The U.S. saw roughly triple the amount of grid-scale battery storage installed in the second quarter of this year as it did in the preceding quarter, in megawatt terms, according to the latest Clean Power Quarterly report from the American Clean Power Association (ACP). According to the report, 1,510 MW of large-scale battery energy storage system deployments were made in Q2 2023. Figures published earlier this year by research group Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables – in association with ACP – showed 554 MW grid-scale installs in Q1, while in Q4 2022, the number was 848 MW.
Federal agencies are preparing to transition to zero-emission vehicle fleets in coming years, but they face significant challenges to actually do so, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The costs of charging equipment installation, constraints involving leased space, and electrical capacity at some locations were among the concerns expressed in 10 of the 26 agency plans GAO reviewed. Federal agencies’ fleet electrification efforts come in response to a 2021 Biden administration executive order requiring 100% of new federal light-duty vehicle acquisitions to be ZEVs beginning in 2027 and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to be ZEVs by 2030.
New research by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows the number of local zoning ordinances governing renewable energy deployment is increasing in the United States. The NREL study identified 1,853 local wind ordinances in effect during 2022 compared to 286 in 2018. The most common types were related to setbacks from structures, roads, and property lines; noise levels; and wind turbine heights. A first-of-its-kind companion survey of regulations related to the development of utility-scale solar identified 839 ordinances in effect during 2022.
Property insurance premiums for U.S. solar facilities have soared as much as 50% over the past year, threatening to slow their rollout and derail global efforts to cut carbon emissions. In areas particularly prone to natural disasters, some renewable energy companies have stopped developing projects altogether because of the cost to insure. Lightsource BP has so far avoided building on the U.S. Gulf Coast near the shore because of hurricane threats. SB Energy has passed on signing leases or acquiring a few early-stage projects in the Midwest and Texas due to hail risk.
The Judicial Council of California has released an RFP for 33 grid-connected renewable energy projects, including photovoltaic, battery energy storage, and microgrid systems. The move is part of the Judicial Council’s plan to reduce courthouse greenhouse gas emissions and improve its resilience with renewable energy. The Judicial Council previously canceled a similar RFP that had been launched in 2022.
Renewable Properties has closed its Fund 9 portfolio, which includes close to 22 MW of community solar and small-scale utility projects in California, Maine, and North Carolina. Fund 9 includes five projects across the three states, producing enough energy to power 3,111 homes per year.
At its Las Vegas facility, Unimacts can make enough torque tubes in a year to support two GW worth of solar panels. But the company is looking to triple the size of its operations in the near future to build enough capacity to support six GW worth of solar panels and employ over 200 people. Nevada ranks first in the nation for solar jobs per capita, with over 7,500 positions, and the Solar Energy Industries Association estimates that there are 112 solar companies operating in the state and about 15 are solar manufacturers.
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