market rules are preventing the two technologies from further reducing prices for consumers, according to a new report, “Customer-Focused and Clean: Power Markets for the Future.” W...

CANADIAN SOLAR IS PUTTING MORE STEEL IN THE GROUND

The Chinese-Canadian PV manufacturer is continuing to grow its development activities under subsidiary Recurrent Energy, including some landmark solar and solar plus storage projects. While other large PV makers are getting out the project development game, Canadian Solar is deepening its involvemen...

GREEN STREET POWER PARTNERS ADDS SOLAR CARPORTS TO ALBERTUS MAGNUS COLLEGE

Today at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the construction of Phase I a 770-kW carport photovoltaic solar power system located on parking lots throughout the campus. The solar power system is expected to offset approximately 30% of Al...

BOWERY FARMING ADDING MICROGRID WITH SOLAR, NATURAL GAS AND STORAGE

Schneider Electric and Scale Microgrid Solutions have announced an agreement to design, engineer and build a new microgrid for modern-farming company Bowery Farming. Under the terms of the agreement, Scale Microgrid Solutions will build, own and operate a proprietary hybrid microgrid system that lev...

SHELL ENERGY SIGNS PPA FOR NEWLY APPROVED PALEN SOLAR

EDF Renewables North America and Shell Energy North America (SENA) have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the energy and renewable attributes of the Maverick 4 Solar Project, a 100 MW AC tranche of the Palen Solar facility. The project is expected to deliver clean electricity by th...

LAZARD STUDY CONFIRMS SOLAR, WIND COSTS DROPPING BELOW THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL GENERATION

Lazard Ltd., a financial advisory and asset management firm, has released its annual studies comparing the costs of energy from various generation technologies and of energy storage technologies for different applications. Importantly, Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis (LCOE 12.0) shows tha...

FREEDOM SOLAR POWER LAUNCHES FIRST COMMERCIAL SOLAR FINANCING OPTION IN TEXAS

Freedom Solar Financial Services, the first solar financial vehicle of its kind in Texas, has raised an initial round of $7.5 million in funding to finance commercial solar projects. Financing through Freedom allows companies to finance up to 70% of the cost of an entire solar installation and ensur...

SUNPOWER TO INSTALL LARGE SOLAR+STORAGE PROJECT FOR BOSTON CHEMICALS COMPANY

Cabot Corporation has reached an agreement to have SunPower install a 1.12-MW solar project paired with a 470-kW integrated energy storage system at Cabot’s Business and Technology Center in Billerica, Massachusetts. This commitment is a first for Cabot and will contribute to its long-term sustainab...

IKEA COMMISSIONS 1.72-MW ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY FOR FUTURE SAN ANTONIO LOCATION

IKEA, a home furnishings retailer, announced that its future San Antonio-area store will be equipped with solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations when it opens winter 2019 in Live Oak, TX. IKEA Live Oak will feature a 245,000-square-foot solar array, which will consist of a 1.72-MW ...

NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY SEEKS (MORE THAN) $250 MILLION SOLAR FACILITY

Adani Solar USA is looking for 2,940 acres of land to build the second largest solar plant east of the Rocky Mountains. Local commissioners are moving prudently, initially stopping progress, but recent town meetings have shown support. Adani Solar, a Tier 1 solar module manufacturer per BNEF, is see...

OREGON STATE STUDY: SOLAR PV ARRAYS COULD BOOST PLANT PRODUCTIVITY

Oregon State University (OSU) scientists have discovered that solar arrays could be used as a resource to increase agricultural production on dry, unirrigated farmland. In a study published earlier this month in the journal PLOS One, a research team in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences found th...

AEP PLANS $2.7 BILLION IN NEW RENEWABLE GENERATION

Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) is increasing capital investment in its regulated operations to provide more advanced, resilient and cleaner energy solutions for customers. AEP plans to invest $33 billion in capital from 2019 through 2023, with 75% of that investment focused on it...

