Solar

  • GE Renewable Energy to supply DC-Coupled system to Convergent for 123 MWh hybrid solar plus storage project in Upstate New York

    New York (March 15, 2021) — GE Renewable Energy announced today that it has been selected by Convergent Energy + Power (Convergent) to provide an integrated solar inverter and energy storage package that will use a DC-Coupled system, for a 123 MWh hybrid solar plus storage project across three sites in Upstate New York. In aggregate, these […]

  • Solar Industry Adds Record Capacity in 2020 in Spite of Pandemic

    The U.S. solar industry installed a record 19.2 GWdc of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2020, a 43% increase from 2019, according to a report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie. The numbers are particularly impressive considering the world was dealing with unique challenges as a result of COVID-19. “After a […]

  • New Solar Roadmap Shows How Long Island Can Produce More Electricity Than the Region Uses Each Year

    MARCH 10, 2021 — The Long Island Solar Roadmap (the Roadmap), a new report and interactive online map from The Nature Conservancy and Defenders of Wildlife, demonstrates how Long Island could produce more solar electricity than the region uses all year by developing solar arrays on “low-impact” sites such as parking lots, capped landfills, and commercial building rooftops. Crucially, the Roadmap […]

  • Are 1-in-10-Year Events Really 1-in-10-Year Events Anymore?

    When evaluating resource adequacy requirements, many power companies and grid operators have used a methodology that originated more than 70 years ago. This probabilistic reliability approach has generally performed adequately through the years. It has generally evaluated loss-of-load events occurring at frequencies of one-day-in-10-years (1-in-10) to be acceptable in terms of system reliability. However, it’s […]

  • ERCOT Lists Generators Forced Offline During Texas Extreme Cold Event

    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) in freshly revealed data on March 4 reported that the Texas grid suffered 1,796 generating or energy storage outages or derates as winter storm Uri bore down on the state in mid-February.  The grid operator made the list public in a letter it sent to lawmakers in the […]

  • Solar and Storage: When It Makes Operational Sense

    Energy storage is becoming increasingly important in solar installations, and many renewable energy projects, including wind farms and others, are incorporating storage into their design. Figuring out the

  • POWER Digest [March 2021]

    Hydropower Plant Comes Online in Turkey. GE Renewable Energy in February said the company has successfully completed the Lower Kaleköy Hydropower plant at the Lower Kaleköy Dam in Turkey, with the plant

  • Hydrogen and the Energy Transition

    Power systems around the world are changing. Renewable energy, mainly in the form of wind and solar generation, is being added everywhere, while more traditional forms of power, such as coal-fired and nuclear generation, are being retired from the grid. Meanwhile, natural gas-fired generation has taken the lead role in facilitating the transition by providing […]

  • Dirty Electricity, but Not the Kind You Think

    When most people hear the term “dirty electricity,” they probably think of power generated from sources considered more-polluting, such as coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuels. However, Satic Inc., an electronics manufacturer and professional engineering firm based in Missoula, Montana, says electricity in homes and businesses is filled with “electrical pollution” that is not […]

  • Solar RFP

    American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) is a nonprofit wholesale power supplier and service provider for 135 members. AMP and its member communities are committed to the balance of being responsible corporate citizens, governmental entities, employers and environmental stewards, while maintaining a supply of cost-competitive, reliable electric power. One way AMP achieves this balance is through […]

  • ForeFront Power and TurningPoint Energy Announce the Completion of Four Community Solar Projects in Maryland, With Three More on the Way

    BALTIMORE, Feb. 17, 2021 — ForeFront Power and TurningPoint Energy today announce the completion of four Maryland-based community solar projects. The Leigh Friend Solar Project was completed this month, and three additional projects (Kingsville, Croom Road, and South Osborne Road) began delivering power to residents in late 2019. Together, these four projects created over 150 […]

  • Retirement Set for Wisconsin’s Second-Largest Coal Plant

    The Columbia Energy Center, a two-unit 1,100-MW coal-fired station located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, south of Portage, will be permanently retired by the end of 2024.    Alliant Energy, which co-owns the facility with Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group) and Madison Gas and Electric Co., made the announcement on Feb. […]

  • Silicon Valley Clean Energy Selects Extensible Energy and Community Energy Labs for a Pilot Program

    OAKLAND, Calif. and PORTLAND, Ore.– February 1, 2021 – Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has selected Extensible Energy and Community Energy Labs (CEL) for an SVCE Innovation Onramp grant. The pilot program will demonstrate how advanced load flexibility software can enable a solar-powered school to further reduce its current energy costs and optimize the design […]

  • Southern Power to add Battery Energy Storage Resources to two California Solar Projects

