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The Solar Policy Scoop: October 2024 A guide to recent legislation and research throughout the country.
By | October 7, 2024 Illinois is switching to a new solar net billing structure on January 1, 2025. Commerce to tariff…
Heliene, TEP Partner on Expanded U.S. Solar Manufacturing Capacity
Martin Pochtaruk Heliene has closed on a $54 million strategic equity investment from Transition Equity Partners (TEP) in collaboration with a consortium…
Regulator Raises New Mexico Community Solar Program Cap
(Credit: Christopher Michel) The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) has approved amending a rule to the state’s community solar program, establishing…
Energy storage set to be ineligible for low-income bonus credit in 2025 SEIA is pushing for this to change.
By | October 4, 2024 Credit: DSD Renewables On October 3, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) filed comments on proposed rules…
Runergy Alabama Module Manufacturing Facility Begins Production
(Source: PR Newswire) Runergy has commenced production at its solar module manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Ala. The facility, with an anticipated annual…
SolarBank Develops New York Community Solar Project
(Credit: Guilhem Vellut) SolarBank plans to develop a 2.9 MW ground-mounted solar power project known as Silver Springs on a site located…
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission expands community solar program by 300 MW
By | October 4, 2024 In 2021, the New Mexico Legislature passed Senate Bill 84, establishing the state’s community solar program. Sponsored…
Former army depot boasts 1st-of-its-kind community solar project
Nautilus Solar Energy is no stranger to building solar arrays atop capped landfills. The New Jersey-based solar contractor has completed many solar…
Senate bill would expand low-income access to community solar
By | October 1, 2024 U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act, legislation that would support…
Runergy opens solar panel assembly factory in Alabama
By | October 3, 2024 Runergy just announced that its 2-GW solar panel factory in Huntsville, Alabama, has officially commenced production. The…
EnergySage says the residential solar market is at a ‘turning point’
By | October 3, 2024 After a challenging but record-breaking year in 2023 for U.S. residential solar installations, the first six months…
energyRe, Google Sign 12-Year PPA
Miguel Prado energyRe says Google has signed a 12-year PPA to purchase renewable energy from a 435 MW solar project to be…
JBBAT to Purchase Proteus Power
(Credit: Kylie Stewart) JBB Advanced Technologies (JBBAT) has signed a letter of intent to purchase Houston-based Proteus Power for an undisclosed amount….
Trina Solar Initiates Legal Action to Enforce TOPCon Patents
Steven Zhu Trinasolar has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to prevent what the company says is Runergy…
Recurrent Energy Closes on $500M BlackRock Investment
Ismael Guerrero Recurrent Energy, a Canadian Solar subsidiary, has closed on a $500 million investment by BlackRock through a fund managed by…
New semi-autonomous vehicle helps lift solar panels in the field
By | October 2, 2024 CrewMate, a semi-autonomous lift-assist vehicle developed by Moog Construction, recently completed a field trial near Niagara Falls,…
How to pay for solar: Solar financing options explained
By | October 2, 2024 Sunlight is free, but solar systems still cost money. Thankfully, though, the price of going solar has…
Clearway Energy Group starts work on 300-MW Texas solar + storage project
By | October 2, 2024 Clearway Energy Group announced that it has closed financing and begun construction of the 300-MW Pine Forest…
Put solar on it: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlej…
By | October 2, 2024 There are almost too many ways to open a blog about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It can be enough…
ContourGlobal Acquires 151 MW Solar Portfolio from Sun Tribe Development
Antonio Cammisecra ContourGlobal has entered the U.S. renewables market with the acquisition of a 151 MW solar portfolio comprising two projects in…
Golden Triangle I Secures Tax Equity Commitment
Vikas Anand Origis Energy has secured a tax equity commitment from J.P. Morgan for the Golden Triangle I Solar + Storage project…
National Grid Renewables Signs PPA with Microsoft
Blake Nixon National Grid Renewables has executed a PPA with Microsoft for its Portage Solar Project, a 250 MW development located in…
Sabanci Renewables Completes Oriana Solar Project Financing
Tom Bitting Advantage Capital has committed to provide a $137 million investment to Sabanci Renewables, to complete financing for the 232 MW…
PGE Acquires Washington Co-Located Solar Project from Qcells
Future Location of Appaloosa Solar (Source: PR Web) Qcells has sold the 142 MW Appaloosa Solar Project to Puget Sound Energy (PSE)….