EDF RENEWABLES SIGNS PPAS WITH SILICON VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY AND MONTEREY BAY COMMUNITY POWER

EDF Renewables North America announced the signing of two 20-year PPA for the 128 MWac with 40 MW/160 MWh battery storage Big Beau Solar+Storage Project in Kern County, California. Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) will purchase 55% of the output, and Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) will purcha...

CLEANCAPITAL, BLACKROCK CLOSE DEAL ON 60-PROJECT U.S. SOLAR PORTFOLIO

CleanCapital has partnered with BlackRock’s global renewable power platform to close a 46.9 MW portfolio of solar assets from Ahana Renewables, a subsidiary of ATN International Inc. The portfolio consists of 60 operating solar projects in California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The acquisition re...

ALTUS POWER ACQUIRES 11-MW NEW JERSEY SOLAR PORTFOLIO

Altus Power America announced the acquisition of a multisite New Jersey rooftop and carport solar portfolio, with an aggregate size of approximately 11 MWdc. The solar energy systems sell clean, renewable energy to an array of offtakers, primarily consisting of local businesses and corporations acro...

BLACK HILLS ENERGY PARTNERS WITH GRID ON COMMUNITY SOLAR FOR PUEBLO, COLORADO

Black Hills Energy announced the selection of GRID Alternatives Colorado to construct two community solar projects in the City of Pueblo as a means of expanding the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy to families that wouldn’t otherwise be able to install their own rooftop solar....

AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE, THE 500 MW PALEN SOLAR PROJECT IS APPROVED

EDF Renewables has gotten final approval from the Bureau of Land Management to move forward on its 500 MW-AC / 627 MW-DC solar power facility in Riverside County, California. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) yesterday released its Record of Decision, authorizing the Palen Solar Project, a photovo...

INDIANA’S NIPSCO LAYS OUT COAL-TO-RENEWABLES PLAN

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. LLC (NIPSCO), a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., has unveiled an initiative designed to transition customers to a more affordable and sustainable energy mix. Referred to as “Your Energy, Your Future,” the effort detailed in the company’s 2018 integrated resource plan ...

SUNNOVA ENERGY CORPORATION STARTS SOLAR+STORAGE SERVICE FOR TEXAS CUSTOMERS

Sunnova Energy Corporation, a privately-held U.S. residential solar+storage service provider, announced today the expansion of its Sunnova SunSafe solar+storage service offering to homeowners in the company’s home state of Texas. Sunnova is one of the first residential solar+storage service provider...

WIND DOMINATES, SOLAR TAKING LAND FROM GAS AS CHEAPEST ELECTRICITY

The Energy Institute at the University of Texas, Austin has updated its research on “The Full Cost of Electricity” taking into account further variables such social costs, as well the changing technological and political marketplaces. In 2016, The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute too...

REINVESTMENT FUND INVESTS $3 MILLION IN SUNWEALTH FOR SOLAR ACCESS

Sunwealth, the renewable energy investment firm working to change who has access to renewable energy by changing the way we invest in it, announced a $3 million loan from Reinvestment Fund to support Sunwealth’s renewable energy access work. This financing, together with $3 million tax-equity invest...

KEY EQUIPMENT FINANCE PROVIDES $9.7 MILLION IN FINANCING FOR MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY SOLAR

Key Equipment Finance, an affiliate of KeyCorp, announced it has provided a $7.8 million tax lease and a $1.9 million term loan to Radnor, Pennsylvania-based Community Energy, a provider of utility-scale wind and solar projects, for community solar projects in Massachusetts totaling 3.75 MWdc. Split...

BIG SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE DEAL SIGNED IN CALIFORNIA

Recurrent Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, has signed two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) in California with Silicon Valley Clean Energy and Monterey Bay Community Power for a 150 MW AC solar power system with 180 MWh of battery storage. According to Canadian Solar, this joint pr...

GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF 20-MW SOLAR PROJECT

Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, which invests in renewable energy assets, announced that it recently completed the construction of its 20-MWac Midway III solar PV project located in Imperial County, California. Greenbacker purchased this project from Solar Frontier Americas Holdings in Decembe...