    FEB. 4, 2021 — Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, has been awarded two 20-year power purchase agreements by Southern California Edison (SCE) and is adding battery-based energy storage resources at both Southern Power’s Tranquillity Solar Facility and Garland Solar Facility in California. “These projects will be two […]

  • Licensing Green Technology Can Boost India’s Economy

    During lockdown, Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, enjoyed some of the freshest air that the capital has seen in decades. Having witnessed the benefits of eliminating pollution from their cities, politicians the world over are talking about “building back better” in the wake of Covid-19. For many countries that means accelerating investment […]

  • Enphase Energy and Momentum Solar Expand Partnership to Include Battery Storage

    FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 03, 2021 — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy management technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar-plus-storage systems, today announced that Momentum Solar, a top U.S. residential solar contractor and an Inc. 500 fastest-growing private company, will now promote and install Enphase Storage systems in addition to […]

  • Renewable Energy Insiders Remain Optimistic About the Future

    It was about a year ago that COVID-19 gained the world’s attention. The first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 22

  • Nanogrid Could Hold Key to Clean Energy Future

    The Orlando Utilities Commission’s (OUC’s) vision of a green energy future isn’t as far off as some people may think. The utility’s nanogrid is providing a testing ground for several innovative power

  • Supporting Grid Demand with Renewables

    Internet of Things (IoT)-based energy management systems centered around edge controllers provide the functionality required to match renewable energy output with power requirements. Traditional baseload power

  • POWER Digest [February 2021]

    Power generation news briefs from around the world.

  • FPL begins construction of world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system

    JUNO BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2021) – Florida Power & Light Company announced today that construction has begun on the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, which is expected to shatter industry records as the world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system, capable of powering Disney World for approximately seven hours. Located in Parrish, Fla., the FPL […]

  • NovaSource Power Services and SunSystem Technology Announce Merger

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. and AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 26, 2021) — NovaSource Power Services (“NovaSource”), a portfolio company of Clairvest Group Inc. and Clairvest Equity Partners VI (together, “Clairvest”) and SunSystem Technology, LLC (“SST”), leading providers of operations and maintenance (“O&M” services to the renewable energy industry, today announced the merger of the two companies. The merger […]

  • Solar Microgrids Offer Pathway to Decarbonize Mining

    Mining is an energy-intensive industry; digging, crushing, and processing minerals takes a lot of power, and mines often operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Like other industries, mining companies are seeking solutions to reduce their emissions; both for the sake of the planet and in response to increasing pressure from customers to […]

  • Navisun Expands Its Distributed Generation Portfolio – Acquires New Community Solar Project in New Jersey

    Hingham, MA (Jan. 21, 2021) — Navisun LLC, asolar power producer that owns and operates distributed and small utility-scale solar projects, announced that it has acquired a 4.5-megawatt community solar project in Linden, New Jersey. Community solar provides customers clean locally sourced power that costs less. The Linden Hawk Rise Solar Project is located on […]

  • Is a Microgrid Right for You?

    A microgrid is a discrete energy system consisting of distributed energy resources, such as solar panels, wind turbines, backup generators, and battery storage systems, and loads capable of operating in parallel with, or independently from, the main power grid. A microgrid generally operates while connected to the grid, but importantly, it can break off and […]

  • Walton EMC and Silicon Ranch Announce Commissioning of Two Solar Farms for Facebook’s Data Center in Georgia

    MONROE, Ga. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), a consumer-owned utility with a reputation for energy innovation, and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers, announced today that two more solar facilities are now operational in Georgia to help support Facebook’s operations in the state. Approximately 450 people, the […]

  • Vikram Solar Introduces Next-Generation Higher Efficiency Series 6 PV Modules

    Kolkata, India (Jan. 5, 2021) — Vikram Solar, India’s leading module manufacturer, Solar EPC player and O&M solutions provider today announced the launch of its Series 6 modules- Somera and Prexos, with next-generation M6 type of cells– a superior, advanced technology module. The new Series 6 modules will provide higher power output of up to 505 watt-peak […]

  • Natural Gas Power Reliance Factors Heavily in Massachusetts Net-Zero Actions

    Lawmakers in Massachusetts have passed a bill that eyes net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions statewide by 2050, setting interim GHG reduction targets to achieve reductions of least 85% below 1990 levels within the next 30 years. On Jan. 4, both chambers of legislature passed S.2995, “An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy,” […]

  • A Look at the Year Ahead and How Microgrids Are Shaping the Power Industry

    2020 was a transformative year for the power sector, underlining both new challenges and potential opportunities. We not only saw how severe weather event threats, such as the wildfires and public safety power shutoffs in California, continued to illustrate the fragility of our existing centralized electric distribution system, but we simultaneously experienced the struggle of […]