In response to the initial straw proposal on energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs released by state regulators, renewable industry leaders are calling for the inclusion of programs promoting energy storage.

Also in the brief: Powerhome has partnered with Generac, Duke Energy is donating $150,000 in low-income bill relief, Seychelles readies the world’s largest salt-water floating solar plant and more.

Dubbing the measure an “emergency regulation,” the incentive program’s capacity has been expanded to 3.2 GW of incentive blocks, with specific carve-outs for smaller projects and low-income community solar projects.

The industry lost 3% of its workforce in March, erasing the entire jobs growth of 2019. A report projects that, without taking action, 500,000 more jobs could be lost.

In the face of exceptionally low demand linked to the lack of commercial and industrial energy consumption and mild weather, Duke Energy has warned independent power producers and state regulators that the company may stop purchasing power that it’s contracted to buy from solar plants.

Also in the brief: How a conservative coal county built the biggest community solar energy project in East Kentucky. Why 30M solar rooftops should be in the next relief bill

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires the state’s utilities to switch to 100% clean energy by 2050, while also adding 16 GW of solar and onshore wind, 3 GW of energy storage and the closing of all the state’s coal power plants by 2024.

While praised for the level of large-scale energy storage the state’s Clean Peak Standard is anticipated to bring, opponents have called the policy “a waste of ratepayer funds for behind-the-meter energy storage.”

In light of the slew of trade shows and industry events canceled over the Covid-19 pandemic, solar companies and industry leaders have moved online, with virtual presentations, information sessions and product debuts to get you through quarantine.

Even as global PV forecasts fall, tax equity dries up and unemployment rises, Jim Spano, co-founder of RadiantREIT, believes that the right type of government stimulus could not only help the solar industry recover — but drive it to new heights.