Focus
California’s solar mandate to deliver more than 1 GW
PV Magazine – February 13
California’s new residential solar mandate, effective from the first day of 2020, is going to add more than 1 gigawatt of solar PV over the next five years, according to analysts. The state already has a nation-leading cumulative PV installed base of 26.2 gigawatts. Austin Perea, senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables, said the mandate is not going to have an immediate impact – because building developers pulled permits in the previous year under the earlier building code. But once it goes into effect, it will result in approximately 120 megawatts deployed in the back half of 2020, according to the analyst. SunPower, notes Perea, has already started its ramp-up.
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News
Navy signals willingness to accept wind farms off California’s Central Coast
Greentech Media - February 18
The California Energy Commission released a new map this month identifying offshore wind areas deemed compatible with U.S. military operations, but developers say there wouldn't be enough space to create a viable market off California's Central Coast. Despite the enormous wind energy potential off California’s coasts in the central and northern areas of the state, it lags far behind its East Coast peers in establishing projects. Potential offshore conflicts with Department of Defense operations loom over any discussion of a future California market. Yet there are many positive signs. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management may hold an auction for offshore wind lease areas in California later this year. And with floating offshore wind technology gaining momentum in Europe, and California in need of vast amounts of renewable power to meet its climate goals, many in the offshore wind industry see the state as an important future market.
U.S. solar jobs have risen 167% since 2010, new figures show
CNBC – February 19
The solar industry in the U.S. employed 249,983 people in 2019, a 2.3 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to new data from The Solar Foundation. The 2019 numbers represent a small boon for the industry, which saw job losses in both 2017 and 2018. When it comes to jobs by state, California leads the way with 74,255 workers, although the Golden State did see a 3.4 percent drop in solar jobs compared to 2018. Overall, solar jobs grew in 31 states last year.
Navajo Nation wants to provide power to Los Angeles
KJZZ – February 18
Navajo President Jonathan Nez will attend a Los Angeles City Council meeting this week to discuss a proposed partnership. The tribe wants to provide the city with 500 megawatts of clean energy. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was a part owner of the Navajo Generating Station. The operators closed the coal-fired power plant at the end of last year in favor of natural gas and renewable energy. The deal is the latest attempt to make up for the lack of coal revenue and develop renewable energy projects. The Navajo Nation also recently filed to intervene in a rate case with Arizona Public Service, a co-owner of NGS and the Four Corners Power Plant, which the utility plans to close in 2031.
APS partners with clean energy business group to reach 100% carbon-free target
Utility Dive – February 14
Arizona Public Service (APS) has turned to national clean energy business group Advanced Energy Economy for help reaching the utility's 100 percent clean energy goal by 2050, which will involve shuttering both the Four Corners and Cholla coal-fired power plants. Through the Arizona Clean Energy Future initiative, announced last Thursday, APS will receive assistance from 13 companies focused on electrifying transportation, grid flexibility, expanding low-carbon generation capacity, and maximizing clean energy use. The utility is also using the partnership to consider carbon capture and modular nuclear generation technologies.
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Projects
Nation’s largest solar farm planned in Tulare County
The Business Journal – February 14
The nation’s largest solar farm is in the works south of Porterville, California. Tulare County released a Notice of Preparation on February 14 announcing the big renewable energy project. Built on 3,800 acres near the town of Ducor, the Rexford Solar Farm will produce 700 megawatts of solar power in addition to 700 megawatts of energy storage. The solar arrays would eclipse the state’s biggest solar farm in San Luis Obispo — the 550-megawatt Topaz facility built in 2011. The solar farm is being proposed by a partnership that includes privately held 8minute Energy, which owns several large utility-scale solar farms in the West, including four in Kern County.
Iron Mountain taps Standard Solar for energy solution
Solar Industry Magazine - February 11
Iron Mountain Inc., a storage and information management company, says it will add 18 rooftop solar arrays totaling 5 megawatts in five states. Standard Solar Inc. is financing the projects, which it will own and operate as part of a long-term development partnership that will bring additional capacity online. Arrays will be built on Iron Mountain operation centers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland, and will contribute to the company’s mission to obtain local, reliable, and cost-effective renewable energy solutions to meet its RE100 goal of 100 percent renewable electricity for global operations.
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