The United States and China formally join the Paris Agreement
The world’s largest emitters have committed to the global agreement, but the voluntary nature of individual national plans leaves many doubts.
SolarCity excluded from participating in Nevada grandfathering decision
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUCN) has denied SolarCity’s request to participate in proceeding on whether existing residential solar customers in Nevada should have their net metering schemes “grandfathered,” after the utility added fees to the scheme at the end of 2015.
Florida initiative to exempt solar from property taxes passes by wide margin
The measure is a first step to lifting significant obstacles to the development of solar in the Sunshine State.
Washington D.C. is not meeting its solar carve-out
Data published by EIA shows that less than half the district’s solar requirement was met in 2015.
PG&E to open bidding process for 75 MW of shared renewables
The utility is seeking 75 MW of solar and other renewable energy projects from 500 kW to 20 MW in capacity under a new shared renewable energy program.
Virginia puts online its first community solar plant
The 550kW system will serve members of a rural electric cooperative in the Shenandoah Valley, and comes in the absence of state policies for shared renewables.
New faces and familiar faces: the pv magazine USA weekly digest
This week saw three new high-profile executive appointments, Berkeley Lab’s annual report showing ongoing solar cost collapses, progress on Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity, and more.
Renewables rise to 16.8% of U.S. electricity production in H1 2016
However, EIA data shows solar PV only making up 1.3% of total generation, a fraction of the portion in leading European nations.
Vivint Solar expands to Florida
The third-largest distributed solar installer has moved into the Florida market, which currently does not allow power purchase agreements for residential solar.
Tesla wins anti-trust approval to buy SolarCity
The ruling clears a legal roadblock for the acquisition, which still must be approved by shareholders of both companies.
