News
Wind, solar additions slowed in first half of 2022 but are expected to jump in next three years: FERC
Utility Dive – August 17
Renewable energy developers added 5,722 MW of wind in the first half of this year, down from 7,157 MW in the same period in 2021, while solar additions fell to 3,895 MW from 5,714 MW, according to a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report. Looking ahead, 66,315 MW of “high probability” solar and 17,383 MW of high probability wind additions are set to come online over the next three years, according to the report.
California’s Senate passes Solar Access Act designed to speed up residential PV permitting
PV-Tech – August 25
California’s Solar Access Act (SAA) has passed the state’s Senate, clearing its final legislative hurdle, and will now be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom to be signed into law. The SAA requires cities with more than 5,000 residents, counties with more than 150,000 residents and all cities within those counties to implement instant online permitting for solar and solar-plus-storage systems. Lawmakers hope it will decrease approval times for residential solar and solar-plus-storage systems and cut permitting costs for local governments and homeowners.
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Projects
EDF Renewables brings online 620 MW solar project with 200 MWh BESS in California
Energy Storage News – August 18
EDF Renewables North America has fully commissioned Palen Solar, a multi-stage solar PV project on public lands in California administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The project’s 457 MWac/620 MWdc of ground mounted PV with horizontal single axis trackers and its 50 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) are now all fully up and running.
U.S. Solar Fund sells purchase option over 200 MW California solar project
PV-Tech – August 23
U.S. Solar Fund has sold a purchase option over its 50% interest in the 200 MW Mount Signal 2 (MS2) PV project in Southern California to renewables company MN8 Energy, which was formerly known as Goldman Sachs Renewable Power. As part of the deal, MN8 will pay U.S. Solar Fund a non-refundable fee of $1 million and will have the option to acquire the fund’s 50% interest in MS2 for an additional $52.2 million, excluding working capital.
Sealed Air powers California manufacturing plant with solar farm investment
Solar Industry Magazine – August 23
Packaging company Sealed Air has invested $9 million in a solar farm that is now powering its Madera manufacturing facility. The solar panels, which sit on 11 acres of company-owned land adjacent to the facility, are expected to help reduce energy spend at this site by $1 million annually. SEE partnered with TotalEnergies (which recently acquired SunPower Commercial and Industrial Solutions) to design and install the 3.5 MW ground mount solar project.
PG&E and New Sun Road to reduce wildfire risk with remote grids
Microgrid Knowledge – August 22
New Sun Road and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) have announced a partnership that they believe will help to mitigate wildfire risk with remote grids. PG&E’s renewable energy “stand-alone power systems,” or remote grids, are designed to replace long electric distribution lines in the threatened areas across the company’s 70,000 square mile service area. New Sun Road’s platform allows the utility to monitor and control the performance of its remote grids, run safety diagnostics, and receive notifications over satellite or cellular connections.
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