1100 GW new solar by 2035 in Inslee’s climate plan
Democratic Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee has called for 100% “clean, renewable and zero-emission” electricity by 2035. Solar could meet half that total if installed capacity increased at a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent.
4 GW of Georgia solar now would save customers money, says state solar association
A Georgia solar association and a citizen’s group have brought analyses showing a much greater cost-saving solar potential in Georgia than the meager 1 GW that Georgia Power proposed in its 20-year resource plan.
Solar+storage can outcompete “mid-merit” gas units, not just peakers
Solar plus storage can deliver, at lower cost, the same generation profile as “mid-merit” gas generating units in a number of cases studied, per an analysis published by Fluence.
2 GW of pumped hydro storage proposed for Arizona
Of Earth’s 500,000 potential sites for closed-loop pumped hydro storage, the largest U.S. site under development is in Arizona. If the project is built, the potential for pairing with solar could open new opportunities for solar development.
Nearly half of utilities globally exploring distributed energy management systems
A “virtual power plant” can aggregate distributed solar and storage to help balance supply and demand, and provide grid services. Nearly half of the utility executives interviewed by Deloitte said their firm is considering such a solution, also known by the acronym DERM system, or DERMS.
Solar sandbagged in draft TVA resource plan
By using high projected costs for solar, low costs for natural gas, and capping solar installations at 500 MW per year, the Tennessee Valley Authority “did not optimize for what is best for Tennessee Valley residents,” says a citizens group.
PV additions fall well below potential globally
Last year’s 1% growth in global PV additions is a sharp drop from increases in prior years, and a long way from the 15-29% annual increases that a Science journal article maintained were “challenging but feasible” through 2030. Continued progress on five major challenges can get us back on track.
Navajo Nation bill would replace 2.25 GW of coal with renewables
The bill would create a task force to recommend replacement revenue sources by June 7. Transmission lines serving the Arizona coal plant could support gigawatts of solar or solar-plus-storage.
Clean energy groups bring models to a modeling fight
Clean energy groups have begun challenging the results of utility planning models by running their own models, which show that adding more solar will lower customer bills. Two groups in North Carolina are among the pioneers in this work, opening a new front in the contest over solar deployment.
Young engineers powering the renewables transition
Enthusiasm for solar, wind, and storage is common among electrical engineering students, according to two industry experts, while “advanced” utilities look to hire graduates to integrate renewables and storage.
