Solar

  • The Bittersweet Power of Hybrids

    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

  • New Technology Keeps Solar on Track

    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

  • Projected Development of Renewables in Cuba

    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

  • Invenergy Unveils Plan for Largest U.S. Solar Project

    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 […]

  • Sunrun Signs Virtual Power Plant Agreement With Southern California Edison

    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 […]

  • Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants

    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) […]

  • 100-MW Mustang Two Whirlaway Solar Farm Comes Online

    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 […]

  • IEA: Renewables Will Lead Global Generation in 2025

    The world’s power generation is about to become even more green, according to a new publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The group on Nov. 10 published its “Renewables 2020″ report, and highlighted how generation capacity from both wind and solar will double across the next five years and surpass global generation from both […]

  • Clean Energy Tech Company Offers Customers Renewable Options

    There is a growing trend toward clean energy around the world. A number of high-profile companies, including Google, Apple, Walmart, and more than 260 others, have set 100% renewable electricity goals, and power companies, too, have joined in the movement, with many targeting net-zero emissions in coming decades. However, most consumers have found it more […]

  • Sun shines bright in Alliant Energy’s Iowa Clean Energy Blueprint

    CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (October 29, 2020) – Today, Alliant Energy (NASDAQ: LNT) introduces the Clean Energy Blueprint for Iowa, a path for accelerating their transition to cleaner energy for customers. The Blueprint outlines the company’s plans to increase the use of renewable resources, including solar power, add more battery storage and build out the connected […]

  • Construction Begins on CenterPoint Energy’s Solar Farm in Southwestern Indiana

    Burns & McDonnell Delivering Utility’s First Turnkey Solar Project Evansville, Indiana (Oct. 27, 2020) — After successfully completing the engineering phase earlier this year, Burns & McDonnell will begin the construction of a 50-megawatt (MW) universal solar array in Troy, Indiana, to service electric customers in CenterPoint Energy’s Indiana Electric territory. When combined with the […]

  • CS Energy Worked with Danville Utilities to Launch 14 MW Solar Project in Virginia

    Region’s largest solar project will provide clean energy to thousands of residents DANVILLE, Va., Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Danville Utilities, in partnership with CS Energy LLC, Navisun LLC, and TurningPoint Energy, has completed a 14 MW DC utility-scale solar project in Danville, Virginia. The renewable energy project is the city’s largest solar development to date. […]

  • Schneider Electric and SolarEdge Partner to Accelerate Residential Solar Market with Smart Home Energy Solution

    BOSTON, Mass., October 22, 2020 – Schneider Electric today announced a technological and commercial partnership with SolarEdge Technologies Inc. for North America that will accelerate the residential solar market and provide homeowners with seamless energy management for smart homes of the future. The partnership marries Schneider Electric’s expertise in energy distribution and automation solutions with […]

  • China Brings 2.2-GW Solar Park Online

    A Chinese company announced it has brought the world’s second-largest solar farm into commercial operation. Sungrow, which supplies inverters for renewable energy projects, and the state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development on Oct. 9 said a 2.2-GW capacity solar park in the northwest province of Qinghai is now online. The Qinghai project trails only the 2.3-GW […]

  • Mixed Reactions on Looming DOE NOPR for Bulk Power System Security

    The Department of Energy (DOE) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making (NOPR) to implement President Trump’s broad bulk power system (BPS) security executive order (EO) “later this fall,” a DOE official confirmed to POWER on Oct. 5. Though the NOPR is delayed beyond the 150-day timeframe set by the EO, various BPS stakeholders are […]

  • Gearing Up for Grid Integration

    The growing adoption of distributed energy resources presents another challenge for utilities and grid operators as they design and plan for how electricity is produced and delivered. The past few years have

  • Renewables Could Drive Recovery in Latin America

    Countries in Latin America did not feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic until several weeks after Europe and the U.S., but the impacts of the coronavirus when it arrived were swift on the region’s

  • POWER Digest [October 2020]

    Enel Ready to Close Italian Coal Plants. Enel, Italy’s largest power generator, said it wants to close three coal-fired units in the coming months as part of the company’s complete exit from coal. Enel

  • The POWER Interview: Are DERs an Opportunity, or Threat?

    Distributed energy resources (DERs) are physical and virtual assets that are deployed across the power distribution grid. They are typically close to load, and though they initially began as behind-the-meter assets, today may be as likely to be deployed in front of the meter. DERs include renewable energy, and are the key component in microgrids, […]

  • Key Challenges and Opportunities Facing Residential Clean Energy for the Rest of 2020

    Asia now accounts for the most growth in renewable electricity generation, at a whopping 40% of the global production, while Europe and North America are each at 20%, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Particularly, solar power was at its peak at the start of 2020, with a record-breaking first quarter in the […]

  • Vistra Shuttering More Coal, Adding Solar and Storage

    Vistra has announced seven new renewable energy projects that will add about 1,000 MW of solar and energy storage to the company’s generation fleet. The company also said it would retire its coal-fired power plants in Illinois and Ohio as part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions as it established new long-term emissions reduction […]

  • Summer 2020 Brought ERCOT Market Challenges, But Nothing Like 2019

    The Texas power market made headlines in August 2019 when wholesale prices for electricity repeatedly spiked close to and even hit the $9,000-per-megawatt-hour (MWh) cap. This August, average hourly prices peaked at “just” $1,700 per MWh, the afternoon of Aug. 15. There were many reasons for the reduced price volatility in Texas this year. First, […]

  • Extensible Energy Releases DemandEx for Microgrids

    Berkeley, Calif. September 14, 2020 – Extensible Energy has released DemandEx for Microgrids™, an AI load flexibility software that integrates with a microgrid controller to manage and optimize energy usage when off-grid or on-grid. With DemandEx for Microgrids, businesses can move beyond the traditional critical loads panel and utilize dynamic, intelligent software to power more […]

  • Nextracker Selected by Shanghai Electric to Elevate Energy Output for Middle East’s Largest Solar Park

    SHANGHAI, September 17, 2020 – Nextracker, a Flex company, announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Shanghai Electric to supply over one gigawatt of its world-leading solar tracker technology, NX Horizon™ to boost energy production for phase five of Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park – the largest in the Middle East. Located 50 kilometers south […]

  • Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Report Highlights Greening of the Grid

    The use of coal for North American power generation will continue to decline, natural gas will continue as the leading source of power, and the use of renewable resources to provide electricity will continue to grow, according to a report from Hitachi ABB Power Grids. The outlook, titled “North America Power Reference Case: Spring 2020” […]

  • California’s Cautionary Tale Against the Green New Deal

    California needs more reliable electricity. The ongoing rolling blackouts in the Golden State will likely become more frequent unless its elected leaders change their foolish energy policies. More importantly, California’s energy posture reveals some harsh lessons for the rest of America, as it provides a glimpse into the future of power generation should the Democrats […]