Total corporate funding into the solar sector rose 24% in 2020
Despite a slow start and a downturn in venture capital and private equity funding, total funding saw a significant rise, including the largest amount of projects acquired in a single year to date and the largest amount of securitization financing ever in a year.
Renewables to dominate new U.S. capacity in 2021, with solar leading the way
The U.S. Energy Information Administration also expects utility-scale battery storage capacity to more than quadruple.
Could HB 786 halt the growth of solar in Ohio?
The controversial legislation looks to ban the development and construction of new solar and wind farms greater than 50 MW in capacity in the Buckeye State for the next three years
Sunrise brief: SunPower is closing its module factory
Also on the rise: Developer plans a 100 MW solar plant in West Virginia, Plug Power secures $1.5 billion to fuel its Asian expansion, an agrivoltaic project secures a PPA, and the National Science Foundation backs a novel DER integration testbed.
Urban land and aerosols could accelerate hail storm formation
Research from the U.S. Department of Energy has found that urban landscapes and man-made aerosols have the potential to accelerate hail storm formation, make their winds harsher and direct these storms toward cities.
Could agrivoltaics feed our demand for clean energy?
Agrivoltaics could result in more food, more energy, lower water demand, lower carbon emissions, and more prosperous rural communities, says an Oregon State University researcher. He plans to build a farm to prove the point.
Florida regulators approve Duke plan to add 750 MW of solar
Concerns were raised over plans to construct 10 new solar facilities and use a voluntary charge on residential and small business customers to help pay for them.
South Carolina regulators tell Dominion to rethink its coal fleet
Regulators ordered the utility to evaluate the risks and environmental costs of operating its coal plants, and consider options to replace the plants with clean energy alternatives.
Manufacturers call for module size standardization
Trina Solar is spearheading an effort to standardize 210mm silicon wafers and modules, aiming to improve production efficiency, supply chain optimization and innovation.
Sunrise brief: Out with the coal, in with the renew
Also on the rise: An innovative program brings solar to a school district, a Canadian investment group buys a 563 MW portfolio of renewable capacity, and developers want to build solar in the heart of Wyoming’s coal country.
