Morning Brief: Enormous PV projects in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin
Also in the brief: Wärtsilä delivering a 70 MW energy storage project in CAISO and the DOE Solar Desalination Prize.
Morning Brief: Solar and wind are the cheapest new sources of electricity, Appalachian Power halts distributed projects
Also in the brief: Ohio regulators have approved an 80 MW array, Sierra Club responds to Duke’s climate report, Rhode Island funds brownfield projects and more.
Q Cells takes top share of the US distributed solar module market
The company claimed 25.2% of the residential solar module market, while controlling 13.3% of the commercial and industrial market, according to WoodMac’s Q1 2020 U.S. PV Leaderboard. The achievement marks the first time Q Cells has topped both markets, as well as the first time any company has held a residential market share of 25% or greater.
First Solar manufacturing unaffected by Covid-19 measures
The U.S. thin-film solar company says its production lines in Ohio, Malaysia and Vietnam have thus far been able to carry on operations. The company says measures have been taken to protect its workers at all of its premises.
Texas retail choice design bests 13 other states in driving solar power
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.
Construction begins on Ohio’s largest solar project
Hillcrest Solar has broken ground. The installation marks the beginning of what is expected to be an Ohio solar boon, with Wood Mackenzie ranking the state as top in the Midwest for development over the next five years.
Solar could be installed on coalfields in West Virginia if The Nature Conservancy succeeds
Some former surface coal mines in central Appalachia could be repurposed for solar development. The Nature Conservancy, a global land conservancy with $1 billion in annual revenues, is exploring the options.
Midwest and Northern Tier states added 400 MW of small-scale solar in 2019
Solar contractors added far more small-scale solar in the 19-state area than in 2018, when they added 250 MW. Solar policy groups aim to improve opportunities for distributed solar in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Montana.
GM building $2 billion dollar electric vehicle battery factory in Ohio
LG Chem and GM have announced an agreement to build a 30 GWh EV battery factory in Lordstown, Ohio which will employ 1,100 people and come online in 2023.
Ohio’s biggest solar project has a buyer
Developer Innergex Renewable Energy has announced that it has signed a power contract with “an investment grade rated U.S. corporation” for the 200 MWac Hillcrest solar project.
