Sunrise brief: Duke Energy wins approval for new solar capacity
Also on the rise: Black Hills Energy wants to charge solar owners for the “true cost” of their energy, and an online solar 101 course from SUNY tops 50,000 students worldwide.
Regulators approve energy storage plans, but question their cost and overall benefits
Potomac Edison proposed the two projects in response to Maryland’s Energy Storage Pilot Program, which was established in 2019.
Duke Energy to halt electric shutoffs in extreme heat, hurricane conditions
The agreement follows negotiations with Vote Solar, the CLEO Institute, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, as more than 20,000 Duke Energy Florida customers are reported to behind on their electric bills.
Minnesota Power wins approval for 21 MW of solar
The new capacity additions were brought forward to help the state recover from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a surprise vote, Arizona utility regulators reject a clean energy plan
The plan took three years to put together and won initial approval by regulators last November. Rejection means that renewable energy standards adopted 15 years ago remain in effect.
Role of distributed solar at issue in California’s net metering update
Industry groups focus on solar-plus-storage, or preserving the distributed solar industry, while a state agency aims to compensate rooftop solar at avoided costs and add a grid service charge.
Pattern of ‘decide-announce-defend’ for rural solar must change, researchers say
Meeting clean energy goals means that more projects will be proposed for agricultural land, making it necessary for developers to better engage with local communities.
These countries are the world’s best for renewable energy investment
IHS Markit released its latest Global Renewables Markets Attractiveness Rankings that evaluates countries based on measures related to investment confidence and ease of development.
NREL signs agreement with UL to scale up SolarAPP+ software
The collaboration is a step in meeting NREL’s goal to deliver instant solar permitting nationwide, and have the software used to cover 90% of all residential solar and solar-plus-storage permits by 2030.
Most LMI solar programs lack strong evaluation metrics, report says
The Berkeley Lab report said that best practices generally found in utility energy efficiency programs are largely missing from solar programs that benefit low- to moderate-income people.
