Building a solar market and creating jobs in Southwest Virginia’s coalfield counties
The public-private partnership will put 10-12 MW of solar on commercial rooftops, multifamily housing and schools, but could face regulatory barriers to third-party ownership and net metering.
Morning Brief: Solar, by far, the world’s leading power-generating technology in 2019
Also in the brief: Community solar proposal getting bipartisan support in Pennsylvania legislature, 12 MW of solar power in Virginia’s historic coalfield region, and the DOE supports nuclear fusion technology with $29 million in funding.
Catholic organizations go solar to save money, and to put faith into practice
Catholic organizations own up to 100,000 buildings in the U.S., as well as land, and Catholic Energies is helping them go solar. “The market is enormous,” said the program’s leader.
Lawsuit challenges TVA’s anti-solar “never-ending contracts” with its utility customers
The utilities that buy power from TVA, and the 10 million people they serve, will be limited in accessing low-cost solar power unless a federal court invalidates what a lawsuit calls TVA’s “never-ending contracts.” Three citizens’ groups brought the lawsuit, claiming TVA violated a federal environmental law.
Bringing solar to the heart of coal country
The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia, spurred on by Virginia’s pro-solar legislative spring, has released a request for qualifications, seeking a partner to co-develop commercial-scale solar projects in seven coal counties.
Morning Brief: Nautilus acquires a Minnesota portfolio, Perdue is pollinator-friendly
Also in the brief: Powin Energy announces 20-year lithium-ion energy storage system, solar coming to Orange County Public Schools and more.
Morning Brief: the North Carolina solar industry has weathered Covid well, Vistra announces battery expansion
Also in the brief: Consumers Energy is providing 100,000 Google Nest thermostats to Michigan households, Tesla has quietly made Model 3 ready for bidirectional charging, SolSmart adds new partners.
The financial and social struggles of getting large solar projects financed
The pre-life of the Spotsylvania solar energy project has been riddled with financial and societal difficulties. As much as these issues have made a quagmire of development, it also provides a case study on the logistics of getting such a large project built.
Morning Brief: Financing for a 200 MW project, EDP agrees to a power contract
Also in the brief: solar on schools in Virginia and a Hawaiian microgrid.
Dominion plans 16 GW of solar for Virginia by 2035
Under the utility’s latest IRP, Dominion plans to procure 16 GW of solar, 2.7 GW of storage and 5.1 GW of offshore wind in the next 15 years. Kicking off these new plans comes a request for proposals of 1 GW of solar or wind and 250 MW of energy storage.