Kansas-based solar installer Good Energy Solutions acquires Laven Electric
By | October 1, 2024 Jenny Laven, Lance Laven, Kevin Good, Shana Good, and Malcolm Proudfit after the sale of Laven Electric…
Commerce to tariff solar imports from Southeast Asia, some by as much as 300%
By | October 1, 2024 The Dept. of Commerce today released its preliminary affirmative determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) case relating…
Ohio Air Quality Development Authority helps finance 237-kW solar project for tool manufacturer
By | October 1, 2024 The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) has closed on bond financing of nearly $1.1 million for…
New UL certification works to protect solar inverters from cyberattacks Residential solar is becoming a part of critical energy infrastructure. Cybersecurity measures are catching up to that reality.
In July 2024, a software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused Microsoft Windows systems to crash globally — grounding commercial airlines and halting…
US energy storage deployments continue to rise in 2024
By | October 1, 2024 The U.S. energy storage market experienced significant growth in the second quarter, with the grid-scale segment leading…
Illinois moving to “Smart Solar Billing” in 2025 Solar advocates have launched a website to teach consumers how to navigate the new system.
By | October 1, 2024 Smart Solar Billing is set to begin in Illinois on January 1, 2025, and solar industry partners…
Catalyst Power acquires New York energy services company
By | October 1, 2024 Catalyst Power Holdings announced it has acquired Robison Energy, a New York energy services company (ESCO) focused…
Ameresco celebrates completion of Utah’s first floating solar project
By | October 1, 2024 Photo by Stetson Tchividjian, D3Energy, on LinkedIn Ameresco celebrated the completion of Utah’s first floating solar array…
We Energies to Build 500 MW of Solar in Wisconsin
(Source: We Energy) We Energies has filed plans with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build five new large-scale renewable energy…
Climate United Invests in Scenic Hill Solar Project
Beth Bafford Climate United has invested $31.8 million in pre-construction financing to support Scenic Hill Solar’s PV project benefiting the University of…
Leyline Renewable Capital Provides Financing to GSCE
Eric Rubinstein Leyline Renewable Capital has announced a $28 million financing package for Golden State Clean Energy (GSCE). The funding, which comprises…
SolarBank Project Under Development for Fiera Real Estate Nears Completion
SolarBank’s rooftop solar project for Fiera Real Estate nears completion (CNW Group/SolarBank Corporation Source: PR Newswire) SolarBank is nearing completion of construction…
Standard Solar, Trinasolar to Transform New Jersey Landfill into Community Solar
Mike Streams Standard Solar has acquired a 5.7 MW solar project on a landfill in Pennsville, N.J., in partnership with Trinasolar Development…
Import duties imposed on aluminum solar racking from 14 countries
By | September 30, 2024 On Friday, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce made final determinations that producers in 14 countries — China,…
Q&A: The Northeast takes the lead on energy storage legislation
This summer, Rhode Island joined its New England neighbors in passing legislation specifically aimed at energy storage development. The state has an…
California governor vetoes bill that would have reversed CPUC’s multi-meter solar rules
By | September 30, 2024 Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation on Friday that would have allowed schools and apartment buildings to use…
Puget Sound Energy adding large solar + storage projects to portfolio
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) announced two large projects in Washington state that will help add more clean energy to its portfolio. The…
Artemis solar software uses AI to generate instant proposals
Solar sales company Monalee is now making its proprietary software available to other solar companies. Artemis by Monalee is designed for agile…
OpenSolar releases payment system specifically for solar installers
OpenSolar, a software company that empowers solar installers with free-of-charge solar design, sales and project management platform, announced a new innovation designed…
Construction begins on 160-MW Unbridled Solar Project in Kentucky
Last week, National Grid Renewables hosted an event to celebrate construction of its Unbridled Solar Project located in Henderson and Webster Counties,…
First Solar opens 3.5-GW solar panel factory in Alabama
First Solar has held the grand-opening of its new 3.5-GW solar panel manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Alabama. The $1.1 billion fully…
New 135-MW Illinois solar project will support three major corporations
Through Sustainability Roundtable’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB), Akamai Technologies, Teradyne and Wayfair have signed an aggregated virtual power purchase agreement…
Think Your Surveys Are Perfectly Accurate? You Might Still Be Missing Something
Takeaway: Even if manual surveying methods work today, they may not work tomorrow (or any day your star Surveyor is sick, takes…
Why Solar Shade Analysis is so Subjective & How to Fix It
Takeaway: Solar Contractors often rely on potentially outdated or incomplete satellite, aerial, or LiDAR imagery for shade analysis. This results in subjective…
What Makes a Good (or Bad) Plan Set?
Takeaway: Plan sets require comprehensive on-site data, including measurements of every roof plane, internal surveying analysis, and details regarding any niche AHJ…
California storage installation licensing rule put on hold as trial continues
A coalition of clean energy, consumer protection and environmental groups are celebrating a preliminary injunction ruling on September 26 that will halt…