Duke Energy, developers and regulators advance solar in the Carolinas with ‘queue reform’ and cluster studies
To address developers’ frustrations with its interconnection process, Duke Energy worked with solar industry associations to map out a second proposal aimed at rationalizing its interconnection process in 2022, after the existing queue is cleared.
8minute Solar Energy inks contract for one of the nation’s largest solar + storage projects
With 400 MW of solar capacity, complimented by 180 MW/540 MWh of energy storage, the Rexford 1 Solar & Storage Center is a development of considerable size. The project now has an energy offtaker, with 8minute signing a 15-year contract with Clean Power Alliance.
Texas solar will outshine California in 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cast a cloud on industries around the world, but the U.S. utility-scale solar segment is still growing. Around 3 GW of solar PV is set to be installed this year in Texas alone, but opportunities also abound across several other southern U.S. states.
Morning Brief: SEIA forecasts 18 GW of solar for 2020 with 3.5 GW installed in Q2
Also in the brief: BayWa r.e. expands PV and storage capabilities with acquisition of Enable Energy, Hemlock Semiconductor to vertically integrate polysilicon production.
First Solar changes course: now selling its thin-film solar panels into the distributed generation market
The utility-scale solar pioneer and specialist is going small. After decades of avoiding distributed generation, its distributors will now offer First Solar’s series 6 modules to “projects and customers of all shapes and sizes.”
Terabase Energy raises funding to break the $0.01/kWh utility-scale solar barrier with software
Terabase wins a $6 million Round A led by SJF Ventures, an early funder of Nextracker, for an integrated software platform to make building utility-scale solar more efficient, smarter and cheaper.
NREL scientists encourage ‘optimal’ PV curtailment
Solar curtailment might become a valuable aspect of future PV deployment, particularly if grid operators start focusing on ‘curtailment management’ instead of ‘curtailment prevention.’ Management would include measures such as flexible generation, storage, load flexibility, and regional coordination.
Interconnection queues across the US are loaded with gigawatts of solar, wind and storage
Texas and California lead the green grid trend, with PJM not far behind. ERCOT has 75 GW of solar in its interconnection queue — but how fast clean energy can displace natural gas and coal remains a key issue.
US solar growth in 2020 is driven by giant utility-scale projects
The number of large solar projects is surging in the U.S. — and pv magazine is keeping track. We’ve gathered up the recent news in big solar — with Indiana set to double its solar capacity, and Texas galloping along. Plus, the never-ending Spotsylvania saga.
Big, new solar projects are doubling Indiana’s PV capacity
The proposal by Capital Dynamics and Tenaska to build a 150 MW solar installation in Petersburg has been approved by regulators, the latest in a development push that will add more than 500 MW of utility-scale solar in the coming years.
