United States

The Maryland Senate, following the lead of the House, completed the expected veto override this afternoon, sending Gov. Larry Hogan a stunning rebuke and reflecting the will of the overwhelming pro-solar Maryland population.

The state has unveiled the latest version of its next solar incentive program, and will extend eligibility for larger projects under the SREC 2 program until the new program starts.

Two projects, presumed dead after SunEdison went belly up, have been revived by NRG Energy, which bought them for pennies on the dollar.

Along with changing its name from Tesla Motors to Tesla Inc. the electric vehicle and battery maker will eliminate the SolarCity brand.

The U.S. market for microgrids will grow from a near zero installation level in 2012 to 50 GW by 2025 and a value of $500 billion by 2030, according to Andy Skumanich, a principal at SolarVision Consulting.

Current solar customers are grandfathered for 15 years, but customers who sign up next year will see their net-metering benefits decline over time.

After President Donald J. Trump announced plans to close the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), most solar observers assumed the Sunshot Initiative was dead, too. But an announcement yesterday of a new round of funding proves the vital program isn’t quite dead yet.

The 30 MW lithium ion battery system is the third massive system reported in Southern California this week, totaling 77.5 MW of capacity.

This is one of three massive systems which SCE has contracted to meet peak demand following its Aliso Canyon gas leak, as a new test for the abilities of energy storage.

Around 75 jobs will be lost during the microinverter specialist’s restructuring drive, which reflects increased price pressure across the segment, both globally and in the U.S.