Illinois

A new report by Berkeley Lab also finds that solar is increasingly being used to meet state-level renewable energy requirements, while overall deployment of renewables is increasingly driven by other factors.

An RFP due in August for solar larger than 2 MW plus brownfield solar projects of any size. Draft program rules for Illinois community solar programs are also expected in August.

Funding for solar programs in the Future Energy Jobs Act has been preserved, during an override of the governor’s veto of the budget.

Data collected by a Department of Energy Sunshot Initiative funded startup joined forces with realty firm Redfin to identify the Top 10 Midwestern cities with the most untapped solar potential.

SEPA’s annual utility list shows utilities in North Carolina, Iowa and Utah among the top 3 in its lists for solar installed on an absolute and per-customer basis. The organization also published new lists of the top utilities for storage deployment.

The two cities are the latest in significant momentum for 100% renewable energy campaigns

The national solar association is setting up a committee to focus on solar expansion in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin in a move designed to refocus the association on state-level policy battles, which are where most observers believe the future of solar will now be decided.

A new report by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) indicates businesses want to settle in states with good clean-energy infrastructures.

SB 2814 includes reforms to the state’s renewable energy mandate, which will now support an estimated 2.0 GW of solar by 2025, as well as a bailout for aging nuclear plants.

A new report documents that most U.S. utilities remain firm on plans to eliminate coal plants on the already-announced schedule, offering the prospect of enormous business opportunities for the solar industry — as well as a glimmer of hope for displaced coal miners