Community solar offers a unique opportunity for recovery in a Covid-racked economy, but needs to go beyond the contained role it has traditionally held in the American energy landscape.

It’s been a busy two months since Joe Biden became president. Here are highlights of key initiatives on the energy and cleantech fronts.

The $2 trillion package includes a proposed 10-year extension of the ITC and PTC and calls for further incentives to add transmission capacity. Most solar advocates liked it, but one nonprofit panned it as being too industry-friendly.

The bill aims to thaw frozen tax-equity markets and help the solar and clean energy sectors recover from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 572 kW systems feature Prism Solar bifacial panels and are installed at a bioscience company’s facilities, which produce Covid-19 test kits.

Strata Solar’s 150 MW Maroon Solar Facility is the latest project to be shot down in Virginia, as residents voiced concerns over the project’s effect on the local landscape.

In the second of our series focused on commercial-scale solar, we look at community solar options as a viable alternative for tenants and owners alike.

Sunrun raised its installed growth rate estimate to 25-30% for the year, and said that “the strong momentum that we saw in the fourth quarter has continued into 2021.”

The annual employment report showed continued jobs stagnation, which needs to be reversed for the sector to hit 400,000 jobs by 2030 and 900,000 to meet the Biden administration’s 2035 climate goals.

The company said it has more than 2.3 GW of renewable generation under construction, and by mid-year will have 606 MW of battery storage capacity under way.

The document is written to have “universal application” across product lines intended for export to the U.S. market, and is expected to be adopted by equipment manufacturers and U.S. importers.

Also on the rise: Sunlight opens a 2 GWh capacity lead and lithium battery plant in North Carolina, Bloom Energy deploys its hydrogen-based SOFC, and Schneider Electric is building a microgrid at a Connecticut campus.

Also on the rise: SolSmart designates its 400th locality and claims up to 450 MW of related solar capacity, Tri Global sells a 400 MW solar facility, and battery startup Gridtential secures $12 million in financing.

Also on the rise: Ozop Energy is supplying equipment for a Maryland microgrid, Georgia Power hits a milestone at its zero-carbon nuclear-build site, and Powin unveils a high-voltage battery.

Check out this week’s list of some of the newest announcements related to clean energy products.

Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities, and energy transition finance.

Also on the rise: Rooftop solar enters service at a Ford Motor research center, RAI Energy signs a 20-year PPA for 100 MW of solar energy, and Go Solar Group enters New Mexico’s residential market.

Salt River Project currently has 648 MW of utility-scale solar plants online or contracted and under development across Arizona.

Shoals said it is getting faster at winning new customers: It recently converted a prospect to an order in less than 90 days. 

The three 35 MW projects have to be designed to fit environmental challenges, including hurricane-force winds.

Also on the rise: Talen Energy has plans for energy storage at two fossil power plants, and a novel CSP technology passes a test that has its backers breathing a little easier.

The four-year global competition invites innovators and teams to demonstrate solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans.

The New York City-based institute will link architectural design and engineering to create infrastructure that is both net-zero in energy use and climate resilient.

The deal with Hong Kong’s Towngas will pilot the company’s nickel-hydrogen battery technology and serve as an audition for future deals to come.

High-resolution data let the study group drill down to individual parcels in order to figure out how much land is available for solar in both optimal and preferred sites.