The utility is attempting to set the avoided energy cost rate for solar projects under PURPA at just $16.76/MWh for new generation and $23.46/MWh for queued generation. These are some of the lowest avoided cost rates seen to date.

Cubico has closed on financing for the 162 MW Wagyu project on Texas’ Gulf Coast, which holds both a hedge and a PPA, the latest such project to move forward.

QuickMount PV has received Florida approval for its full line of L-Mount and QBase Mount solar power mounting and racking hardware, as part of a trend of increasing innovation in solar racking.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has changed the definition of land deemed “prime” or more valuable for solar projects, increasing the number of projects that will receive penalties under the SMART program.

Energy storage is a sector marked by continuous technological development – and given the challenges created by our rapidly transforming energy systems, it needs to be. But how do innovations move from idea to reality?
Specifically, what kind of environments are needed to nurture new technologies and approaches, and how do they interact with existing supports?

Don’t forget to send your hardware press releases, spec page updates, and reminders of existence to usa-editors@pv-magazine.com! Viridian Solar has given Unirac a license to sell a roof integrated (pretty) solar racking system, Loveland Innovations will deliver stamped drawings if you use their drone system in 48 hours, Ecolibirum’s new racking hardware goes railless and uses 73% less aluminum, more!

Hello and welcome to the last morning brief of your workweek. After tomorrow, it’s the weekend, you can do it! Today, we have SunPower giving away a free solar system, Sungrow supplying inverters and energy storage for SMART, Energy Toolbase integrating with Chint Power and more!

Hello and welcome to your Hump Day MB. Today we also have new board members at Solaria, and sPower completing 20 MW in California.

The office of the U.S. Trade Representative has removed the exemption for bifacial products from Section 201 tariffs, effective October 28.

The U.S. Trade Representative has not responded to the claim that it will end the exemption from Section 201 duties. If accurate this could be a loss for Asian PV makers and a minor loss for the larger U.S. market, but a positive for First Solar.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has agreed to evaluate the potential risk of a coordinated cyberattack on geographically distributed targets on the electric grid, as recommended by the U.S. General Accounting Office. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has pushed back.

Regulators have approved Ravenwood Development to build a 316 MW / 2,528 MWh energy storage facility across the East River from Manhattan to replace two gas peaker plants in Queens.

The least qualified energy secretary in recent history will leave a record of collusion with coal barons, a failed bailout for coal and nuke plants, and some memorable terms like “freedom molecules.” His likely successor appears more competent, and potentially more effective.

In this op-ed for pv magazine, Tony Clifford, Chief Development Officer at Standard Solar breaks down the rammifications of the recent revoking of exemptions on bifacial solar modules from the Section 201 tariffs.

Welcome to Thursday and the pvMB. Today, we’ve got Solar District Cup 2020, a Vivint homeowner survey on power outages, Solar on Seguin Island and more!

Advocates say that PG&E’s power shutoffs for 750,000 California residents could have been at least lessened with the implementation of distributed solar + storage, and note that communities can keep critical facilities online with microgrids.

The Orlando Utility Commission will not only be adding 149 MW of solar projects to its generation portfolio, but is also developing a first-of-its-kind hydrogen storage project, with the hope it can be PV’s perfect partner in the future.

New opportunities for distributed PV could be accelerated by reaching early agreement on settings for smart inverters, which are expected to become widely available in the next two years. A consulting firm explains, and offers its recommendations.

Hello and welcome to the Tuesday pvMB, where we’re bringing you SEPA’s 2019 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot, solar applications surging in New York and more!

The Brattle Group has released an analysis suggesting that New England should double its electricity output and deploy between 158 and 285 GW of zero-carbon resources if it is to meet its regional goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2050.