Solar delivers during New England heatwave
New England’s behind the meter solar hit maximum generation at 2 GW this summer and contributed to lowering peak load and shifting peak demand to later in the day during this summer’s heat waves. This in turn allowed for lower utilization of older coal and oil resources.
Texas power grid begging for solar power
ERCOT has set mid-day demand records, while aiming for pricing maximums over the past week as summer heat broke state records – all of which creates tremendous opportunities for solar.
Indiana solar, solar+storage comes in at low prices
Indiana’s NIPSCO received bids for solar power at 3.57¢/kWh for 1.3 GW-AC, and 705 MW-AC of solar+storage at an extra charge of $5.90/kW-Mo. The Solar+wind+storage price was not disclosed.
Powerhouse breaks $60 million, passes UL fire tests
RGS Energy, manufacturer of the Powerhouse 3.0 solar shingle system, has passed UL tests for Class A Fire. Additionally, since June 28, 2018, Powerhouse has received an additional $24 million in ‘written reservations.’
Sunrun batting .984
Sunrun’s initial solar power loan securitization, vintage July 2015, hit its three year mark with 110 solar assets having defaulted out of the 7,893 solar assets at closing, representing $2.4 million and 1.6% of the portfolio.
Big oil going big solar
MMEX Resources has begun negotiations for additional acreage at the site of its distillation plant and refinery to add 75-100 MW of solar power. The company already has 1 MW installed.
Tesla Powerwalls and PowerPacks save Vermont $500,000 during heatwaves
Green Mountain Power suggests 500 distributed Tesla Powerwalls plus two larger energy storage facilities have saved its customers $500,000 this summer during peak demand hours.
Smart residential solar inverters prepping to run the grid
PG&E has filed an interim report on customer-sited behind-the-meter smart inverters. The utility sees strong potential benefit for the grid with this technology, but says more standardization and reliable communication protocols must be established before a broad roll-out can occur.
From the editor: Carbon pricing is not a substitute for concrete policies
The time for passive market action has passed.
One blockchain to rule them all
Utility regulator Andy Tobin of the Arizona Corporation Commission has filed a docket to explore the potential role of blockchain technology on the power grid, suggesting that we are entering an age of energy technology convergence.
