Solar
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Renewables
Renewable Energy Development Breaks Records and Leaps Ahead of Fossil Fuels Worldwide
Hands down, 2015 was a record year for global investment in renewable energy. Excluding large hydroelectric projects, the amount of money committed to renewables rose 5%, to $285.9 billion, exceeding the previous record of $278.5 billion reached in 2011.
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Coal
ERCOT: Uncertainty Increased in 10-Year Outlook
Uncertainty concerning a number of environmental rules is clouding planning measures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said on May 3. Citing its latest Capacity, Demand, and Reserves (CDR) report—a snapshot of existing and planned resources and load forecasts for the next 10 years—the grid entity that manages about 90% of Texas’ electric load […]
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Commentary
Doublespeak Is No Cure for Utility Ills
After a very busy March, I just wanted to run a collage of puppy photos in this editorial. After all, baby animals are proven to generate engagement on social media, so why not in print? Then I saw a Twitter
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Renewables
Why Russia’s Largest Independent Power Company Built a Solar Facility in Siberia
One of Russia’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities has been grid-connected in Abakan, located in the Republic of Khakassia. The Khakass capital in central Russia just north of Mongolia, historically
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O&M
Solar PV O&M Best Practices in a Rapidly Changing Market
In 2000, the world had installed just 1 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity (in DC terms—see the sidebar, “AC or DC?”), a number that had surged to 39 GW by 2010 and 176 GW in 2014. Fueled by
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Renewables
Bankruptcy Shadows Two High-Profile Solar Companies
Two renewables giants with a hefty global reach are facing debilitating financial crises. SunEdison on the Verge of Bankruptcy California-headquartered solar project developer SunEdison, a company that has 1,000 operational sites worldwide and is staffed by 3,000 employees, is facing a liquidity crisis so dire, the company’s yieldco TerraForm Global warned in a March 29 […]
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Renewables
EEI Gets Pushback on Proposed Rebranding of Utility Solar
The Edison Electric Institute has come under fire for a new communications plan that was intended to depict utilities as more community-minded.
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Legal & Regulatory
Is Nuclear Energy “Toast”?
“My sense as I speak to you here today is that nuclear energy is toast,” said New York Times Reporter Eduardo Porter, as he opened a panel discussion titled “Nuclear Energy and the Clean Energy Future” held at the New York University School of Law on March 23. “Despite the challenge from climate change that […]
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Renewables
Emerging Microgrid Business Models
Whether utilities, technology providers, or independent third-party upstarts are best suited to create a reliable recipe for microgrid development remains an open question.