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.
Morning Brief: FERC loses commissioner with no replacements in sight, Improving utility-scale bifacial modeling
Also in the brief: Puerto Rico chooses solar over gas in grid redesign, U.S. clean power giants to join forces to build lobbying muscle.
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.
Which US cities have the highest proportion of solar-powered homes?
Since the 1970s, solar-powered energy has been making a powerful push in the United States — which cities have been leaders in embracing the revolution?
Building a solar market and creating jobs in Southwest Virginia’s coalfield counties
The public-private partnership will put 10-12 MW of solar on commercial rooftops, multifamily housing and schools, but could face regulatory barriers to third-party ownership and net metering.
Can community microgrids fill the gap in California’s plans for 100% renewable energy?
A 10 MW, 40 MWh storage project on the Southern California coastline could provide the first link for a string of community microgrids that, according to the Clean Coalition’s Craig Lewis, could show that high penetrations of distribution-connected solar are entirely doable.
