Solar

  • Burns & McDonnell Completes Construction of 65-MWdc Solar Project for Vistra

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell recently completed construction of a 65-MWdc/50-MWac solar project at Vistra’s Brightside Solar Facility in Live Oak County, Texas. The project peaked with over 250 craft construction professionals on-site and was completed with zero safety recordables or lost time incidents. The site utilizes 440-watt First Solar thin-film modules in conjunction with […]

  • Grid Interconnection Queue Filled with Solar and Energy Storage Projects

    A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows more than 1.1 TW of solar and energy storage capacity were in the U.S. power grid’s interconnection queue at the end of 2021. Notably, that total is more than the currently existing capacity in the U.S. power fleet. Additionally, Berkeley Lab researchers found […]

  • Castillo Engineering Engaged by ClearPath Energy on a 38 MW Portfolio of New York Community Solar Projects

    Maitland, FL, April 12, 2022 – Castillo Engineering announced today that the company had been engaged by ClearPath Energy to provide electrical design and engineering for a 38.25 MW portfolio of six community solar projects in upstate New York. Ranging from 4.5 MW to 7.5 MW in size, the projects are currently in late stages […]

  • Distributed Renewables’ Cyber Resilience

    The benefits of renewable energy continue to grow, with wind generation supplying 9.2% of generation in the U.S. and up to 22.6% in other western countries like Germany. Solar is at 2.8% in the U.S. (for utility-scale installations) and near 10% in Germany. Through diversification and greater distribution system integration, the application of renewable energy […]

  • MEA Awards $960,000 for Public Facility Solar Projects

    Baltimore, Maryland (March 30, 2022) — The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) today announced 16 projects were awarded a total of $960,578 for the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Public Facility Solar Grant Program. Funding for these projects supports the installation of solar arrays on existing infrastructure, such as parking lots or rooftops, for public institutions. The solar […]

  • Third Phase of Michigan’s Largest Solar Farm Comes Online

    PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 29, 2022) – The Renewable Energy & Storage group of McCarthy Building Companies announces the recent completion of construction and full commissioning of the 346.9MWdc/240MWac Assembly solar farm in Shiawassee County, Mich. The state’s largest solar farm was constructed in three phases on 1,200 acres and includes nearly 800,000 bifacial solar modules. […]

  • New York Tops 1 GW of Community Solar Installations

    New York officials announced a milestone for the state’s solar power sector, with Gov. Kathy Hochul saying more than 1 GW of community solar generation capacity has been installed across the region. Hochul also said New York has the nation’s largest pipeline of community solar under construction, with more than 700 projects in the queue […]

  • Smart, Hybrid, Distributed: MHI Completes EBLOX Demonstration Plant in Turkey

    Construction of a power plant in Turkey that will demonstrate a stand-alone “triple hybrid” system featuring renewable power sources, a reciprocating engine generator, and a battery has been completed. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group subsidiary Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd. (MHIET) and Calik Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., a subsidiary of Turkish energy […]

  • How Ammonia Could Help the World Transition to Clean Energy

    Hydrogen is widely seen as a vital component in efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply. One example of this is a strategy being piloted by at least a couple of major gas turbine manufacturers, which involves storing “green hydrogen” produced through electrolysis using excess wind or solar power when renewable energy supplies exceed grid […]

  • Origis Energy, Maxeon Solar Technologies Announce 400-MW Module Supply Agreement

    SINGAPORE, 17 March, 2022 – Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MAXN), a global leader in solar innovation and channels, today announced that it will supply approximately 400 megawatts (MW) of its high efficiency shingled bifacial Performance line solar modules to one of America’s top ten solar and energy storage developers, Origis Energy, for use in […]

  • Direct Pay Proposals in the Build Back Better Act and Observations from Industry Insiders

    Under current law, there are significant tax benefits for renewable energy projects in the United States. These benefits include nonrefundable ITC and PTC tax credits and depreciation deductions.  From the perspective of a renewable energy developer, however, such tax benefits may be difficult to use effectively.  Currently, ITC and PTC tax credits are nonrefundable, meaning that […]

  • Colorado Solar Project is First to Power U.S. Steel Mill

    PUEBLO, Colo. (March 9, 2022) – McCarthy Building Companies recently completed construction and commissioning of the 300 MW Bighorn Solar project in Pueblo, Colo. It is the first of two large-scale solar projects the company’s Renewable Energy & Storage Group is building in the area in conjunction with Lightsource bp, the project owner. Located on […]

  • Kiewit Chosen as EPC Lead on Massive Nevada Solar Project

    Equipment suppliers and construction partners have been chosen for the $1.2 billion Gemini solar-plus-storage installation in Nevada, which when complete will be among the largest solar projects in the U.S. Oakland, California-based Primergy Solar, part of Australia-based Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and Gemini’s developer, owner, and operator, on March 3 said it has chosen Kiewit Power […]

