New Orleans: Actors paid to oppose solar and wind, push for power plant
It turns out that the public support for a proposed gas plant in New Orleans includes actors who were paid to show up and in some cases provide public comment. Entergy has denied any connection to the hiring.
Solar power plus a whole lot more on every house in California
The California Energy Commission is expected to approve the 2019 Building Energy Code that calls for solar PV on all new homes. The goal is net zero residential energy usage.
Dominion mulls at least 4.72 GW of new solar by 2033
The power giant is planning to contract with 760 MW of third-party solar projects by 2020, as well as building 240 MW of solar by 2021 – but also to build new gas plants and keep its nuclear reactors running for unheard-of timelines.
Sunnova’s solar finance agreement is coming to Sunshine State
The third party solar company has begun offering its solar finance agreements in Florida after the state regulators rule that a 20-year fixed lease is legal in the state and SB90 passed.
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.
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.
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.
