Legal

FERC has issued a ruling on PURPA described by some as “death of a thousand cuts” for the policy that has spurred large-scale solar development across the country.

Also in the brief: Jacked-up vendor curves, and Major League Soccer goes solar.

Also in the brief: The never-ending net-metering battle. Maine gets a 25-MW solar plant.

“Looks like the rules will wind up in federal court” said a legal analyst, after the national solar association challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s revised PURPA rules, and five other groups also asked for a rehearing.

The utilities that buy power from TVA, and the 10 million people they serve, will be limited in accessing low-cost solar power unless a federal court invalidates what a lawsuit calls TVA’s “never-ending contracts.” Three citizens’ groups brought the lawsuit, claiming TVA violated a federal environmental law.

Also in the brief: Global Energy Generation’ proposed 4,500-acre Mammoth Solar project in Pulaski County, Indiana, may have a role to play in Winamac’s revitalization efforts, Dominion Energy acquired a solar power project in Orange County, the laws that prevent carbon cutting and more.

There’s no understating the importance of maintaining a safe battery system, and that maintenance will become only more important as battery adoption grows exponentially in the coming years. Fortunately, new standards are being developed alongside existing protocol to make safety management uniform and manageable.

Huawei said the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court in China has ruled in its favor in a patent dispute with its Israeli rival.

The long-awaited overhaul of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 is upon us, bringing with it substantial changes to the policy that has benefited over 30% of today’s solar facilities. What these changes will mean for American solar moving forward remains to be seen.

In this legal update regarding the implementation of FERC Order No. 872, Jason Johns, Jennifer Mersing and Jessica Bayles of Stoel Rives LLP break down the most significant changes made by the order and how they will serve to limit PURPA’s efficacy moving forward.