Idaho

Hello and welcome to the Thursday pvMB. Today we’ll be taking a look at the Idaho Senate deeming that home owners associations can’t bar rooftop solar, two former Kentucky coal mines going solar and everything else you need to see today in the world of solar

In part 2 we look at more of some of the action in 2018, from the dramatic growth of the 100% renewable energy movement to California’s mandate for rooftop solar on new homes.

A simple comparison of per-MWh costs for solar versus PacifiCorp’s existing coal-fired generation found that new solar would cost less than the going-forward costs of 11 coal units with a combined 2.73 GW of capacity.

Rocky Mountain Power’s 20 year Integrated Resource Plan has been accepted by Idaho regulators. The plan calls for more wind and solar, greater efficiency, and very little net demand growth.

GTM Research and SEIA’s final report on the solar market in 2017 shows both the struggle of the residential solar market, as well as a larger than anticipated fall in utility-scale volumes, leading to a 30% contraction overall.

The national organization representing state-level utility regulators is calling on FERC to make changes, including moving from administratively set prices to auctions.

In a new filing with the Idaho Public Commission, the utility asks to eliminate net metering and create two new customer categories – solar and non-solar.

Ah, our favorite solar boondoggle is back in the news today, after a visit from the fire department sparks a Twitter storm over a smoldering electrical box at this embarrassing project.

The money will go to 17 projects designed to reduce soft costs and maximize solar’s benefits for states.

Despite omnipresent hype over the past two years, the Solar Roadways team tried to unveil its first pilot project in Idaho with disastrous results.