DUKE ENERGY ATTEMPTS TO LOWER UP-FRONT SOLAR COSTS FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Duke Energy wants non-residential customers to have another option to install solar power on their premises. The company recently filed to be a certified solar lessor with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). Duke Energy Clean Energy Resources (DECER), a non-regulated affiliate of Duke En...

WASHINGTON STATE MOVES FORWARD WITH 5 MW SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE FACILITY

Washington electricity provider Energy Northwest (EN) has committed to building an energy storage system as part of a combined 5 MW solar-plus-storage facility in Richland, Wash. In partnership with Potelco, based in Sumner, Wash., the agency plans to break ground on the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage &...

STANDARD SOLAR, PIVOT ENERGY PLAN 10.3 MW OF COMMUNITY SOLAR IN COLORADO

Six sites along the I-70 corridor in Colorado including several towns, school districts and housing authorities (low-income residents) will benefit from a 10.3-MW portfolio of community solar, thanks to the collaboration between Pivot Energy and Standard Solar, two solar companies. “When Pivot Energ...

DANISH PENSION SERVICE PROVIDER ACQUIRES STAKE IN TWO CALIFORNIA UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR PROJECTS

Canadian Solar and Pensionskassernes Administration (PKA), one of Denmark’s largest pension service providers, announced Recurrent Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar, has finalized a transaction with PKA for its interests in two solar photovoltaic projects. In a deal valued around $...

DOMINION ENERGY SEEKS VIRGINIA SOLAR PROPOSALS 5 MW AND UP

Dominion Energy is seeking bids for up to 500 MW of solar and onshore wind generation as part of a plan to develop 3,000 MW of additional solar and wind power under Virginia’s new Grid Transformation & Security Act (GTSA). The GTSA, which became law on July 1, 2018, paves the way for the largest inc...

SUNPOWER TO INSTALL SOLAR AT 21 WALMART SITES IN ILLINOIS

The mix of rooftop and ground-mounted systems will total 23 MW, with start of construction planned for the first half of 2019. SunPower wears a lot of hats. Not only is the company the nation’s leading high-efficiency PV maker, but it has been a developer of utility-scale and commercial and industri...

DYNAMIC ENERGY SOLUTIONS STARTS 5.4-MW NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT

Dynamic Energy Solutions begins construction on the Capital Region Community Solar Garden; the largest community solar garden in New York State. The solar garden, located in Albany County, New York, offers National Grid Zone F customers an easy and cost-effective way to go solar. The 5,486-kW ground...

DYNAMIC ENERGY SOLUTIONS STARTS 5.4-MW NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT

Dynamic Energy Solutions begins construction on the Capital Region Community Solar Garden; the largest community solar garden in New York State. The solar garden, located in Albany County, New York, offers National Grid Zone F customers an easy and cost-effective way to go solar. The 5,486-kW ground...

WIND+SOLAR TEAM PUSH CORPORATE BUYERS TO SUPPORT TRANSMISSION

The Wind Solar Alliance has launched with a focus on driving renewable energy by shaping market rules related to utility procurements, and transmission planning. Their first report focuses on corporate renewable procurement and its influence and dependence on transmission policy. There once was a st...

MICROSOFT PIONEERS NEW WAY TO DERISK RENEWABLE ENERGY INVESTMENTS

In a corporate blog post on October 16, Microsoft announced a new tool to help take the risk out of investments in renewable energy, a move it hopes will help drive the renewable energy revolution forward. Intended for large corporate and industrial customers, it is called a Volume Firming Agreement...

NEXAMP COMPLETES 7.5-MW NEW YORK COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT

Nexamp, a solar energy provider, along with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, is hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 29 to celebrate the completion of Nexamp’s first community solar project in New York. The event will be held on Millard Hill Road near the intersection of Puhalka Road in Ne...

DUKE ENERGY ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR EXPANDED COMMERCIAL RENEWABLES IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Duke Energy has proposed a new program to expand renewable energy options for its commercial and industrial customers in South Carolina. The proposed Green Source Advantage program will provide large nonresidential customers the option to secure significant amounts of solar or other renewable energy...

