Massachusetts

Roger Lin, VP of marketing with NEC Solutions sat down with pv magazine to discuss the larger national impact of the Massachusetts Clean Peak Standard, including how the policy can be modeled for other states, regardless of their renewable penetration levels.

Retail choice is associated with lower retail prices for electricity, but only in Texas does it help drive more renewable power, says a Wind Solar Alliance report.

Also in the brief: 14 MW approved in Maine, 20 MW approved in Indiana, a molten aluminum thermal energy storage system and more.

“2019 was a remarkable year for energy storage and the record-breaking fourth quarter numbers reaffirm the industry’s tremendous growth.”

Also in the brief: Outback Power releases AC coupling feature for Skybox hybrid inverter, BP Solar customers can be compensated for faulty panels, Martha’s Vineyard considers 100% renewable by 2040, and more.

Also in the brief: CVE finances a 31.3 MW SMART portfolio, SolarEdge adds Karamba Security software to inverters, CIT leads $140 million financing for esVolta and more.

At Solar and Storage Northeast in Boston, panelists comprised of solar experts, policy directors and national community solar leaders sat down to discuss what can be done for the symbiotic relationship between community solar projects and agricultural landowners.

California has long led the way when it comes to solar deployment – both on the rooftop and at utility scale. The state is now pushing forward with a solar mandate for new homes, which could be a ‘eureka moment’ for the U.S. solar sector.

Also in the brief: an 18 MW community solar portfolio proposed in Oregon, Sunnova partners with Generac and more.

MIT scientists have developed a solar desalinator which sends heat from the sun through a ten-stage process of evaporation and condensation. The group estimates that a $100 device incorporating their innovation could provide the daily drinking water needs of a family.