The BLM has given the Desert Quartzite solar power plant a preliminary Record of Decision, which opens the site for a 60-day final review, after which the project will have full approval to move forward with construction.

Intersolar is in a few weeks, so get your hardware press release out to USA-Editors@pv-magazine.com. In the meantime, modules are holding under 20¢/W, and “large wafers” are coming in a year or three!

The EIA projects that 9.3 GW of new fossil-based power will be countered by 9.5 GW of retiring fossil-fuel plants, while 32 GW of utility-scale wind and solar will be built — plus 5.1 GWac of distributed solar power.

The EIA is projecting that 17.4 GWdc of utility-scale solar power and 6.6 GWdc of small-scale solar will be installed in 2020. The 24 GW total is 60% greater than the 2016 record.

Researchers have looked at historical buying patterns across multiple countries and U.S. states, and found that starting near $1,000/kW of net present value broader uptake of residential solar begins, at $3,000/kw the market is really overheating, and at $7,000/kW it’s projected that 50% of viable home owners would be financially motivated to adopt solar power.

ACORE suggests the combination of a federal renewable energy standard of 50%, a tax credit for all sources of clean electricity, an up-to $55/ton carbon tax, and a refined focus on how we incentivize construction of modern transmission lines will make our electrical grid cleaner.

Please companies, get your services known, your gear covered – send press releases and datasheets to USA-Editors@pv-magazine.com. What’s on the docket today? Module pricing is going down, higher efficiency products more so – enough that you ought call you supplier, Quasar bidirectionally connects your home directly to the DC side of your cars energy storage and SolRates is refining their offerings.

Mercom Capital has released their annual report – describing the year as robust – showing company funding of $11.7 billion, up 20% over 2018, and announced project deals of $16.1 billion, up 14%.

RWE’s “West of Pecos” 100MWac Texas solar facility has turned on, Sunpin Solar is breaking ground on a 70MWac/98MWdc solar plant in southern California, and Solar Frontier Americas closed on finance for its under-construction 210MWdc Mustang Two plant.

DNV’s report sees federal policy as muddled, but individual provinces, states and cities are pushing electrification of buildings and transportation, significant per-capita efficiency increases, 30% less energy use overall, and coal going away in just over a decade.