AEP & INVENERGY RAMPING UP RENEWABLE ENERGY IN OHIO

Ohio is coal country and proud of it. To prove it, the Buckeye State gets more of its electricity from coal than almost any other US state and has high carbon emissions as a result. Actually, strike that. Ohio used to be coal country. But this deeply red state is slowly but surely turning green as m...

TWO PENNSYLVANIA TOWNSHIPS ADOPT 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS

Pennsylvania’s East Bradford Township and the Township of Haverford both adopted resolutions establishing goals of transitioning to 100% clean, renewable electricity by 2035, as well as 100% renewable energy for heat and transportation by 2050. According to the Sierra Club, the East Bradford board o...

WIND, SOLAR FARMS PRODUCE 8% OF US POWER IN 2017

About 8% of the US’ power last year came from wind and solar parks, including small-scale photovoltaic (PV) facilities, show statistics by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). According to data released on Thursday, wind and solar generation combined reached or exceeded 20% of the total p...

SUNPOWER ENERGIZES 1.7-MW SOLAR ARRAY AT BOSE HEADQUARTERS

A 1.7-MW solar installation from SunPower is now fully operational at Bose Corporation’s headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts. SunPower designed, constructed, financed and will operate and maintain the fixed-tilt, ground-mount system along the southern hillside of what is commonly known as “The...

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC SELECTS 255 MW OF SOLAR PROJECTS WITH 1 GWH STORAGE

The state of Hawaii is set for a major boost in renewable energy after the Hawaiian Electric Companies selected seven solar-plus-storage projects that will bring 255 MW of solar and 1,055 MWh of storage to the islands of Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. Contract negotiations are now underway between the Hawa...

DUKE ENERGY WILL INCREASE TERRITORY’S ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY FROM 15 MW TO 300 MW IN 15 YEARS

Duke Energy’s advancement of battery energy storage technologies in the Carolinas includes $500 million of projects in the company’s 15-year forecast – continuing the company’s industry-leading deployment of the technology. “Duke Energy is at the forefront of battery energy storage, and our investme...

BORREGO SOLAR TO CONSTRUCT 2-MW SOLAR ARRAY FOR CLIF BAR’S IDAHO BAKERY

Clif Bar Baking Company of Twin Falls, Idaho, has begun construction of the region’s largest onsite solar power system, which when completed next June will supply 30% of the 300,000-square-foot commercial bakery’s power annually from clean solar energy. The 2-MW system will feature five acres of gro...

MAUI BRINGS SECOND-EVER LARGE-SCALE SOLAR ARRAY ONLINE

In partnership with Kenyon Energy, Maui Electric Company is pleased to announce that Maui’s second large-scale solar PV project came online Oct. 4, 2018. Maui Electric is buying power from the Ku‘ia Solar project in West Maui which is independently owned and operated by Kenyon Energy. The 10.85-acre...

SEIA ROLLS OUT NEW GUIDE FOR INSTALLING RESIDENTIAL SOLAR

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released an updated Installation Best Practices Guide for Residential Portfolios, a document designed for all parties involved in a solar transaction. The white paper, developed by members of SEIA’s Solar Quality Assurance Working Group, provides re...

ORGANIC VALLEY EXPANDS COMMUNITY SOLAR SCHEME WITH 19 MW

Organic Valley, a US cooperative of organic farmers, last week said that a further 19 MW direct current (DC) of solar capacity will be built as part of a community solar partnership unveiled last year. Organic Valley created the community solar partnership with the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Gro...

ORSTED, A GIANT IN OFFSHORE WIND FARMS, MAKES A MOVE IN THE U.S.

Orsted, a Danish company that is one of the world’s largest offshore wind energy developers, said on Monday that it would acquire a Rhode Island rival, Deepwater Wind, for $510 million, a sign that the United States is becoming an attractive market for offshore energy generators. Orsted has a global...

ENSYNC ENERGY SELLS SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE PPA IN HAWAII

US distributed energy resources provider EnSync Energy Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:ESNC) said Thursday it has sold a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) tied to a solar-plus-storage project in Hawaii. The company, doing business as EnSync Energy Systems, inked the particular PPA with Kona Brewing Company i...

