Solar

The solar power industry seems to be caught in the crosshairs of competing legislative agendas. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created incentives to increase solar capacity via tax credits, but the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) limits the effectiveness of those credits by restricting the importation of any goods that were mined, produced, […]

Several executives in the energy industry have spoken with POWER in recent months about how utility-scale solar power projects benefit from the addition of energy storage. Many have noted how installing storage systems alongside solar arrays supports the integration of renewable energy to the power grid, and also enhances the economic potential of any such […]

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), an arm of major U.S. utility Duke Energy, said commercial operation has begun on the group’s largest solar power plant. DESS on March 8 said the 250-MW Pisgah Ridge Solar farm in Navarro County, Texas, is online, supplying power to at least three groups as part of virtual power purchase […]

Asset owners want to get the most out of their solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which is why many today are adding energy storage to an installation or upgrading a project through repowering. Companies working in the space recognize that both new and older solar power systems can be optimized, thanks to innovative technologies and new […]

Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy) has entered into a partnership with the government of Kinshasa, a city-province and capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa, for construction and operation

Pakistan Begins Commercial Operation of 1.3-GW Coal Plant. Pakistan on Feb. 7 began commercial operation of a 1.3-GW coal-fired power plant in the Thar Desert in Sindh province, southern Pakistan. The project

Redmond, WA and New York, NY (Feb. 22, 2023): Clean Energy Holdings (CEH) is pleased to announce the purchase from Philadelphia Solar USA Inc. of solar modules for a total nameplate capacity of 380 MWdc. The panels are Philadelphia Solar’s high efficiency “Made in America” 540W Phenex half-cell 10BB solar photovoltaic bifacial modules, to be manufactured at […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has broken ground on the Generation 3 Particle Pilot Plant (G3P3), a novel concentrating solar power (CSP) facility at Sandia National Laboratory that will use sand-like ceramic particles instead of molten salt to produce and store high-temperature energy. When completed in 2024, the “multi-megawatt” solar thermal pilot project will utilize an existing […]

A diverse mix of companies and experts in the solar power and energy storage sectors are in Long Beach, California, this week for the annual Intersolar North America (ISNA) and Energy Storage North America (ESNA) conference. The event, which is supported and attended by POWER, provides a look at the latest innovations in solar and […]

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 13, 2023 — Enphase Energy, Inc., a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, announced today that Lumio, a leader in personalized renewable energy, will significantly expand its offering of Enphase® IQ8™ Microinverters and IQ™ Batteries to customers across the United States. Enphase® Energy […]

Construction of a major solar-plus-storage installation in California has been approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Desert Quartzite project, sited on about 3,000 acres near Blythe in eastern Riverside County, will feature a 300-MW solar array along with 600 MWh of energy storage. Desert Quartzite, being developed by EDF Renewables North […]

Rising concerns over climate change have caused a major shift in the energy ecosystem, away from fossil fuels and toward renewable, clean, and sustainable energy. Currently, the earth is about 1.1C warmer than in the late 1800s. As outlined in the Paris Agreement, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, limit global warming […]

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has announced a new competition designed to support the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into the nation’s power grid. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm unveiled the program Feb. 7 during a presentation to attendees of the DISTRIBUTECH 2023 event at the San Diego Convention Center in California. The program […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 7, 2023) — The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) today released the 2023 Utility Transformation Profile, providing unique insights and recommendations that all utilities can utilize to accelerate their transition to carbon-free energy. SEPA is a non-profit member organization of over 1,100 utilities, corporations, and government entities singularly focused on, accelerating the transformation to a […]

PITTSBURGH (Feb. 7, 2023) — Intelligent power management company Eaton today announced it was awarded a contract to help AEP Ohio enhance the resilience and sustainability of critical water infrastructure in Columbus at the Tussing Water Booster Station. The project will establish the city’s first renewable energy microgrid and extend Columbus’ ability to deliver safe and […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA & LONDON, UK (Feb. 7, 2023) – Watershed, the leading enterprise climate platform, today announced it is partnering with renewables marketplace Ever.green to launch the first fixed-price virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA). The long-term commitments of Watershed customers including Samsara, Stripe, and TaskUs will help build a new solar plant in Laredo, […]

JOLIET, Ill. (Feb. 2, 2023) — ComEd and Summit Ridge Energy (SRE) today announced the opening of the 75th community solar development in ComEd’s service territory. The 2.495 megawatt (MW) Speedway Solar project 10 miles south of Joliet, Ill., will provide more than 350 ComEd customers with access to the benefits of solar energy and […]

Paris, 2nd February 2023 – TotalEnergies has reached a new milestone with the signature of 1 GW of green Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for self-consumption on the sites of its B2B customers. This performance is the result of a strong development strategy based on a multi-energy approach to support its B2B customers in their energy […]

An evolving regulatory environment, expanded tax credits, and moves for more reliability and resilience in the power space are impacting the growth of solar-plus-storage installations. Several state utility

An estimated 91% of the world’s population had access to electricity in 2020, marking substantial progress toward goals to ensure universal access to power. Still, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 733 million people remain unserved. Off-grid and decentralized energy systems may be emerging as an alternative to facilitate energy access and resilience, […]

Geothermal Plant Planned in Colombia. Colombian petroleum company Ecopetrol in December announced plans to build a 250-kW geothermal power plant in the Apiay oil complex in Meta, Colombia. The power plant will

More inverters are coming to the end of their life, and needing replacement, as the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry matures. Inverter failures usually occur on systems that are 10-plus years old. At that age

Americans have much to gain from having a solar project installed in their local community, but their relationship with solar energy is hardly a love affair. The infamous NIMBY (not in my backyard) phenomenon

San Francisco, January 31, 2023 — Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility and community solar projects based in San Francisco, has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for five projects with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), California’s largest investor-owned utility. The projects will bring the benefits of clean solar energy to households that can’t […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2023) – Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, a non-regulated commercial brand of Duke Energy, today announced it has placed into commercial operation the 120-MW Jackpot Solar project in Twin Falls County, Idaho. This is the organization’s first utility-scale renewable energy project in the state and is the largest solar facility in operation […]

Utilizing energy storage with a solar power system is a way for power generators to help balance the supply of energy with demand for electricity. Energy storage can be used during periods when the sun isn’t shining, and it also help support periods of high demand for power along the grid. Many residential and commercial […]

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (January 24, 2023) — Antora Energy, a leader in zero-carbon heat and power for the industrial sector, has built the world’s first dedicated manufacturing line for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells, achieving a major milestone in the production and scalability of TPV technology. The company has also demonstrated an efficiency rate greater than 40% for […]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the midst of an energy transition, moving away from its nearly exclusive use of natural gas-fired power generation to a strategy based on renewable energy resources. The country has an abundance of natural gas, and it also has significant solar power potential. The UAE also is adding nuclear […]

A lobbying group for China’s power generation sector said the country will add about 70 GW of fossil fuel-powered capacity this year, even as renewable energy is set to provide more than half of China’s electricity production in 2023. The China Electricity Council in a report published Jan. 19 said the 70 GW of new […]

A 6.2-MW solar farm in Foster, Rhode Island, provides 3.35 GWh per year of clean, renewable energy for more than 700 community solar subscribers. The state of Rhode Island has ambitious targets for renewable energy production, including from solar. Many residents—especially those with the most to gain from cost-savings linked to solar power—are unable to […]