143 MW of distributed solar goes online in VA, DC, MD, DE
While large utility-scale projects grab the headlines, installation firms in the region racked up 7400 small-scale (under 1 MW) solar installations in 2018. Snapshot stories included.
Solar development at universities: beyond the grid
In this guest post for pv magazine USA, Jason Slattery and Jessica Tyler of GEM Energy look at the issues and opportunities involved in installing solar on university campuses.
pvMB: new Tesla & NextEra board members, 98% electricity from solar & more!
In the first edition of pv magazine USA’s morning brief, we bring you announcements of new faces on the boards of Tesla and NextEra Energy Partners, an analysis of the technical potential of floating solar, new price information and more.
Utility scale solar power plus lithium ion storage cost breakdown
NREL has released an inaugural report highlighting utility scale energy storage costs with various methods of tying it to solar power: co-located or not, and DC- vs AC-coupled.
Solar tsunami
Developers have applied to build 139 GWac of large-scale solar projects in the territory of six grid operators – around five times what is currently online across the country – and that figure doesn’t even cover the entire United States. By any metric, we are looking at an unprecedented boom in solar development over the next five years.
Nuclear, wind and solar tag team climate in Connecticut
Connecticut has announced contracts covering 45% of its electrical load, including nine solar projects (some with storage) averaging 4.9¢/kWh.
Floating PV technical potential is 10% of U.S. generation
While a national lab report on floating PV did not estimate its economic potential, the report suggests the most promising markets could be reservoirs in areas with high land costs for ground-mounted solar, and reservoirs with grid-connected hydropower or high evaporation rates.
Big solar and batteries coming to the border
El Paso Electric has awarded contracts for 200 MW of solar and 100 MW of battery storage through its latest solicitation, and may procure 50-150 MW more wind and solar. But the RFP also shows that the utility is firmly wedded to gas.
First Powerhouse purchase order
RGS Energy has announced it’s first purchase order for its Powerhouse 3.0 solar roof shingle kit, which follows an announcement of the onset of assembly of solar components and wire harnesses on December 11.
Sunlight, smarts, a house, and some money means solar power
Stanford researchers, using machine learning applied to satellite imagery, have found 1.4 million solar power installations in the United States. The researchers also extracted significant socioeconomic patterns from the data which they say can help to predict future installations.
