California blows through solar power, renewable energy output records
California has set a new record for peak output of utility-scale solar at more than 10.5 GW, as well as for renewable energy overall. However, the state’s grid operator is still curtailing solar and wind while hydro and the last nuclear plant run full-steam.
Getting solar power in Illinois beyond FEJA
Illinois’s solar market under the Future Energy Jobs Act is just getting started, but a business group is calling for the next governor and state legislature to provide less restriction and more action in community and distributed solar programs.
Illinois smart inverter rebates to benefit solar deployment
The availability of smart inverter rebates for Illinois medium and large nonresidential PV systems in Illinois can go beyond being able to work better in a grid to impacting net metering, energy storage and other policy issues.
Southern Company pledges “low-to-no” carbon electricity by 2050
The CEO of the southern power giant has made a pledge of heavy carbon reduction at the BNEF Future of Energy Summit, but the details are murky and contradictory, and wrapped in layers of mythology.
Shell envisions central role for solar in new report
Shell’s new report shows a world where solar meets the largest portion of primary energy demand as soon as 2050.
Duke low-balls renewable energy in its climate plans
The southern power giant’s stunningly unambitious plan for increasing renewable energy generation may be the result of keeping inflexible nuclear power online for unheard-of timelines.
Colorado enshrines energy storage as a right
A four-page bill signed by the state’s governor declares that the installation of energy storage by utility customers is in the public interest, and prohibits discriminatory charges or regulatory burdens from interfering with this.
Arizona regulators rebuff utilities, order turn from gas to renewables
As an historic first, the Arizona Corporation Commission has voted not to acknowledge the gas-heavy energy resource plans of utilities, and is pushing instead an aggressive clean energy plan by one of its members.
Pilot project for flywheel storage underway in Hawaii
Utility Hawaiian Electric has announced the start of operations of a pilot project featuring flywheel energy storage technology provided by Amber Kinetics. The project will test the technology’s capability of supporting the grid and allowing further integration of renewable generation.
Solar to help Texas meet this summer’s peak demand
The state is expecting nearly 400 MW of additional utility-scale solar by this summer, as the most significant source of new generation to help it meet summer peak capacity needs.
