Big solar coming (back) to Montana, banks feeling the heat over alleged DC Solar ponzi scheme: pvMB 4/18/19

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160 MW proposed in Montana – Well would you look at that, you reinstate PURPA and the projects start rolling in. This is true in Montana, as Clenera LLC has submitted a bid to develop a 160-megawatt solar project between Apex and Dillion in Beaverhead County, Montana. If approved, the project would be Montana’s biggest, actually it would be nearly three times larger than the state’s entire installed capacity thus far. Source: Montana Standard

 

Banks feeling the wrath of DC Solar’s alleged ponzi scheme – DC Solar, a company founded in 2009 that built and leased mobile solar power stations is under investigation by the FBI for being the medium through which an alleged $810 million Ponzi scheme was run. The investigation has already hit hard the banks and insurance companies involved with DC Solar, as Progressive has stated it could lose tens of million of dollars due to its investment and Hancock Whitney, a bank with locations in Louisiana and Mississippi had to lower its first quarter earnings by $10.1 million. Source: The Advocate

 

Sungrow unveils bigger, badder energy storage system – Sungrow has unveiled a new fully integrated energy storage system at the ESA energy storage show in Phoenix. “ST556KWH-250 features 4 units of 60kW modules, which enables flexible design to customize system capacity and module quantity, and can be widely used in multiple applications, including peak shaving, demand response and micro-grid. The main innovation behind the new ESS solution is its integration with Samsung’s latest E3 Battery to obtain a smaller size and higher energy densities, along with minimized on-site labor and wiring. Thanks to its local controller, HAVC and FSS design, ST556KWH-250 ensures flexible operations and easy maintenance.” Source: Sungrow

 

EnerBank unveils new, more flexible loan – A day before Mosaic hit the press with its new solar loan product, EnerBank also announced a new loan product with an extended term, a no-payment period and multiple re-amortizations. Our take: Loan products getting more flexible is a sign that solar loan market is continuing to heat up with more entrants taking on established players. Source: EnerBank

 

PosiGen raises $20 million for low, middle-income solar – PosiGen has secured a $20 million tax equity investment from GAF Energy, which it says will support the installation of solar and energy efficiency improvements for roughly 2,500 low- and middle-income families in Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana and New Jersey. Source: PosiGen

 

North Dakota mulling changes to prime farmland rule – Regulatory approval of a 200 MW solar project in North Dakota has opened a debate as to whether or not the state’s “prime farmland” rule should be revised. Our take: North Dakota is an energy production state, and it will do what it needs to accommodate new sources of energy. Source: Energy News Network

 

Peninsula Clean Energy saves customers $18 Million – In a newly-released estimate, Peninsula Clean Energy reports that it saved its customers, who represent the 20 cities of San Mateo County, $18 million on their electricity bills in 2018. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency recognized Peninsula as  members of its national Green Power Community program, based on Peninsula’s 50% renewable generation mix. Source: Peninsula Clean Energy

 

And some positive feedback on Carrie Zalewski being named head of the Illinois Commerce Commission (per yesterday’s brief):

 

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