pvMB 1/23/19: NYSEIA names Shyam Mehta as new ED, S-5! defends its patent, and more…

S-5! wins patent infringement case – Three years after PMC Industries first introduced their ColorSnap System, S-5! has prevailed in a suit claiming that the system infringed on S-5!’s existing patent. S-5!’s successful suit now means that PMC is barred from making, using, offering for sale, selling, advertising for sale, or installing the ColorSnap System. Furthermore, the company can no longer make or sell replacement parts to repair or replace previously sold ColorSnap systems. This is the second big patent lawsuit story today, with NEXTracker announcing a suit against Sunlink. Source – S-5!

SunShare celebrates completion of 100 MW of Community Solar Projects – With the recent completion of the SaintSun project in St. Michael, Minnesota, SunShare has now completed development on 105 MW of solar across 77 community solar gardens. From these totals, SunShare is able to serve over 8,300 commercial and residential subscribers across Colorado and Minnesota. And this may be just the beginning. Wood Mackenzie estimates that the market for community solar projects is over seven times larger than the addressable rooftop solar market. Source – SunShare

Shyam Mehta named NYSEIA Executive Director – Shyam Mehta, who formerly served as a market analyst for GTM Research (now Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables) has been promoted from Policy Director of New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) to its new Executive Director. Source – NYSEIA

Conti Solar succeeds in safety – Having gone four years without a recordable injury to an employee, Conti Solar has been awarded the Division of Public Safety Certificate – Citation of Merit from the State of New Jersey. Conti Solar has also been able to achieve a Total Recordable Incident Rate of 0.00. For comparison, the industry average for Power and Communication line and related structures construction is 2.8. Source – Conti Solar

Advocates for low-income customers blocked from speaking in LG&E case – Regulators in Kentucky are attempting to block low-income advocates from providing testimony about the impact of a proposed LG&E rate increase. The proposed increase would be a fixed charge, which would directly impact low-income customers. If approved, the increase is estimated at $9.63 more for a typical KU residential electric customer. Source – Louisville Courier-Journal

U.S. EV sales up 81% in 2018 – 361,307 electric vehicles (EV) were sold in the United States last year, representing a tremendous 81% increase from 2017. Tesla sold 139,782 Model 3s alone, and the company sold over 50% of all EVs during the year once the Model S and the Model X sales figures are included. With more and more auto makers exploring EV in an increasingly wide range of vehicle body types, this growth is expected to continue, though maybe not as explosively. Source – Greentech Media

PNM says 50% RPS is doable – Politicians in the state of New Mexico are pushing for a 50% by 2030 RPS initiative at worst and at best, 80% by 2040. Furthermore, Public Service Company of New Mexico and other utilities are anticipated to support the 50% RPS initiative. Other renewable energy policies under consideration in New Mexico include a 10% tax credit for rooftop solar systems, mandates for solar installations on government buildings, community solar projects and utility-scale wind and solar development on state and tribal lands, as well as incentives to adopt electric vehicles and build charging stations. Source – Albuquerque Journal

Eguana Technologies chooses Pason Power’s Intelligent EMS for Elevate Energy Storage System – Pason Power has announced that the company’s Intelligent Energy Management System has been selected to provide autonomous control for Eguana Technologies’ Elevate Energy Storage System (EESS). Pason’s system uses Internet of Things sensor data, weather metrics, energy market changes, load and generation data, among other information streams in its optimization algorithms to make actionable recommendations and predictions about when and how to leverage energy storage. EESS can be deployed in small commercial and industrial applications, as a standard unit contains 15 kW of power and up to 39 kWh of storage within the size of a standard shipping pallet. Furthermore, multiple units can operate in parallel, which the company says provides design flexibility for a range of project sizes. Source – Pason Power

And now, to end your morning: California utility scale solar slowed in recent year, expected to pick up in early 2020s

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