Focus
SOLAR INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - Jan 15 The nonprofit Clean Coalition has released a new resource highlighting the significant level of commercial-scale solar that could be generated within the city of San Diego. The Solar Siting Survey, conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Solar Energy Innovation Network, identified approximately 500 megawatts of technical solar siting potential for commercial-scale solar deployments on built environments within the city. Though a portion of the solar siting potential is on large rooftops, more than 75 percent is on parking lots and parking structures. In total, this survey identified enough local solar capacity to fulfill the average power needs of about 500,000 homes during peak solar production hours, says the coalition.
GREENTECH MEDIA - Jan 16 Solar investment fell in 2018, according to new data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, dropping nearly a quarter from 2017. At the same time, Bloomberg NEF said it was a record year for solar capacity, which topped 100 gigawatts. Total global clean energy investments were down 8 percent over 2017 according to the research firm, ringing up at $332.1 billion compared to $361.7 billion in 2017. While final numbers are still pending, Bloomberg NEF estimates that a total of 109 gigawatts of solar were deployed globally in 2018. This number comes in contrast to the latest count from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, which calculated a total of 94.8 gigawatts in 2018.
MICROGRID KNOWLEDGE - Jan 14 Utilities in California have long implemented time-of-use (TOU) rates that followed the grid’s traditional load curve — which ramped in the morning, peaked in the mid-day hours, and gradually decreased in the afternoon into the evening. Under the new TOU rate schedules, solar power production will largely occur during off-peak hours and provide little relief during on-peak hours. However, the ability to charge an energy storage system with low-cost power, whether sourced from the grid during off-peak hours or from an on-site solar PV system, enables large energy users to consume that power during on-peak hours and other opportune times. Over time, this can significantly reduce operational costs and provide businesses the flexibility to capitalize on other opportunities, such as reducing demand charges and increasing earnings through demand response and other incentive programs.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN - Jan 14 Up to $577 billion in annual global food production relies on pollination by insects and other animals such as hummingbirds and bats, according to the United Nations. But more than half of native bee species in the U.S. have seen their numbers drop sharply since 2005, with almost 25 percent now at risk of extinction. Meanwhile the North American monarch butterfly population has declined 68 percent over the past two decades. The U.S. is expected to convert six million acres of land to such facilities before 2050, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Some researchers see this as an opportunity to reclaim land for pollinating species by replacing the usual grass or gravel at these sites with wildflowers that need insects to pollinate them, and that produce the nectar those insects eat.
Projects
DENVER POST - Jan 11 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is more than doubling the power it will get from solar energy with a new 100-megawatt installation about 20 miles north of Trinidad, Colorado. Tri-State said last Friday that it is teaming up with Boulder-based juwi Inc. on the 660-acre project, which will install more than 300,000 photovoltaic solar panels on single-axis tracking arrays that follow the sun. The energy wholesaler will buy the entire output of the project over the 15-year contract.
CP EXECUTIVE - Jan 16 By the end of 2019, Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO) expects to complete five solar projects at retail properties comprising more than 500,000 square feet in central and northern California. The company is partnering with Blue Sky Utility, a Napa-based renewable energy developer. Some of PECO’s national anchor tenants run their own utility programs and are already buying power at a discounted rate, but many mom-and-pop tenants are seeing a 6 to 8 percent savings that goes straight to the bottom line. As the landlord, PECO has signed up its common-area accounts and is also enjoying a 6 to 8 percent savings.
