Residential PV

Miscommunication at Central Maine Power led to some solar developers receiving letters saying that interconnection fees would jump by as much as 5x. The utility blamed growing pains.

HOAs could still complain about some things related to solar, but could no longer ban them outright.

In an attempt to reduce installation time and cost, S.B.617 would allow for remote inspections and approvals of residential solar and solar-plus-storage systems in jurisdictions with over 10,000 residents.

Also on the rise: Partners target battery weight in commercial EVs, Complete Solar becomes more complete, drivers can get a Slurpee and a jolt at a PG&E-backed charging location, and JinkoSolar inks a silicon supply deal.

HB 539 would require customers using solar panels to pay a fee and adds a grid access fee for customers who sell generated energy back to their utility.

Storage, digital solutions, and the company’s distributed generation services platform will be key to its long-term growth, CEO Tom Werner said in an earnings call.

Also on the rise: Utilities plan a massive solar + storage project in Wisconsin, Fluence supplies an AI-based trading platform for a BESS, and Avangrid wants a partner for an HVDC line in New York State.

Renewable resources accounted for half of the electric power serving Maui County in 2020, a first.

Also on the rise: Wyoming considers a solar production tax, NREL updates a renewable energy data tool, and extensions may be sought to the FERC 2222 timeline.

Through a new process called On-Demand Permitting, the city government is allowing solar and optional energy storage systems of a certain size to forego lengthy pre-approval.