Renewable Energy Update - July 2015 #2

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Renewable Energy Focus

Los Angeles County supervisors to ban large wind turbines in unincorporated areas

Los Angeles Daily News - Jul 14

After hearing pleas from more than a dozen Antelope Valley residents, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took preliminary steps Tuesday to ban utility-scale wind turbines in unincorporated areas of the county. The supervisors unanimously approved a draft Renewable Energy Ordinance that updated permitting and regulations on small-scale wind and solar projects and utility-scale solar projects. Tanya DeRivi, of the Southern California Public Power Authority, said the ordinance might deter any new renewable energy projects in the county. Marvin Moon, of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, also spoke against the provision of the ordinance that would require transmission lines to be placed underground. The supervisors will review a final ordinance before it is adopted.

First Solar-funded study reveals benefits of utility versus residential PV

PV-Tech - Jul 14

Utility solar systems in the U.S. offer significant cost and environmental benefits over rooftop residential photovoltaic systems due to higher electric output and economies of scale, research suggests. Undertaken by consultancy the Brattle Group, the study claims to be the first to attempt to quantify the relative benefits of utility- and residential-scale solar systems based on real-life utility data. First Solar, a leading player in the utility solar market, commissioned the research.

Judge sides with schools in solar spat

San Diego Union-Tribune - Jul 15

Several public school districts with rooftop solar energy systems and the City of San Diego appear likely to prevail in a spat with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) over the value of daytime renewable energy. A staff judge at the California Public Utilities Commission has recommended rejection of a proposal by SDG&E to shift the period of its peak electricity pricing from midday toward the evening hours, though the utility would be allowed to make its case again in the future. The proposed decision was published on Friday, and the five-member commission may vote on the matter as soon as August 13.

Walmart denied solar carports in Corona

Press-Enterprise - Jul 15

Corona City Council denied Walmart’s plan to install solar carports at its Ontario Avenue facility, nixing a project that would have made the store more than 60 percent energy efficient. Mayor Eugene Montanez guided most of the 90-minute discussion Wednesday, July 15, eventually siding with the residents of Radcliffe Drive who had contended the glare emitted from the panels would depreciate property values in the area and potentially harm their eyes.

Federal judges rule on Colorado's renewable energy mandate

Denver Business Journal - Jul 14

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver says Colorado’s mandate that the state’s biggest utilities get 30 percent of their power supplies from renewable resources is legal. Renewable energy supporters hailed the ruling as precedent-setting protection for the 29 state-level renewable energy standards. On the other hand, the Washington, D.C.-based Energy & Environment Legal Institute, which filed the case in 2011, called it a “brief, harmful opinion straying from well-established precedent."

Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals

Yingli spin-off Amplify Energy launches in California

Solar Industry Magazine - Jul 14

Amplify Energy Inc., a provider of engineering services to solar project owners, buyers, and developers, has commenced business operations at its headquarters in South San Francisco. The new business has been independently spun off from Yingli Green Energy Americas Inc., a partially owned subsidiary of Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. By using performance engineering and its proprietary PVSAT software, the Amplify Energy team can thoroughly analyze production and weather data.

HydroRevolution to develop solar desalination facility in California

PV-Tech - Jul 16

HydroRevolution, a subsidiary of renewable energy water reuse system provider WaterFX, has announced plans to develop a commercial solar desalination plant in the Panoche Water and Drainage District, located in California’s Central Valley. Once the site is completed, HydroRevolution will be able to offer a sustainable water source to water districts by utilizing solar energy to change salt water into freshwater.

SunEdison yieldco sees ‘attractive returns and strong growth’ in energy storage

PV-Tech - Jul 16

Terraform Power, the renewable energy investment vehicle launched by SunEdison, the world’s biggest cleantech developer at present, is set to make its first acquisition in energy storage. Terraform Power will acquire 50 megawatts of energy storage, which will be jointly financed and developed by SunEdison and storage developer Advanced Microgrid Solutions. The 50 megawatts of batteries will be delivered for utility Southern California Edison.

300-megawatt Beltran solar project in California secures grid connection agreement

CleanTechnica - Jul 10

The 300-megawatt Beltran solar photovoltaic power project currently under development in Stanislaus County, California, is now one step closer to completion, following reports that the developer Centauri Energy has secured a grid connection agreement for the project. The project is now expected to begin delivering electricity to the grid in 2016 or 2017, following the provision of a grid connection queue position via the California Independent System Operation.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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