Bringing solar to the heart of coal country
The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia, spurred on by Virginia’s pro-solar legislative spring, has released a request for qualifications, seeking a partner to co-develop commercial-scale solar projects in seven coal counties.
Data shows solar asset underperformance and bias towards optimistic pricing
Solar assets are underperforming far more frequently than official energy estimates would suggest, according to the industry experts who contributed to KwH Analytics’ 2020 solar risk assessment report.
Solar hosting capacity maps must be accurate to be useful
Solar hosting capacity maps, now required in seven states, show where solar can be added on a distribution circuit without incurring any grid expense—but only if those maps are accurate. California’s experience, says a policy paper, shows that best practice guidelines for validating maps are needed to aid state regulators.
Fluence’s sixth generation of storage technology has over 2 GWh of commitments at launch
Featuring a monitoring system that tracks system performance, a comprehensive operating platform and stackable system design, Fluence claims its new solution is capable of reaching gigawatt-sized deployments while driving project costs down as much as 25%.
Keeping net energy metering credits ‘clean’ in California means adding relays and meters
It’s during the interconnection review and approval processes that most developers run into the NEM integrity issue with California’s big utilities.
Positive news for California rooftop solar in Q2 – so far
With a data point of one (California solar interconnection data through the end of April), the author makes optimistic inferences about U.S. solar in Q2 and 2020.
Morning Brief: 184 GW of renewables were installed globally in 2019, Alabama Power to add gas units
Also in the brief: Geronimo Energy has started construction activities for two Michigan solar projects, a New Hampshire Senator is asking the Defense Department’s progress toward meeting its renewable energy goals, Nelnet launches a renewables spinoff and more.
US solar has the chance to recover in 2020 after a record 3.6 GW first quarter
Utility-scale solar strength will cover for residential and rooftop weakness in 2020, according to SEIA and WoodMac.
Morning Brief: solar for South Carolina and batteries for Texas
Also in the brief: SolarEdge is expanding its residential and commercial power optimizer portfolio, Monterey Bay Community Power will help local school districts buy electric buses, L7 Drive has launched an energy management platform and more.
The best way to RFP a solar project: don’t
Your company has decided that it’s time to go solar. A solar RFP might seem like the most logical way to go, but there are drawbacks that can lead to slower kick-off, lower quality work and financial underperformance. Here are some questions you should ask yourself to avoid these pitfalls.
