As utilities fight distributed generation, electricity is getting less reliable
One of the best tools that would allow utilities to meet their central stated mission of providing a stable electricity supply is one they are fighting the hardest.
pvMB: El Paso’s 2 MWac RFP, Boston’s hybrid buses, Jay Inslee runs on a climate platform & more!
In today’s pvMB, we look at Michigan’s outgoing governor vetoing solar property tax exceptions, Jay Inslee’s plan to run for president on a climate action platform, Boston’s new hybrid bus fleet, and more.
143 MW of distributed solar goes online in VA, DC, MD, DE
While large utility-scale projects grab the headlines, installation firms in the region racked up 7400 small-scale (under 1 MW) solar installations in 2018. Snapshot stories included.
A little bit of grid data goes a long solar power way
NREL has found that pre-applications for systems 500 kWAC and greater in Massachusetts were correlated with a 24% increase in interconnection service agreements approved – although complexities make proof of causation difficult.
Solar development at universities: beyond the grid
In this guest post for pv magazine USA, Jason Slattery and Jessica Tyler of GEM Energy look at the issues and opportunities involved in installing solar on university campuses.
pvMB: new Tesla & NextEra board members, 98% electricity from solar & more!
In the first edition of pv magazine USA’s morning brief, we bring you announcements of new faces on the boards of Tesla and NextEra Energy Partners, an analysis of the technical potential of floating solar, new price information and more.
Utility scale solar power plus lithium ion storage cost breakdown
NREL has released an inaugural report highlighting utility scale energy storage costs with various methods of tying it to solar power: co-located or not, and DC- vs AC-coupled.
Solar tsunami
Developers have applied to build 139 GWac of large-scale solar projects in the territory of six grid operators – around five times what is currently online across the country – and that figure doesn’t even cover the entire United States. By any metric, we are looking at an unprecedented boom in solar development over the next five years.
Nuclear, wind and solar tag team climate in Connecticut
Connecticut has announced contracts covering 45% of its electrical load, including nine solar projects (some with storage) averaging 4.9¢/kWh.
Floating PV technical potential is 10% of U.S. generation
While a national lab report on floating PV did not estimate its economic potential, the report suggests the most promising markets could be reservoirs in areas with high land costs for ground-mounted solar, and reservoirs with grid-connected hydropower or high evaporation rates.
