Direct cash payments for solar projects floated as a legislative solution
Solar developers, including First Solar, believe that a direct cash payments solution could keep solar projects on track and help developers monetize the ITC in the event that tax equity financing dries up.
People in quarantine are searching for solar power
New data from The Harris Poll and LG show that LG’s solar web traffic, as well as quote requests for residential systems are both trending high since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the issue becomes turning this interest into concrete sales.
Span wins $10.2 million to modernize the home electrical panel, ease shift to solar, storage and EVs
“The standard electrical panel has not seen major innovation for nearly a century.”
Morning Brief: a massive battery ready to break ground, Vectren looks to cut net metering
Also in the brief: expanding a community solar pilot in San Antonio and how to guarantee a just energy transition for indigenous communities.
Giant 690-MW Gemini solar project near Las Vegas on BLM land gets the go-ahead
Historic, archeological, and environmental issues have been mitigated. About 70 desert tortoises are being relocated during construction — and the project is full-speed ahead for developers Arevia Power and Solar Partners XI.
Morning Brief: Tesla looks to revive solar business with ‘Solar Price Match Guarantee’
Also in the brief: Developers pitch 16 GW of solar in coal-fueled Indiana, solar co-ops launch to help Ohioans go solar, plus green hydrogen as post-pandemic energy choice.
Distributed storage could save Texas $344 million per year by deferring transmission and distribution costs
Adding enough distributed storage to reduce peak demand by 20% could defer up to one-fifth of the transmission and distribution expenditures in Texas for about 10 years, a study found. Other states may find the study’s analytical insights to be useful.
Analysis: California’s report on RPS costs and savings needs an update
A new report from the California PUC documents the uneven workings of the state’s 100% renewable portfolio standard — and the need for better data on cost savings.
The financial and social struggles of getting large solar projects financed
The pre-life of the Spotsylvania solar energy project has been riddled with financial and societal difficulties. As much as these issues have made a quagmire of development, it also provides a case study on the logistics of getting such a large project built.
Vivint beats on revenue — but losses widen in Q1 as residential solar hunkers down
Vivint beat estimates with $91.2 million in revenue in Q1, though, like with most other third-party solar companies, that was outweighed by $51.9 million in losses from operations. Installation figures fell during the quarter and are only expected to fall further, as Covid-19 runs its course on residential solar.