  • The Hydrogen Rainbow Is So 2021—It’s Time to Get Over It

    When it comes to hydrogen energy, the industry typically differentiates the final product in classes that correspond to the carbon intensity with a focus on “the colors of the rainbow,” such as gray, green, purple, and blue. According to The New York Times, the oil and gas industries are promoting blue hydrogen because (at the […]

  • Renewable Energy Ready to Deliver Despite Continued Uncertainty

    Notwithstanding the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, in 2021 the deployment of solar, solar + storage, stand-alone storage, wind, and other renewable energy technologies continued to rapidly expand across the U.S

  • POWER Digest [March 2022]

    Oman Adds Major Solar Project. A consortium consisting of Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power, Kuwait-based Gulf Investment Corp., and Kuwait’s Alternative Energy Projects Co. in January inaugurated Ibri 2, the

  • Honeywell Energy Storage Solutions Will Power Hecate Energy Solar Park in New Mexico

    HOUSTON, Texas (February 28, 2022) – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today announced it will supply Hecate Energy with an Energy Storage System (ESS) for a solar park located in Northern New Mexico. When completed in mid-2022, the 50-megawatt (MW) solar farm will be capable of supplying enough electricity to power up to 16,000 average New Mexican homes […]

  • Galway Sustainable Capital Provides Inovateus Solar a Strategic Capital Investment

    SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Feb. 18, 2022) — Inovateus Solar, a privately held solar project developer and Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) firm for commercial, municipal, and utility scale solar power projects, has announced a material investment by Galway Sustainable Capital (Galway). Galway’s investment will enhance Inovateus’ development resources, construction capabilities and project financing capacity. This […]

  • Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Infrastructure System Unveiled for California

    SoCalGas, North America’s largest gas distribution utility, has unveiled the Angeles Link, a proposed green hydrogen energy infrastructure system for Southern California that it says could be the largest of its kind in the nation. The Angeles Link proposes to utilize between 25 GW and 35 GW of curtailed or new solar, wind, or battery […]

  • Green Hydrogen Economy: Magic Bullet or Mirage for Africa?

    Africa has approximately 600 million people without access to clean, reliable, and affordable electric power (80% of the global total). On the flip side, the continent has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Countries like Egypt and Ethiopia have recorded more than 6% annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) with the […]

  • U.S. Tops 200 GW of Renewables, but Deployment Slows

    A report from a trade group representing the U.S. renewable energy industry says the nation now has more than 200 GW of operating utility-scale generation capacity, but the pace of growth has slowed as projects have been delayed due to regulatory and equipment supply issues, among other factors. The “Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q4 Market […]

  • Former FERC Commissioner Says ‘Market Design Problem’ Was a Leading Cause of February 2021 Texas Power Crisis

    In February 2021, a severe cold weather event, known as Winter Storm Uri, caused numerous power outages, derates, or failures to start at electric generating plants scattered across Texas and the south-central U.S. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the power supply for about 90% of the load in Texas, ordered a […]

  • Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves

    The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow

  • Lagunitas Brewing Co. Taps Big Savings Through Solar Conversion

    By the time Lagunitas Brewing Co. began its conversion to solar power in 2017, it had grown to become one of the largest craft beer businesses in the U.S.—a far cry from the one-man, home-kitchen operation

  • The Developed World Must Turn Fossil Fuel Industries into Green Tech Powerhouses for Developing Countries

    When environmental advocates implore less-wealthy countries to cease oil or gas investment and production because it is the cause of climate change, they are often branded as naive and ridiculous. Do we really

  • Enphase Energy and Semper Solaris Launch Partnership in California to Sell Solar and Battery Storage Systems

    FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 27, 2022— Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, and Semper Solaris, one of the nation’s leading home solar and battery contractors headquartered in California, today announced a strategic partnership focused on deploying Enphase® Energy Systems, powered by […]

  • Nevada Regulators Approve Solar+Storage to Replace Coal-Fired Plant

    Nevada utility NV Energy has received approval from state regulators to purchase two solar-plus-storage projects that will replace power generation from the group’s coal-fired North Valmy Generating Station. The 522-MW North Valmy plant is scheduled for closure in 2025. NV Energy in June of last year filed its triennial integrated resource plan with the Public […]

  • Iowa Utility Proposes $3.9 Billion Renewable Energy Project

    A subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy has announced it plans to invest another $3.9 billion into renewable energy in Iowa, with a project that would add more than 2 GW of wind power to the state. Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy on Jan. 19 said the Wind PRIME project also includes solar power […]

  • ERCOT Confident Generators Deficient During Uri Freeze Debacle Ready for Winter

    The vast majority of 324 electric generation units and transmission facilities in Texas have fully met or “go beyond” new state winter weatherization requirements, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said in a final readiness report filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on Jan. 18. Onsite inspections at 302 generation units […]

  • Renewables’ Share of U.S. Power Will Keep Upward Trajectory

    Renewable energy’s share of U.S. power generation continues to rise, and the percentage of electricity produced by burning natural gas and coal continues to fall, according to the latest “Short-Term Energy Outlook,” or STEO, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA on Jan. 18 said it expects U.S. power generation from renewables—mostly solar […]