Renewable Energy Focus
PV Magazine - Feb 2
President Obama just unveiled a $3.99 trillion budget for 2016 that asks Congress for a permanent extension of tax credits for the solar and wind industry. Although the Republican-controlled Senate and House will not approve this budget or enact permanent extensions of the tax credits, the proposal signals that the administration will support some preservation of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the wind power Production Tax Credit (PTC).
PV Magazine - Feb 4
French-owned solar developer Soitec won approval Wednesday from San Diego County to move forward with two major new power plants 50 miles east of San Diego. The board brushed aside concerns about the financial health of Soitec, which laid off 100 solar workers last month in San Diego and Phoenix. Despite those troubles, the power plants might revive production of Soitec’s trademark solar trackers at its factory in Rancho Bernardo.
North American Windpower - Jan 29
The wind-friendly amendments that were added to the legislation concerning the approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline have failed in the Senate. Introduced by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Senate Amendment 133 would have extended the federal wind production tax credit (PTC) for five years and established a clear path forward for renewable energy. Despite the setback, Jim Reilly, senior vice president of federal legislative affairs at the American Wind Energy Association, maintains that the PTC still carries bipartisan support.
Think Geoenergy - Jan 29
Geothermal power plants are a leading provider of permanent, on-site employment in California and the West. As part of its annual industry assessment roll out, the Geothermal Energy Association released preliminary data showing that there were 3,150 permanent, on-site employees at their power plants. This is 19 times the reported onsite employment for wind projects and 5 times the reported onsite employment for solar projects according to GEA.
Think Geoenergy - Feb 4
California state regulators gave Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) the green light last week for a voluntary program that will allow customers to get up to 100 percent of their energy from solar by paying a monthly surcharge. The program, expected to roll out by the end of the year, will allow PG&E to procure solar from small and medium-sized solar projects (0.5 megawatts to 20 megawatts) located within its service area.
PennEnergy - Jan 30
The U.S. Department of Energy is making $45 million in funding available to quickly move innovative solar manufacturing technologies to market. It is also awarding more than $14 million for 15 new projects to help communities develop multi-year solar deployment plans to install solar electricity in homes, businesses, and neighborhoods.
KCET - Feb 4
Two large solar power projects are still on hold in the California desert, according to documents published by a state agency in the last week. Solar Reserve's 150-megawatt Rice Solar Energy Project, approved by the California Energy Commission in 2010, is languishing unbuilt on its site east of Joshua Tree National Park in Riverside County. So is the 500-megawatt Hidden Hills Solar Electric Generating System proposed for eastern Inyo County, which owner BrightSource Energy put on the back burner in April 2013 after a power purchase agreement with utility Pacific Gas and Electric fell apart.
Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals
Long Beach Press-Telegram - Jan 31
Executives from MillerCoors flipped the switch Thursday on the largest solar panel array of any brewery in the country. Fixed solar panels installed in three locations on the grounds of the Irwindale plant will generate enough energy to produce 7 million cases of beer per year. The black solar panels will provide between 7 percent and 40 percent of the plant’s electrical energy, said Kim Marotta, MillerCoors director of sustainability.
Solar Industry - Feb 4
SunPower Corp. has completed the installation of solar power systems totaling 5.2 megawatts across 20 schools in California's Antioch Unified School District. The systems, which use SunPower solar panels, are primarily rooftop arrays and solar shade structures in school parking lots. According to the company, the systems will save the district around $39 million over the next 30 years and will offset its electricity demand from the utility grid by approximately 69 percent.
