Do Montanans dream of affordable electric buses, EDF and Shell sign a substantial contract: pvMB 12/5/19

NREL releases report on economics of solar bus charging in Montana – “NREL compared the economics of charging six electric buses at the bus depot and the university campus in Missoula, Montana. Since the load at the bus depot is small compared to the simulated load from charging the buses, charging the buses at the depot adds significant demand charge costs to the electricity bill, in addition to energy charges.The load at the university campus is large compared to the simulated load from bus charging and the peak load of the university is not coincident with the peak demand load of the electric buses, so charging the buses at the university does not result in additional demand charges. Storage could potentially be charged with PV and discharged to serve load during peak demand times, thus reducing demand charges. However, storage was not found to be cost-effective under the assumptions of the analysis.” You can read the full report here. Source NREL

EDF signs big PPA with Shell –  EDF Renewables and Shell Energy North America have come to terms on a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 132 MW annually of the  Palen Solar site known as Maverick 7 Solar Project, which is expected to begin generating electricity in 2021. In total, Palen will boast 500 MW in capacity upon completion. This is the second tranche of the Palen project to be purchased by Shell since 2018, and the company will also purchase 100% of the environmental attributes, including the renewable energy credits and capacity. Source: EDF Renewables

New US utility scale solar+storage firm with an 8 GW pipeline – “Macquarie’s Green Investment Group has set up a new solar and storage project development company focused on utility-scale opportunities in the US. Savion was formed when Green Investment Group acquired the solar and energy storage unit of wind developer Tradewind Energy. The new company, which has a pipeline of projects in excess of 8GW, is led by two of Tradewind Energy’s founders and is backed by Green Investment Group. The projects in the pipeline are at various stages of maturity, including under construction, under contract, in operation, and in development.” Source: Renews.biz

Mrs. Butterworth goes solar – Conagra has come to an agreement with SolAmerica Energy to place eight acres of solar panels on the company’s St. Elmo, Ill. facility, totaling 2 MW. The energy generated by the photovoltaic array will be equivalent to the amount needed to produce approximately 35% of all Wish-bone salad dressings as well as Log Cabin and Mrs. Butterworth’s syrups. Hell yes. Source: Conagra

Standard Solar to develop nearly 3 MW for Virginia Schools – “Standard Solar, Inc. announced the construction of a ten-site solar project for Richmond Public Schools (RPS) in Virginia for delivery this year. In partnership with a team of Virginia-based firms, Standard Solar funded, designed, built and will operate the projects that are estimated to provide approximately 24 percent of the school’s power needs. The renewable energy generated by the 2.9 megawatt (MW) of combined rooftop arrays is forecasted to help stretch the RPS utility budgets over the next twenty years and provide a new platform for energy education. Solar arrays were installed at 10 elementary and high schools throughout the Richmond, VA and Dominion Energy service area: Broad Rock Elementary School, G.H. Reid Elementary School, Huguenot High School, J.B. Fisher Elementary School, J.H. Blackwell Elementary School, Linwood Holton High School, Lucille M. Brown Middle School, M.J. Jones Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and Oak Grove Elementary School.” Source: Standard Solar