Minnesota

By adding over 100 MW in the last 5 months, the nation’s leading community solar program keeps growing, with no signs of slowing down.

Connexus Energy has broken ground on two solar+storage facilities – totaling 10 MW-AC solar and 15 MW / 30 MWh of energy storage. When connected by end of year, they’ll be the first large-scale energy storage systems put online in Minnesota, and the largest energy storage for a co-op in the United States.

The Canadian PV maker is planning to reopen its factory in Northern Minnesota in August, and another factory in Oregon later this year.

New research revealed at the Intersolar North America conference suggests that the Eastern United States and other temperate regions can integrate more renewable energy than previously expected, with less gas backup. But the real key to the energy transition may be the participation of other power sectors.

Thanks in no small part to modules stockpiled before the Section 201 tariffs hit, both the utility-scale and “non-residential” market segments grew year-over-year in Q1. And while the duties are expected to play a greater role in 2019, there are other factors supporting ongoing market growth.

A two-year pilot program will be rolled out to roughly 10,000 Xcel Energy residential customers in early 2020.

In this op-ed SEIA’s Abigail Hopper and Martin Hermann of 8minutenergy argue that the rapid growth of solar and storage will completely reshape America’s energy economy for the better, with cheaper, cleaner power, and that the shift is already taking place across this country.

In this week’s solar policy update, we bring you Minneapolis’ plan to go 100% renewable, a potential net metering cap increase in South Carolina, legislation to weaken regulatory oversight in Missouri, and more.

387 MW of community solar projects were installed in the United States last year. This brings the cumulative total to 734 MW, with the majority in Minnesota and Massachusetts.

Under the state’s program operational community solar capacity in Xcel’s Service area has grown more than four-fold over the last 12 months, with another 381 MW in design or construction.