Focus
Duke Energy completes acquisition of 150-MW California solar project
■PV-Tech - April 23
Duke Energy Renewables has acquired the 150-megawatt North Rosamond solar project in Kern County from Clearway Energy Group. The North Rosamond installation stands as Duke Energy Renewables' sixth solar generation facility in Kern County. The North Rosamond project, capable of powering approximately 71,000 homes, will be the largest solar project in Duke Energy Renewables' portfolio.
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News
Washington and Nevada pass clean power legislation
■Power Magazine - April 24
Washington this week became the latest state to establish a goal of 100 percent carbon-free clean electricity, as lawmakers passed Senate Bill 5116, which mandates a transition to clean power across the state by 2045. The bill was first introduced in January and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. Washington joins other states, including Hawaii, California, and New Mexico, with 100 percent clean power mandates. Other states, including New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are considering similar legislation. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on April 22 signed a bill that requires the state’s power companies to get half their energy from renewable sources by 2030.
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U.S. solar giant makes second power play
■ReNews - March 29
7X Energy has signed a second power purchase agreement for the remaining electricity to be generated at its 690-megawatt Taygete solar farm in Texas. The power will be purchased by two large unnamed corporate entities in SolarBlocks, a product offered by 7X Energy. Taygete will be built in two phases with the first phase starting construction in the third quarter of this year and the second phase in the first quarter of 2020.
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S.F. mayor calls PG&E assets a ‘great’ opportunity to bring clean energy to the city
■Renewable Energy World - April 18
San Francisco Mayor London Breed wants to use PG&E Corp.’s bankruptcy to take over some of the company’s assets for the city’s power needs, a move that would shake up California’s largest utility and remake the state’s energy landscape. Breed said she sees an opportunity to deliver clean power to her residents while keeping rates as low as possible. She’s awaiting the release of a study later this month that would outline the feasibility of assuming control of PG&E’s local infrastructure. San Francisco now runs a clean-power initiative that buys renewable energy and distributes it on PG&E poles and wires.
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Projects
$3B transmission project wins key permit in quest to bring wind power to the West Coast
■Greentech Media - April 23
The best wind resources in the U.S. are in the country's more sparsely populated center, but electricity demand is concentrated on the coasts. That means that the continued growth of the U.S. wind market will require major new transmission lines — a big challenge, because such projects can take more than a decade to bring from concept to reality. Last Friday, the $3 billion TransWest Express Transmission Project won unanimous approval from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, the last of the state and federal approvals needed to move forward with its 3-gigawatt plan. This could allow the project to open for business as early as 2023. First proposed in 2005, TransWest Express would stretch 730 miles from southwestern Wyoming through Colorado and Utah, to its connection to western grids at Nevada’s Hoover Dam.
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2 GW of pumped hydro storage proposed for Arizona
■PV Magazine - April 19
Earth has an estimated 500,000 suitable sites for closed-loop pumped hydro storage, which can pair well with solar power. In the United States, 24 pumped hydro storage units are in operation, totaling 18.4 gigawatts of capacity. Most were authorized more than 30 years ago—attesting to the longevity of the technology—as reported by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The largest new project proposed in the United States would create 2 gigawatts of closed-loop pumped hydro storage in Arizona. While the project is not paired with solar power, its arid location and the attractive cost of solar generation in the region make pairing with solar likely. According to FERC, there has been an increase in the number of preliminary permit and license applications filed for pumped storage projects.
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Ashley Furniture will install solar on 10 of its largest U.S. manufacturing and distribution facilities
■Solar Power World - April 24
Ashley Furniture Industries has committed to a multi-phase effort to reduce the company’s energy footprint. The company has selected 10 of its largest U.S. facilities to receive solar installations this year as part of the first phase of the initiative. Construction on the first solar array in Romeoville, Illinois, begins this week. Other Ashley solar project sites include three locations in California as well as Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ashley’s advanced manufacturing headquarters in Arcadia, Wisconsin.
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