VERMONT SOLAR COMPANY NST BEEFS UP LEADERSHIP TEAM

Vermont-based solar developer Norwich Solar Technologies (NST) has named renewable energy veterans Martha Staskus as vice president of development and Jonathan Lynch as vice president of research and development. In her previous role as vice president of VERA Renewables, Staskus was responsible for ...

FIRSTENERGY'S OHIO UTILITIES SEEK TO BUY SRECS AND RECS

US electric utility FirstEnergy Corp (NYSE: FE) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to purchase Ohio-compliant Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for its subsidiaries in Ohio. The company said in a statement on Wednesday that the purchases will help meet O...

BAKING COMPANY GRUPO BIMBO TO SWITCH TO 100% RENEWABLES

Grupo Bimbo, a global baking company based in Mexico City, has announced a commitment to use 100% renewable energy for its electricity throughout the world by 2025. The company claims it is the first company in Mexico/Latin America to join RE100, a collaborative initiative of The Climate Group and C...

ENEL GREEN POWER CONNECTS 1 GIGAWATT OF SOLAR IN MEXICO

Enel Green Power México, the Mexican subsidiary of Italian electricity and gas distributor Enel Group, announced towards the end of September the completion and connection of approximately 1,089 megawatts (MW) worth of new solar capacity to the Mexican grid. The Enel Group’s Mexican renewable energy...

WIND ENERGY FOUNDATION BECOMES WIND SOLAR ALLIANCE, UNITING BOTH SECTORS

With a new focus on both wind and solar energy, the Wind Energy Foundation has changed its name to the Wind-Solar Alliance (WSA). WSA has also expanded its board of directors to include solar stakeholders Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of NEXTracker, and Colin Meehan, director of regulatory and public ...

SKYLINE RENEWABLES BUYS 166-MW TEXAS WIND PARK FROM RES

Skyline Renewables said last week it has acquired the 166-MW Hackberry wind park in Texas from Renewable Energy Systems Americas (RES America) for an undisclosed sum. The wind farm in question is located in Shackelford County, Northwest Texas, and has been generating electricity since 2008. It uses ...

ENGIE BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF 276-MW WIND PARK IN KANSAS

Engie North America Inc has initiated the construction of the 276-MW Solomon Forks wind farm in northwest Kansas, the company announced on Tuesday. The North American unit of French energy group Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) concluded the development of the particular project after buying it from a joint vent...

SHELL PARTNERS WITH NREL ON CLEAN TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR

Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell announced last week that it has launched the Shell GameChanger Accelerator in partnership with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is intended to discover and advance emerging clean energy technolog...

SOLAR UPTOWN BRINGS 415 KWDC OF SOLAR TO NEW YORK AFFORDABLE HOUSING

One of the brightest solutions showcased as part of Climate Week NYC 2018 (September 24-30) is a partnership program, Solar Uptown Now (S.U.N.), that is bringing 415 kWdc of rooftop solar capacity to 11 buildings, primarily Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) affordable housing cooperatives,...

EDF RENEWABLES AQUIRES 50% STAKE IN ENTERSOLAR

The acquisition will serve as a marriage between EDF’s established solar+storage expertise and EnterSolar’s history of C&I project development. Solar developer EDF Renewables North America (EDF) announced yesterday that it has acquired a 50% stake in commercial solar installer EnterSolar. The acquis...

JINKOSOLAR PARTNERS WITH EDISUN MICROGRIDS FOR FLAT ROOF TRACKING SYSTEM BUNDLE

JinkoSolar and Edisun Microgrids, a solar technology company that develops patented, distributed solar and energy storage technologies, today announced a partnership to develop the Eagle PowerTrack, a performance bundle for commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftops. The new performance bundle will fe...

PURELY GREEN PROGRAM CONNECTS CONSUMERS DIRECTLY TO RENEWABLE ENERGY IN TEXAS

Lots of people and small businesses would like to participate in the clean energy revolution but can’t because they don’t have a roof to put solar panels on or a yard large enough for a wind-powered generator. Community solar programs may not offer customers portability if they move and often requir...

