Nevada

“The most efficient time to install solar panels is when the builders are on the roof in the first place,” said Bronte Payne with Environment America.

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 came to solar from the roofing world and has long been a top-ten U.S. solar installer with a multi-state regional practice.

The solar industry’s largest trade show goes hybrid, with a virtual and outdoor event at the Las Vegas Convention Center Oct. 21-22 — and organizers say, no swag, please.

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.

The Gemini project will be the largest solar plant in the U.S. and among the top-ten worldwide when completed on BLM land near Las Vegas. We spoke with the project developer to get some details on “one of the purest forms of time shifting you’ll ever see.”

Historic, archeological, and environmental issues have been mitigated. About 70 desert tortoises are being relocated during construction — and the project is full-speed ahead for developers Arevia Power and Solar Partners XI.

The world’s biggest battery is now rated at 150 MW/193.5 MWh and dwarfs any lithium-ion battery system in operation worldwide.

Also in the brief: 250 MW have been proposed for the New York Town of Verona, Duke wants to double up on annual solar rebate deadlines and Maryland makes interconnection easier.

Also in the roundup: Preliminary permit for pumped hydro in Nevada, solid-state batteries and a China battery slowdown.