Renewable Energy Focus
Los Angeles Times - Aug 8 Governor Jerry Brown’s plan for a regional electricity grid is being put on hold this year, and lawmakers are no longer expected to consider a measure that would allow California to partner with five other states in buying and selling power. The governor and state regulators hope more interstate cooperation would eventually help spread clean energy through the region, increasing the market for renewable sources such as solar and wind. But there have been persistent concerns about whether the plan would undermine California’s environmental efforts or reduce its control over the grid, a residual worry a little more than a decade since the state’s energy crisis.
Utility Dive - Aug 5 The Nevada Supreme Court last week rejected a ballot proposal backed by the state's solar advocates that seeks to restore retail rate net metering, saying the language was misleading and the proposal was ineligible as a referendum. The decision upheld a lower court ruling in March, which ruled the ballot proposal was unconstitutional, saying it sought to remove sections of a law rather than the full law. The decision is a setback for the rooftop solar sector in the state, which saw applications dwindle since a decision late last year to cut net metering rates, impose new fees, and increase fixed charges on rooftop solar.
Greentech Media - Aug 11 Every summer, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issues a press release explaining that the state has hit another record for solar power generation. The most recent came in July, when CAISO reported that the state hit 8,030 megawatts of solar on July 12 at 1:06 p.m., almost 2,000 megawatts more than the previous summer. California is, of course, the national leader. But CAISO only tracks solar power systems that sell into the wholesale market that the operator manages. CAISO’s data misses all the solar that is installed behind the meter, that is all the customer-owned solar that doesn’t sell power into the market. According to data compiled by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the state has another 4,406 megawatts from 567,293 solar projects installed behind the meter.
PV Magazine - Aug 11 The University of California's Berkeley research institute has teamed up with GRID Alternatives to study 'energy access' off-grid solar projects with a view to expanding the reach of off-grid solar around the world. The research partnership is driven by a desire to spread electricity to the 1.2 billion people worldwide that still lack access to it. It shall study GRID Alternatives’ existing projects and develop future projects that shall benefit from the research.
Greentech Media - Aug 11 Stem, one of the leading providers of commercial energy-storage systems, just added $100 million in new financing from energy infrastructure investor Starwood Energy Group. Stem's project financing resources now top $350 million. The company claims to have surpassed 75 megawatt-hours of systems operating and under contract at more than 450 facilities in California and Hawaii, with more than 2 million hours of runtime. Stem's customers include Wells Fargo, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Reliance Steel.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Aug 9 With conservation cutting into demand, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) used nearly 16 acres of land originally set aside for additional water production for a solar farm at its F.E. Weymouth Water Treatment Plant in La Verne. The $10.5 million solar installation produces 3 megawatts of electricity at capacity, or enough to supply one-half of the treatment plant’s power needs. In addition to saving money, MWD will cut out 1,900 tons of carbon dioxide each year, or about the equivalent of emissions from burning 2.1 million pounds of coal.
St. Louis Business Journal - Aug 11 Bankrupt renewable energy developer SunEdison Inc. has received an offer of as much as $188 million for solar projects in western states. NRG Energy, based in Houston and New Jersey, offered $144 million for the projects, but the bid could grow to $188 million if SunEdison hits development milestones. According to bankruptcy court proceedings, SunEdison can still seek better offers but would have to pay a penalty to NRG if it does not accept its bid. The deal includes 2.1 gigawatts of wind and solar farms in states such as Texas, Utah, and California.
