North America

Also in the brief: Lightyear gets a key supplier, a nine-project network in New York, the 25th National Solar Tour of Homes and more.

$40 million is coming down the pipeline via an agreement between New Columbia Solar and Franklin Park Infrastructure. The money will not only help New Columbia to expand its team, but also bring 30 MW of distributed solar to the area with the nation’s most aggressive renewable energy standard.

Significant spikes in air conditioner usage during the first hot days of Austin Texas’ stay-at-home orders have signaled that this upcoming summer may be one where electric demand meets record, worrisome, levels.

16 project winners totaling 460 MW in capacity have been chosen by Hawaiian Electric Company to fill its most ambitious renewable procurement yet. The move will bring jobs to one of the areas hardest-hit by virus-related unemployment.

The Oakland-based developer is focused on solar-plus-storage and will be developing the massive, new 690 MW Gemini solar project with its 380 MW/1,400 MWh lithium-ion battery.

The project has obtained one county approval, as Rocky Mountain Power’s plan to increase its solar capacity and retire coal plants early has prompted an investigation by state regulators.

Also in the brief: DOE kicks off $230 million advanced reactor demonstration program, and the global coal industry will never recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

New York, New Jersey, Pennsyvania, and Washington are among the states hit the hardest. SEIA’s analysis shows that vast majority of renewable energy job losses come from the solar energy industry.

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.”

SunPower has had to make fundamental changes to continue to be relevant in a solar industry very different from that of its roots. The company aims to become an energy service provider and is leaving low-cost manufacturing to its Chinese partner.