240 MW project at steel mill moves forward in Co., Vivint solar under securities fraud investigation: pvMB 10/2/19

240 MW project to go forward in Colorado – EVRAZ North America and Lightsource BP have reached a long-term agreement to develop a 240 MW solar facility in Pueblo, Colorado near EVRAZ’s massive Rocky Mountain Steel mill. Lightsource BP will finance, build, own and operate the Bighorn Solar project and sell all the electricity it generates to Xcel Energy under a long-term PPA. The project is expected to go online by the end of 2021. Our take: pv magazine USA covered this project a year ago, and we’re glad to see it finally going forward. Source: Xcel Energy

FirstEnergy issues REC and SREC RFP in Ohio – “FirstEnergy Corp. today issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to purchase both Ohio-compliant Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for its Ohio utilities – Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison. The purchases will help meet the companies’ 2019 renewable energy targets established under Ohio’s alternative energy law. SRECs and RECs sought in this RFP must be eligible for compliance with the companies’ 2019 renewable energy obligations in accordance with rules and procedures put forth by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), be deliverable through PJM Environmental Information System Generation Attribute Tracking System (EIS GATS), and generated between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. The companies plan to purchase 11,400 SRECs and 401,200 RECs.” Source: FirstEnergy Ohio

Vivint Solar subject of securities fraud investigation – An investigation has been opened against Vivint solar by Howard G. Smith on behalf of Vivint Solar, concerning the Company and its officers’ possible violations of federal securities laws. However on Monday Roth Capital called claims of systemic fraud at the company “overblown”, and has reiterated its “buy” recommendation. Source: Businesswire

Illinois Office of Energy supports university solar + storage project – “Earlier this month, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Energy announced a $900,000 grant to Southern Illinois University – Carbondale for a 150kW solar generating project on campus containing 310 kWh of storage. The initiative is the first of its kind by the agency, and serves multiple purposes. Students on campus will be able to use it as a model in the classroom.  The project will have solar powered long-term evolution communication modules that will power phone communication for the campus and community police and fire departments in the event of a power emergency. The system will show that solar is a realistic small-scale power source to use as backup.” Source: NASEO