Renewable Energy Focus
Solar Industry Magazine - Apr 14 In a 10-2 vote this Wednesday, the California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee passed A.B. 2460, a bill that would expand consumer incentives for rooftop solar thermal technologies. According to the California Solar Energy Industries Association, the bill would extend California Solar Initiative Thermal program funding for 10 years through 2027, providing certainty to the growing solar water heating market. Under the program, consumers would get an upfront rebate as well as be eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit.
Sacramento Bee - Apr 14 The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved nearly $9 million in grants for the installation of fast chargers to enable electric vehicle drivers to more easily travel between San Diego and the California-Oregon border. Fast chargers can power a vehicle’s battery from 80 percent to full capacity within 30 minutes. The grants went to four companies: Campbell-based ChargePoint Inc., EV Connect Inc. in El Segundo, Venice-based Recargo Inc., and NRG EV Services LLC in Houston.
PV Magazine - Apr 13 More than 500,000 people work in California’s advanced energy industry, new data from the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) has revealed this week. The sector, which includes energy efficiency, advanced electricity generation, biofuels, advanced grid technology, and advanced vehicles, employs far more people than the motion picture, TV, and radio industry (145,000) and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (475,000) and, at a growth rate of 18 percent last year, it is closing in on the construction industry for the state, which employs 750,000 people. According to AEE, the sector’s growth rate was six times that of California’s average employment rate of 3 percent.
KQED - Apr 11 The cost of solar power has plummeted in recent years, which has led to a renewable energy boom in California. But there’s a big hang-up: solar energy doesn’t provide a 24-hour supply. When the sun sets, the power from solar farms drops off, just as California needs it most. That’s sparked new interest in technology that stores electricity. And the energy storage technology race is going far beyond your typical battery.
Portland Business Journal - Apr 12
An Oregon solar panel manufacturer will supply 17.5 megawatts of its technology for a utility-scale project in Nevada. Hillsboro-based SolarWorld will provide 17.5 megawatts worth of panels for a project from the Valley Electric Association in Pahrump, a Mojave Desert town west of Las Vegas. The project will comprise 51,562 340-watt modules manufactured in SolarWorld’s Hillsboro factory.
PV-Tech - Apr 7 French renewable energy firm EDF Renewable Energy has signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Southern California Edison (SCE) for a 111.2-megawatt AC PV power plant. The Valentine Solar Project will be located on private land in Kern County’s Mojave Desert, adjacent to EDF’s Catalina Solar 2 Project, which is also contracted with SCE. The project is expected to be completed, grid connected and producing electricity in December 2019.
Greentech Media - Apr 10 SolarCity closed two major rounds of funding this week that will give a boost to its residential and commercial solar businesses, and could possibly breathe new life into a languishing commercial and industrial solar market. Last week, the California-based company announced it had closed the second round of financing as part of its renewable energy tax equity investment program with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and another investor. The program will finance approximately $188 million in solar projects, covering the upfront cost of the solar equipment and installation.
SolarServer - Apr 7 WGL Energy Systems and BayWa r.e. have completed a 1.12-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm in Delano. The fully installed solar array is designed to power Delano’s Waste Water Treatment Plant.
