Morning Brief: Sol Systems to build 500 MW for Microsoft, Arizona regulators look to go 100% renewable
Also in the brief: Duke Energy Renewables has officially completed the 200 MW Rambler Solar project, Nikola Corporation has broken ground on its soon-to-be 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility, Nelnet Renewable Energy will be managing services for 20 MW of community solar in New York.
Solar-plus-storage has a 99.8% capacity value in California
“The energy from solar can consistently charge a 4-hour storage device having the same installed capacity” prior to the hours of peak demand, says a new study. In Arizona and New Mexico the capacity value is 99%.
Discriminatory rooftop solar charges may violate antitrust law
The U.S. Department of Justice has argued that in Arizona, a utility’s discriminatory charges for rooftop solar owners can be “unlawful.” The Center for Biological Diversity also supported the four rooftop solar owners whose lawsuit has progressed, arguing the legal significance of Arizona’s renewables goals.
More utilities bypassing natural gas bridge and going straight to renewables
Utilities that are transitioning away from coal are starting to view the creation of a natural gas “bridge” to renewable energy as an unnecessary step.
Morning Brief: Navajo Transitional Energy proposes 200 MW of Solar, Florida adds 150 MW
Also in the brief: battery energy storage is getting cheaper, but how much deployment is too much? GCube Insurance is issuing a renewed warning to renewable energy asset owners about cyberattacks, REC Group’s flagship REC Alpha solar panel has won the Intersolar Award 2020 for photovoltaics, and more.
Morning Brief: Tucson Electric Power aims to add 1.4 GW of storage, Standard Solar secures $105 million
Also in the brief: Bank of America signs its first PPA, CS Energy has completed a 33 MW portfolio of solar projects in Texas, RP Construction Services and RECON partner to build tracker projects and more
Solar opportunities ‘ignored’ across 100 million acres in the Southwest
The Bureau of Land Management “has ignored most possibilities” for utility-scale solar “on its vast land holdings across the solar-rich Southwest,” says a paper. Renewable energy development accounts for less than 1% of economic activity on BLM lands, while oil and gas account for 70%, according to BLM data.
PetersenDean, a regional solar installer and roofer, seeks chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
PetersenDean came to solar from the roofing world and has long been a top-ten U.S. solar installer with a multi-state regional practice.
Replacing peakers with storage to achieve the greatest health benefit
Regulators and community groups can use a new interactive resource to see the emissions impacts of existing and proposed peaker units. Storage developers may also find the tool helpful, to identify peakers likely to be replaced.
Morning Brief: Renewable prices reach record low in California, rural Georgia meets big solar and jobs
Also in the brief: DOE to invest more than $5 million in tribal energy infrastructure
