Policy

A bankruptcy court has approved the additional loan, which should allow the main creditors of the bankrupt cell and module maker to continue their pursuit the Section 201 case.

Solar developers face the challenges of different degrees of uncertainty in project construction, financing and subscriber acquisition.

The high-efficiency solar maker asks for Section 201 action to include First Solar’s thin film products, but to exclude its back contact crystalline silicon solar as a unique product.

An EQ Research study indicates regulators are approving utilities’ requests for increased fixed charges and diminishing distributed solar’s value proposition in the process.

Senate Bill 338, which mandates that utilities come up with non-gas generation options to meet peak demand, was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.

Under fire from a broad range of forces including the oil and gas industry, the Energy Department has limited its order for a coal and nuclear bailout to regional grid operators with energy and capacity markets.

The world’s largest thin-film solar maker has sided with the petitioners, testifying to the difficulties that U.S. solar cell and module makers are experiencing and the challenges of competing with imports supported by foreign governments.

Under the terms of a settlement approved unanimously by the Texas Public Utilities Commission, the Dallas-based utility withdrew its convoluted rate structure for distributed energy customers in return for a 3.4% increase in the base rates of all customers.

State regulators have increased contract lengths for projects up to 3 MW, but most of the changes made when they gutted PURPA last summer remain.