Legal

While federal policy action (or inaction) grabs all the headlines, let’s look back at some of the most impactful state and local developments from 2021.

The lawsuit stems from a 2019 whistleblower complaint alleging that the company failed to properly notify its shareholders, customers and the public of fire risks associated with solar panel system defects over the course of several years.

The solar power facility signed a 25-year fixed price agreement to sell its electricity at roughly 8.9¢/kWh.

The bill would shift compensation rates to the utility’s avoided cost of generation, and open the door for a host of fixed charges aimed at solar.

The court decision also reduced the Section 201 tariff rate from 18% to 15% after the rate was raised as part of Trump’s Proclamation 10101 in October 2020.

Also on the rise: Rooftop solar fires are a real and growing risk, A-SMACC says it could refile anti-dumping tariff petitions, and five New England colleges now are powered by solar under a novel PPA arrangement.

A-SMACC urged Commerce Department officials to consider launching their own circumvention actions and trade cases on behalf of the U.S. solar industry.

Also on the rise: Ponzi scheme gets a DC Solar owner 30 years, import restrictions that jolted the solar industry may be easing, and Competitive Power Ventures buys a solar portfolio.

The failure of the group known as A-SMACC to publicly name its members led to the decision, which was met applauded by SEIA.

In what the Department of Justice described as “the largest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California,” Jeff Carpoff has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.