Solar power policy update May 3: Minneapolis, SC, MO, CT
In this week’s solar policy update, we bring you Minneapolis’ plan to go 100% renewable, a potential net metering cap increase in South Carolina, legislation to weaken regulatory oversight in Missouri, and more.
sPower, Array Technologies announce multi-gigawatt tracker partnership
Over the next three years, Array expects to supply multiple GWs of trackers to the developer, as its “primary” tracker supplier.
100 hours and longer: ARPA-E seeks 5¢/kWh energy storage
The U.S. government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy is offering up to $30 million in funding to build innovative technologies to enable long-duration energy storage, with the aim to provide reliable electricity from 10 to roughly 100 hours, and longer.
Energy transition: Solar power, wind make up at least 94% of new U.S. generation in Q1 2018
Wind and solar dominated new electric capacity commissioned in the first three months of 2018 – even before you count behind-the-meter installations.
Musk hints at 1 GWh battery as Tesla solar power installations fall further
The company’s energy generation and storage division set a record of $410 million in revenue during Q1, but solar power fell to 2013 deployment levels.
Mercedes-Benz brand to leave the U.S. residential battery market
Parent company Daimler will continue to offer batteries for residential applications to selected partners, but no longer under Mercedes Benz Energy. The company plans to align the stationary storage segment with its grid business.
SEIA funds Republican candidates at 2x rate versus Democrats
A new analysis by Reuters finds that the solar industry trade group provided $56,500 to Republican candidates in the most recent election cycle, versus $26,700 to Democrats
Solar panel imports down 50% in the first two months of 2018
The EIA’s monthly solar module import report shows that after a ramp up in in mid-2017, volumes of imported PV modules crashed in January and February.
Solar power tax incentives fall almost 50% as installations increase 300%
An analysis by the Department of Energy shows electricity generation from solar growing 32% annually since 2000. Meanwhile, the tax benefits claimed for solar fell from just over $2 billion in 2013 to just over $1 billion in 2016.
Community solar capacity more than doubles in 2017
387 MW of community solar projects were installed in the United States last year. This brings the cumulative total to 734 MW, with the majority in Minnesota and Massachusetts.
