Saving water with solar and wind
Scientists at Princeton have found solar and wind energy offer the added environmental benefit of reducing water usage, by comparison with hydroelectric dams. Their findings, say the researchers, could have a positive impact on groundwater sustainability in drought-prone regions such as California, where they conducted a case study.
Big gas to blow, powerline tax credit, Trump dumps Paris, and more: pvMB 11/6/19
This is your midweek pv magazine USA morning brief. A report in Colorado shows how adding electric vehicles and building electrification can clean the state, SEIA highlights an additional 70 groups supporting the ITC extension, and more!
Montana utility wants gas units; Sierra Club suspects biased modeling
In developing its resource plan, NorthWestern Energy apparently used modeling assumptions that favor gas-fired generation, says the Sierra Club. The group has filed a legal motion requesting access to the modeling inputs, and to the model itself.
PG&E, but run by the people
California Governor Gavin Newsom, in expressing his dissatisfaction with PG&E, has proposed that it is not out of the question that the state could intervene in the restructuring of the utility. But what would this kind of government intervention look like and what would it mean for solar?
Sacramento utility proposes eschewing rooftop mandate with community solar
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has created a proposal which would allow homeowners to opt-into community solar programs in lieu of installing systems on their roofs.
Utility barriers to rooftop solar in Georgia
In this op-ed for pv magazine, Cesar Prieto and Seth Gunning of Creative Solar USA explore the barriers to rooftop solar put up by utilities in Georgia, a state with top-15 solar capacity, but a lagging residential market.
Want to save lives, money or both? Harvard says install solar
A new study released by the Harvard Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment looks at the importance of where renewable generation is developed, more than how much. The study analyzes the economic and public health benefits of renewables in each comparative region of the country.
A penny for your powerlines
Research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that overall costs of transmission needed to integrate variable renewables is between 0.1-1¢/kWh, on top of the 2.9-4.6¢/kWh utility scale wind and solar power costs.
The largest private coal company in the United states just went bankrupt
Despite promises by Trump to save the coal industry, the crisis in the coal sector is clear. Solar, wind and batteries have a world to gain.
Sunrun proposes solar+storage virtual power plants across Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau has its hands full in ensuring the island’s utility gets the grid working well at a reasonable cost, while moving to 40% renewables by 2025. Sunrun and environmental groups point a way forward.
