Morning Brief: Houston is buying 100% renewable energy, SolRiver Capital has $200 million for solar projects
Also in the brief: Alchemy Renewable Energy has closed on deal to acquire a 44.5 MWdc solar energy portfolio, Ormat Technologies has begun the commercial operation of the Rabbit Hill Battery Energy Storage System, Kansas’ largest solar project ever has officially gone live and more.
Texas could add 3.5 GW of solar this year
Additional solar could help the ERCOT grid region in Texas meet its summer peak, after it faced “tight grid conditions” last summer. New task forces aim to improve ERCOT’s markets for ancillary services and battery storage.
J-Power, a dedicated fossil fuel developer, goes big in solar with 350 MW in ERCOT
The economics of solar project development in Texas are so compelling, even coal and gas giants want a piece of the action.
Renewable advocates suspicious of FERC’s relationship with anti-net metering group
In response to a petition filed by the New England Ratepayers Association calling on FERC to federally control net metering, The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to examine FERC’s relationship with the group and one of its attorneys.
Morning Brief: PG&E customers ready to ride out fire season with batteries, are EVs holding back stationary energy storage systems?
Also in the brief: Chinese EV startup Nio has secured a $1 billion investment, Kore Power has entered into a strategic partnership with ELM FieldSight, Nautilus Solar Energy has closed on a $90 million debt financing agreement and more.
The world added .115 terawatts of solar power in 2019 for a cumulative .629 terawatts
IEA PVPS report: Global solar demand increased by 12% in 2019 compared to 2018 — but that was BC. According to the report, photovoltaics provided just under 3% of global electricity needs in 2019.
Huawei, Sungrow and SMA dominate global inverter market
Analysis from Wood Mackenzie shows global inverter demand grew 18% last year. The ten largest inverter suppliers accounted for 76% of the global trade.
Despite solar woes, Tesla turned its first-ever profitable Q1
Tesla finished Q1 2020 with a positive GAAP net income, driven by the profitability of the Model Y. However, the story was not so bright for solar, storage or corporate governance.
Soros Fund Management, Siemens make a big bet on EV charging
The two companies have invested $13.2 million into Amply Power, a service that combines EV charging hardware distribution and fleet management software into one customer-focused package.
Abu Dhabi’s 1.5 GW tender draws world record low solar bid of $0.0135/kWh
The tariff is around $0.0021 lower than the $0.0156/kWh French oil giant Total and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp offered in Qatar’s 800 MW tender in late January. French energy company EDF and Chinese solar company JinkoPower reportedly submitted the record bid in the UAE exercise.
