Solar plus storage for a dime in Hawaii
The various utility subsidiaries of Hawaiian Electric Industries have submitted bids to state regulators for seven solar plus storage projects totaling 262 MWac of solar and 1,024 MWh of energy storage, with power purchase agreement prices ranging from 8-12¢/kWh.
pvMB: El Paso’s 2 MWac RFP, Boston’s hybrid buses, Jay Inslee runs on a climate platform & more!
In today’s pvMB, we look at Michigan’s outgoing governor vetoing solar property tax exceptions, Jay Inslee’s plan to run for president on a climate action platform, Boston’s new hybrid bus fleet, and more.
A little bit of grid data goes a long solar power way
NREL has found that pre-applications for systems 500 kWAC and greater in Massachusetts were correlated with a 24% increase in interconnection service agreements approved – although complexities make proof of causation difficult.
Solar tsunami
Developers have applied to build 139 GWac of large-scale solar projects in the territory of six grid operators – around five times what is currently online across the country – and that figure doesn’t even cover the entire United States. By any metric, we are looking at an unprecedented boom in solar development over the next five years.
Floating PV technical potential is 10% of U.S. generation
While a national lab report on floating PV did not estimate its economic potential, the report suggests the most promising markets could be reservoirs in areas with high land costs for ground-mounted solar, and reservoirs with grid-connected hydropower or high evaporation rates.
Big solar and batteries coming to the border
El Paso Electric has awarded contracts for 200 MW of solar and 100 MW of battery storage through its latest solicitation, and may procure 50-150 MW more wind and solar. But the RFP also shows that the utility is firmly wedded to gas.
Sunlight, smarts, a house, and some money means solar power
Stanford researchers, using machine learning applied to satellite imagery, have found 1.4 million solar power installations in the United States. The researchers also extracted significant socioeconomic patterns from the data which they say can help to predict future installations.
Design of New Jersey’s SREC successor program wide open
New Jersey regulators have set a timeline for determining a new policy to follow the solar renewable energy credit system by next March, and are soliciting guidance from stakeholders – while trying not to repeat the mistakes of other states.
Solar stocks dragged down as market falls
The biggest crash in the stock market in the last 10 years has hit solar stocks, but for the solar coaster this is nothing new.
Warren Buffett trades for four solar plants, retiring a coal unit
Nevada regulators have approved six contracts for 1 GWac of solar power coupled with 100 MW / 400 MWh of energy storage. The purchase allows for the retirement of one of the state’s two running coal units.
