Solar

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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,” […]

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 […]

Madrid, January 4th 2021: EDP Renováveis, SA (“EDPR”), through its fully owned subsidiary EDP Renewables North America LLC, has closed two 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) to sell the energy produced by two solar PV plants totalling 275 MW. In detail, the projects located in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Indiana, are expected to commence […]

Wind and solar power capacity and generation have been growing steadily for years, as efforts to halt climate change and a desire for clean energy have gained public support around the world. As renewable

Roiled over 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, two much-watched international power market outlooks surveying short-term and long-term implications caution the road ahead will be ridden by complexity. The

Feasibility Study Set for Netherlands’ CCS Plan. Neptune Energy in mid-December announced a feasibility study to develop a carbon capture and storage (CCS) plan for the Netherlands. The study will look at

With COVID-19 filling the news throughout 2020, it’s very likely you missed some of the most important developments that occurred in the power sector this year. Here’s a look at some of the highlights and big stories covered by the POWER staff this year. MOX Nuclear Fuel Loaded In January, Russian engineers announced the loading […]

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 28, 2020) – Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced five new solar energy centers will begin powering customers with clean energy by December 31. These new sites, each of which is about 500 acres, add another 1.4 million solar panels to the state and support FPL SolarTogether™ – the company’s popular […]

2021 Predictions for Energy, Utilities, and Resources Even if the climate crisis is currently having to share headline space with the global pandemic, it has by no means lost its traction. Nor have the perils of climate change lost any of their urgency. Taking a global stance, I would say that the charge to lower […]

Congress agreed on legislation that would extend the investment tax credit (ITC) for solar projects for two years and the production tax credit (PTC) for wind projects for one year. The full legislative package combines a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package and an omnibus spending bill for 2021 with tax extenders and energy policy changes. […]

China is the largest manufacturer and installer of solar photovoltaic power systems in the world, and the country appears ready to increase its solar installations based on information contained in the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP). The plan, covering the period 2021-2025, is being developed and expected to be implemented beginning in March 2021. The […]

General Electric (GE) has taken a marked step to position itself in the global fight against climate change, advocating for immediate and effective power sector decarbonization through a replacement of coal-fired power generation with a combination of renewables and natural gas-fired power.  The company laid out its position on Dec. 15 in a wide-ranging white […]

California is set to host one of the world’s largest standalone renewable hybrid projects. Slated to come online in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Edwards & Sanborn project in Kern County will feature 1,118 MW of solar and 2,165 MWh of energy storage.  Renewable developer Terra-Gen on Dec. 10 announced an agreement with engineering […]

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. (December 10, 2020) – When Marc Maguire, assistant professor of construction programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, started testing the strength of piles made by Nucor and used in the support assemblies of solar panels, he didn’t expect such surprising results. These tests ― conducted by the Durham School of Architectural Engineering […]

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have found that a combination of lower capital, operating, and finance costs, in addition to better equipment performance, and longer useful lives, have driven power purchase agreement (PPA) prices and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for utility-scale wind and solar projects to all-time lows. The findings were […]

Burleson, TX, December 9, 2020 – United Cooperative Services (United), Navisun, and TurningPoint Energy (TPE) announced today the commencement of construction of the Erath Solar project in Erath, County, TX. The 10 megawatt AC community solar plant is scheduled for completion in early February of next year. This is the second community solar project partnership […]

ATLANTA (Dec. 8, 2020) – McCarthy Building Companies Inc. today announced that it has begun construction on two solar projects in south Georgia for Silicon Ranch Corporation. The utility-scale solar facilities include the 107-megawatt (MWAC) Snipesville II in Jeff Davis County in southeast Georgia and the 80 MWAC Lancaster Solar in Calhoun County in the […]

A quest for reliability and flexibility is driving significant interest in hybrid and co-located resources, but their widespread integration could hinge on how they are defined and valued in wholesale

Researchers continue to work on improvements in solar power, developing better cells, using new materials in panels, and focusing on improving efficiency while lowering cost. The solar power industry hit

As part of Cuba’s National Economic and Social Development Plan for 2030, the country aspires to increase the share of renewable energy on its electric grid to 24%. To accomplish this objective, the

A handful of well-known companies, along with three cities in Texas, have contracted to receive electricity from what would be the largest solar farm built to date in the U.S. Invenergy, a Chicago, Illinois-based energy company, said the Samson Solar Energy Center is scheduled to come online in 2023. The facility is under construction in […]

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2020 — Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), the leading provider of residential solar, battery storage and energy services, today announced that it has contracted with one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, Southern California Edison (SCE), to increase grid resilience and lower power costs. SCE will send signals to Sunrun […]

A U.S. subsidiary of one of France’s largest providers of solar power has given New Mexico officials more detailed information about the company’s plans for developing a series of solar projects. The installations would help offset the loss of generation from retiring coal-fired power plants in the state, including the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) […]

REDWOOD CITY, CA – Nov. 12, 2020 – Mustang Two Whirlaway, a 100-megawatt solar project in Kings County, officially started operating Wednesday and will generate clean and affordable power exclusively for Peninsula Clean Energy customers. Mustang Two Whirlaway will generate enough solar to power nearly 58,000 homes through 2035. “This is yet more new steel […]