SPI 2016: “Time for solar to grow up”
The time is now for solar to take a seat at the “adults’ table” and achieve scale within the U.S. energy marketplace. This was one of the key messages at the opening session of the Solar Power International trade show that kicked off in Las Vegas today.
Sharp opens up $25 million in financing for SmartStorage installations
Sharp has announced a zero-down, $25 million initial-phase financing program for commercial solar plus its SmartStorage projects, including an industry-first 10 year service and performance guarantee.
U.S. boosts energy storage 126% in Q2
According to the latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, a quarterly publication from GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association (ESA), the United States deployed 41.2 megawatts of energy storage in the second quarter of 2016, an increase of 126% over the first quarter of the year. The nation is on track to deploy 287 megawatts of energy storage this year.
NEC enters C&I storage arena
NEC Energy Solutions has launched the DSS distributed energy storage platform to enter the commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage segment, offering customers distributed energy management services and a future option of utility services through aggregation.
Energy Storage North America announces innovation finalists
Energy Storage North America (ESNA), the annual energy storage industry show, has announced the finalists for its 2016 ESNA Innovation Awards, which recognize excellence and impact in energy storage project development.
Tesla wins anti-trust approval to buy SolarCity
The ruling clears a legal roadblock for the acquisition, which still must be approved by shareholders of both companies.
AES to supply, integrate 37.5 MW of battery systems for SDG&E
The San Diego utility says that the battery systems will allow it to improve reliability and integrate higher levels of renewables. AES plans to finish the systems by the end of January 2017.
Massachusetts passes bill to set energy storage targets
If the omnibus energy bill is signed by Governor Baker, Massachusetts will become the third state to mandate that utilities procure energy storage.
EnSync sells projects with Hawaii’s first solar-plus-storage power contracts
The energy management systems company is building a pipeline in Hawaii through its project development arm.
IHS: Grid-tied storage to double in 2016, to emulate growth of solar
Industry analysts IHS Markit expect the grid-tied energy storage market to double in 2016, from 1.4 GWh to 2.9 GWh. IHS expects on-grid storage capacity to reach 21 GWh by 2025.