CON EDISON’S BIG BUY: 943 MW OF SOLAR FROM SEMPRA

The $1.54 billion transaction will make Con Edison the 2nd-largest owner of operational solar assets in the United States, and is expected to close by the end of the year. Over the last few years we have seen big power companies and asset managers move whole-hog into solar ownership, swooping up the...

SENATORS PUSH FOR EXPANDED SOLAR ITC ELIGIBILITY FOR STORAGE

U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., are asking for clarification on the eligibility of energy storage projects for the solar investment tax credit (ITC). In a letter to Steven Mnuchin, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the lawmakers request that clarification i...

REC WILL SHOWCASE TWO NEW SOLAR PANELS AT SPI 2018

REC Group will be presenting two new products at Solar Power International (SPI) September 24-27. “We have seen impressive growth in the American market, with our customer base increasing fivefold since 2015,” said Cary Hayes, President of REC Americas LLC, “We are excited to not only be introducing...

SOLARIA, QUICK MOUNT PV AND ENPHASE TO PROVIDE ONE UNIFIED SOLAR SYSTEM

Solaria, Quick Mount PV and Enphase have announced they will partner to include their products in one single, unified system. Available through select distributors, the complete solution gives solar installers the ability to streamline installation and ensure homeowner satisfaction at the lowest po...

LATEST SOLAR INSTALLED PRICING REPORT SHOWS SYSTEM COSTS VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE COUNTRY

The Berkeley Lab released its annual Tracking the Sun report that summarizes installed prices and other trends among grid-connected, distributed solar PV systems in the United States. The present report, the 11th edition in the series, focuses on systems installed through year-end 2017, with prelimi...

STANDARD SOLAR BUYS 38-MW SOLAR DG PORTFOLIO IN NEW YORK

Standard Solar Inc said today it has acquired a 38-MW distributed generation (DG) photovoltaic (PV) portfolio in New York from local community solar developer US Light Energy, previously known as Solitude Solar. The purchased portfolio comprises six projects, including one re-purposed landfill, that...

ARIZONA UTILITY PUSHES SMARTER ENERGY USE TO MAXIMIZE DAYTIME SOLAR POWER

Arizona Public Service has announced three new residential energy programs hoping to financially motivate customers to use cheaper daytime electricity via HVAC, energy storage and hot water heaters. The daytime electricity pricing revolution is spreading. Sometime in the early 2010s in Germany, we s...

$170 MILLION OF SOLAR POWER COMING TO EAST TEXAS

Australian real estate developer Lendlease is pushing forward on a 200 MW solar power project. No electricity off taker has been noted, but the project has secured town approval and a tax abatement. Pretty soon, project announcements of multiple hundreds of megawatts of solar power in Texas are goin...

CYPRESS CREEK SELLS 135-MW NORTH CAROLINA SOLAR PORTFOLIO TO SOL SYSTEMS

Sol Systems and Nationwide Insurance announced that their Helios infrastructure joint-venture has executed a framework agreement to purchase a 135-MW portfolio of North Carolina solar projects from Cypress Creek Renewables. Launched in February 2018, Helios invests in utility-scale solar energy asse...

ALASKA TO GET ITS LARGEST SOLAR ARRAYS: 100 KW AND 563 KW

Renewables IPP is preparing to build a 100 kW project in Willow, Alaska. This will be the state’s largest until a 563 kW plant comes online this fall. Willow, Alaska isn’t within the Arctic Circle – so that means they’ll never have a 24 hour day of sunlight, nor 24 hours of no sun. However, on Decem...

KENTUCKY TIPS CROWN TO SOLAR POWER WITH ONE PROJECT TO TRIPLE CAPACITY

The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency has signed a power contract to purchase most of the electricity from an 86 MW-AC solar power plant, which will begin to offset the loss of coal and gas facilities at the end of 2022. The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA), a group of 11 city-owned utilities,...

APS OFFERS NEW PROGRAMS TO HELP CUSTOMERS USE MORE MIDDAY SOLAR