U.S. Senate confirms fossil fuel advocate Bernard McNamee to FERC
The 50-49 party line vote shows the great controversy that surrounds McNamee, who has worked for pro-fossil fuel think thanks and has made hyperbolic negative statements about renewable energy.
The 100% renewable energy movement is unstoppable
Cincinnati has become the 100th U.S. city to set a goal to move to 100% renewable energy. This sets the stage for the debate to shift to what resources we will use to decarbonize, and how quickly we will move.
Facebook data center feeds Georgia solar boom with 200 MWac
Walton EMC has signed contracts with three new solar projects to supply a new Facebook data center. This is the latest big announcement among many, and one plant will feature half-cut mono-PERC modules from Hanwha Q Cells’ new U.S. factory.
Solar plus geothermal under review in Nevada
The owner of the Tungsten Mountain Geothermal Unit is researching the addition of 18 MW of solar PV to power some, or all, of the site’s parasitic electric load.
New York announces free community solar for 10,000 low-income residents
Nine community solar projects within the state will be participating in the “Solar For All” program, providing access to no-cost community solar for low-income New Yorkers.
Energy storage storm grows in strength
A Wood Mackenzie report shows energy storage deployments tripling on a power basis during Q3 ’18 versus last year’s volume, while noting that the future pipeline growth rate doubled versus prior quarters to reach 33 GW of future projects.
Final hurdle cleared in California’s solar mandate for new homes
The California Building Standards Commission has approved the requirement that new homes integrate rooftop solar. This is expected to not only give a major boost to the state’s solar market, but to drive down costs.
Xcel gets in front of the 100% renewable energy movement
By setting a timeline for the inevitable decarbonization of its fleet, Xcel is moving to have an energy transition on its terms.
Flexible solar power saves money
An analysis of a First Solar power plant in Tampa, Florida suggests that by operating solar plants with more flexibility operators can save money for ratepayers – while also allowing for significantly higher penetration levels of renewables.
Solar and storage groups call for dynamic pricing of electricity in California
Dynamic pricing could advance renewables while cutting both customer costs and system costs, suggests a petition from solar and storage industry participants. They call for a rulemaking process to give all customers the option to choose real-time pricing.
