Program aims to add solar on new low-income housing in Minnesota
With enough property owners signing on to the program, developers should be able to install PV panels at group prices. At least some of the solar-equipped housing units must be rented to low-income people.
With new safety measures in place, APS looks to reengage with BESS
Arizona Public Service wants more battery energy storage capacity and has new safety standards in place, prompted by a 2019 thermal runaway event in a utility-scale BESS near Phoenix.
VC funding in solar 2020: perovskites, silicon and utility-scale foundations, plus lots of software
Here’s a list of solar firms that VCs funded during this pandemic year.
Biden makes his picks: Granholm is Energy Secretary and McCarthy is Climate Czar
Also in the morning brief: Ormat expands energy storage presence, acquires a shovel-ready project in Upton County, Texas. RatedPower’s software for utility-scale solar. CS Energy hits 1 GW.
Is FERC Order 2222 enough to push virtual power plants into the energy mainstream?
Aggregating DERs via virtual power plants has customers, utilities and financiers all ready to buy in. With FERC Order 2222, the question for two California aggregators is whether their models will play in less DER-friendly markets.
Recovery takes hold as Q3 solar installations rose, SEIA says
U.S. solar companies installed 3.8 GW of new solar PV capacity in Q3 as the industry worked to recover from some of the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First Solar’s PV module technology completes 25 years of testing at NREL
“Determining how many years a solar panel will last can take, well, years.”
Finance platform targets underserved small-scale solar projects
A spin-off of the Connecticut Green Bank, IPC is a not-for-profit investment fund that scales clean energy financing and channels investment capital to communities that need it most.
Honolulu legislates faster, easier permitting for rooftop solar
Hawaii’s continued move to online permitting reduces red tape — and has the potential to grow Hawaiian solar when the state needs the revenue. The broader industry is aiming for a “fundamental reshaping of solar permitting at the federal, state, and local levels.”
California plans for summer 2021 with 2,000 MW of new storage
CAISO’s new CEO says that rolling blackouts last August were a pivotal moment for the state. For 2021, he is focused on ensuring the grid has ample resources — including DERs — and well-functioning markets.
