Iowa Senate approves new solar fees
Deeming solar owners to be leeching off of existing utility infrastructure, the Iowa Senate has passed a bill which would allow utilities to establish a monthly charge on PV system owners.
Only months after Question 6, Nevada has a new renewable energy bill
In a legislative case of “I want it and I want it now,” Nevada Senator Chris Brooks has introduced a bill which would raise the state’s renewable energy mandate to 50% by 2030.
Green New Deal arrives in state legislatures
This blog post by EQ Research takes a look at the spur of state-level green energy initiatives that have followed in the wake of the Green New Deal.
PG&E and the future of U.S. utilities
California utility Pacific Gas & Electric’s bankruptcy points to a crisis not only at the company, but in the business model for utilities in the United States. And it is far from clear what will come next.
Courts reject FERC’s bid for jurisdiction in PG&E bankruptcy
A district court has ruled that the bankruptcy court will be where the decisions are made as to what happens to power contracts, ending a push by developers to give FERC a greater say.
Michigan regulators pump the brakes on DTE’s plans to increase customer charges (again)
The utility keeps trying to kill distributed solar, one way or another, and regulators just keep rebuffing them.
LONGi, JinkoSolar, REC Group respond to Hanwha Q-Cells IP suit
All three companies say the patent infringement claim is without merit, and LONGi has provided technical details as to why its PERC isn’t based on Hanwha Q-Cells’ patent.
North Dakota finally embraces big solar
For the first time, North Dakota will have a solar installation at least 1 MW in size. Actually, that’s an understatement, as state regulators have approved Geronimo Energy’s bid for a 200 MW project outside of Fargo.
Hanwha Q-Cells sues to keep Jinko, Longi and REC Group out of the U.S. market
The Korean/German solar manufacturer has filed patent infringement lawsuits against the three companies in the United States, and is seeking to bar them from importing solar products for the U.S. market. Hanwha Q Cells claims its three rivals have used its patented solar cell passivation technology to increase the performance of their products.
Nukes not included: 100% renewable energy proposed in Illinois
Senator Cristina Castro and Representative Ann Williams have introduced The Clean Energy Jobs Act, which would raise the state’s RPS to 45% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% renewable energy by 2050.
