The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized the Renewable Energy Rule, which will cut fees by up to 80% for wind and solar projects developed on federal land. In addition, the DOI announced...more
Our Currents’ focus article this month is on developments in the growth of solar electric power generation and obstacles to future growth that are occurring around the U.S. from environmental groups and other energy producers...more
On the heels of its recent lawsuit filed against MC Solar, Florida Attorney General (AG) Ashley Moody filed two additional lawsuits against Vision Solar and SetUp My Solar for allegedly deceiving Floridians in violation of...more
On June 23, 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 3179, which changes the definition of energy facilities subject to mandatory Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) jurisdiction. Signed by Oregon’s...more
In recognition of the substantial effect that widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs) will have in reducing carbon emissions, the state and federal government have set ambitious goals to increase the number of EVs on the...more
On October 5, Arkansas Attorney General (AG) Tim Griffin issued an enforcement advisory to Arkansas solar installation companies. The letter outlines solar installation companies’ legal obligations under the Arkansas...more
President Joe Biden traveled to Philadelphia last Thursday as his administration announced the first-ever sale of offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Mexico, which caps several years of advancing offshore wind in the Pacific...more
Last Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a plan that will set the state on a course to adding 86,000 MW of new resources to the grid by 2035. That amounts to “more than a doubling of the...more
California utility regulators on Thursday approved major changes to the state’s booming rooftop solar market that they say will more evenly spread the cost of energy and help reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels in the...more
The Department of Energy on Tuesday announced a scientific breakthrough in nuclear fusion at a national lab in California, marking a major step toward developing a new, sustainable form of energy that releases virtually no...more
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the Act) runs 725 pages and includes numerous energy tax provisions aimed at enhancing US energy security. The Act, if enacted, would extend and expand the renewable and alternative...more
Focus - BLM says it will approve largest U.S. solar farm - Los Angeles Times – January 1 - Federal officials plan to approve a massive solar farm with energy storage in the desert outside Las Vegas, paving the way...more
Focus - Los Angeles has lined up record-cheap solar power. But there’s a problem - Los Angeles Times – August 27 - Los Angeles has been sitting on a contract for record-cheap solar power for more than a month, but the...more
Focus - California bill proposes a backstop authority to secure state’s power grid needs - Greentech Media - April 17 - California lawmakers are grappling with a complicated yet critical issue — how to secure the...more
Projects and energy updates from South Africa - Kenya: Menengai geothermal project receives funding - The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a senior loan of US$29.5 million and a concessional loan of US$20...more
Focus - UC researchers identify nontraditional sites for future solar farms - UC Riverside - Dec 19 There’s a tradeoff when sprawling solar farms pop up on agricultural land: farmland disappears, perhaps forever, in...more
Focus - City of Industry publicly approves massive solar farm - San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Oct 12 After working behind closed doors for a year, the City of Industry publicly approved agreements last Thursday to build...more
Renewable Energy Focus - Senator Stern proposes clean-energy storage push - Santa Clarita Valley Signal - Jan 30 - State Senator Henry Stern on Monday announced a proposal to “double down” on clean-energy...more
Renewable Energy Focus - Renewables accounted for majority of new U.S. capacity in 2016 - Solar Industry Magazine - Jan 11 - Although the concrete statistics for the final months of last year aren't in...more
Renewable Energy Focus - San Bernardino County rejects a controversial solar power plant proposed for the Mojave Desert - Los Angeles Times - Aug 24 - The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has...more
Renewable Energy Focus - California’s biggest utilities break own record for solar power Sacramento Bee - Jul 15 - California’s booming solar industry had a record day last week when the state’s largest utilities...more
Renewable Energy Focus - California land officials sign off on closing Diablo Canyon nuclear plant - OC Register - Jun 29 - California State Lands Commission officials dropped their longstanding environmental...more
Renewable Energy Focus - United Airlines takes off with biofuel - Los Angeles Times - Mar 13 - A Boeing 737 jet that took off from Los Angeles International Airport last week looked like most other planes...more
Renewable Energy Focus - Data center giant Equinix taps SunEdison to solar power its California operations: PV Magazine - Sep 23: Equinix, the largest data center service provider in the world, has signed a five-year...more
Renewable Energy Focus - Obama adds $1 billion in loan guarantees for clean energy: Bloomberg - Aug 24: President Barack Obama will announce on Monday a $1 billion increase in loan guarantees for renewable energy...more