Tag Archives: Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

DERs coming whether or not markets are ready: experts

By Peter Maloney, American Public Power Association

Distributed energy resources are coming, even though the regulatory and legal structures in wholesale power markets are still evolving, experts said at an American Public Power Association conference in Charleston, S.C., earlier this week. “This is not just a matter of policy; it is a matter of consumer choice,” Jeff Dennis, general counsel for regulatory affairs at Advanced Energy Economy, said on Oct. 8 at the Association’s Legal and Regulatory Conference. “DERs are coming whether or not wholesale markets provide them the market opportunity, “but we think it is important to provide that market opportunity,” Dennis said. Continue reading here.

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New Poll Shows Solar Is the Favored Form of Electricity Nationwide, SEIA News Release
76 percent of voters and 87 percent of opinion leaders think their utility should deploy more solar power.

Solar industry unveils campaign to streamline solar permitting

SEIA News Release Posted On PV Magazine USA

As Solar Power International kicks off in California, the U.S. solar industry is taking a major step toward alleviating one of the biggest hurdles to installing solar on homes and businesses – cumbersome and inconsistent permitting and inspection processes.

With the support of industry leaders, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar Foundation today are unveiling the Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP) initiative, which will streamline permitting and slash the cost of solar installations.
Read more here.

Photo: Bob and Gina’s solar-powered home in Lincoln. Installed by SWT Energy.

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

Plans move ahead for solar-powered, mixed-income Ann Arbor community, Michigan Live

“It would be the most innovative project probably easily within the state,” said County Commission Chairman Andy LaBarre. “It’s something I look at not just as good policy but as a great thing to do.”

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY NEWS

TetraPak Adds Solar Array to Headquarters in Texas, Energy Manager Today: Tetra Pak plans to install a new solar array at the company’s US and Canada headquarters in Denton, Texas. Once up and running, the array will produce 1,027,638 kWh annually, according to the global food processing and packaging solutions company. As a member of RE100, Tetra Pak aims to use only renewable electricity across all global operations by 2030. Currently global company gets half its electricity supply from renewables. Tetra Pak has more than 23,000 employees based in over 80 countries working on food processing and packaging.

Local solar at the heart of Cleveland’s 100% renewable energy goal, PV Magazine
The Midwestern city is looking to put community solar on vacant and contaminated land and making it easier for residents and business to go solar, as well as employing community choice aggregation.

ADDITIONAL NEWS ON SMART LAND USE FOR SOLAR DEVELOPMENT
Unprecedented landfill solar project completed in Maryland, PV Magazine
An 18 MW project developed by BQ Energy has turned otherwise unusable land into enough generation to power 12% of the city of Annapolis.

INTERVIEWS
The Wright Way, Windpower Monthly
Having joined the company as an intern, MidAmerican CEO Adam Wright combines in-depth experience of the business with the competitiveness of a former professional NFL player as the utility works to deliver on its 100% renewable energy promise. The 100% renewables benchmark will be met — even exceeded — when the company’s $922-million 591MW Wind XII project is completed in late 2020 or 2021. It is subject to approval by the Iowa Utilities Board. Photo: Adam Wright, left, interviewed by AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan at Windpower 2018, YouTube.

The Death Of The Gasmobile: EV Charging As A Service 
CleanTechnica sat down for a phone interview with Enel’s Alberto Piglia. For those of you new to Enel, the company’s ventures as a sustainable energy provider are on high profile display in the US, with its massive 320-megawatt Rattlesnake wind farm in Nebraska.
Mr. Piglia is head of e-mobility services for Enel X, the wing of Enel tasked with marrying digital solutions to zero emission driving. Think cloud-based services and you’re on the right track . . . The EV charging market has been heating up in the US, too, so brace yourself. Enel X is casting its eye on the US and other EV charging markets beyond Italy (if all this is beginning to sound familiar, keep your eye on the company eMotorWerks, which was acquired by Enel just last fall).

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Con Ed Buying $1.54B Renewable Energy Portfolio From Sempra Energy, North American Windpower
The assets in the sale include the Broken Bow II wind farm in Nebraska.

Photo: NPPD Wind Generation

 

  • Despite Tariffs, Utility Solar Is Picking Up Steam, Greentech Media 
    New data from Wood Mackenzie shows a surge in project procurement in 2018.
  • URI ocean engineer: Sound from wind farm operations having no effect on environment,
    University of Rhode Island News. The researcher is James H. Miller, University of Rhode Island professor of ocean engineering. Miller’s acoustic monitoring of the wind farm is part of an effort by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to understand the impact of wind turbine construction and operations on the environment so future wind farms can be planned appropriately. The Bureau has funded Miller  — through Nebraska-based engineering consultants HDR Inc. — to evaluate the sound from wind farm construction and operations at other locations along the East Coast. 
  • If you build it, they will buy it: sPower refinances $499 million of wind and solar, PV Magazine. The independent power producer has closed on a $499 million, investment grade, private placement financing representing approximately 650 MW of utility-scale wind and solar power projects.

CLIMATE ACTION NEWS

Exclusive: Exxon, Chevron join global industry climate group, Axios. Some of America’s most powerful U.S.-based oil companies — ExxonMobil, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum — are joining a global consortium of oil and gas producers seeking to address climate change, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The companies are the first U.S.-based members of the group, called the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative. This is one of the strongest signs yet of how America’s biggest oil companies, under pressure from investors and lawsuits, are joining most other U.S. corporations in working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions despite President Trump reversing America’s course on the matter.

USDA Partners to Improve Electric Infrastructure for More Than 347,000 Rural Americans Across 13 States

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $398.5 million to improve rural electric service in 13 states. “Reliable and affordable electricity is undeniably a necessity in today’s world,” Hazlett said. “Under the leadership of Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner in keeping our rural communities connected to this essential infrastructure.” USDA is making the investments through the Electric Infrastructure Loan Program. Read the entire news release here.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEWS

DOE provides $148M in funding for separate energy storage research efforts, Utility Dive
Department of Energy News Releases
Department of Energy Announces New Projects to Extend Grid Energy Storage
Department of Energy Announces $120 Million for Battery Innovation Hub

AGGREGATED RENEWABLE ENERGY PURCHASING NEWS

MORE NEWS & AN EDITORIAL


6 Charts Showing the Renewables Threat to Natural Gas, Greentech Media

Photo Credit: NextEra Energy

 

FEATURED WEBSITE

PBS provides FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans and more for teachers, parents and students. Entering the term “solar energy” into the search box provided on the website currently results in 2392 resources.

Utility Solar Procurement Booms as Residential Market Stabilizes in Q2 2018

Solar Energy Industries Association News Release

Utility solar project procurement soared in Q2 2018 as component prices declined and home solar installations steadied after a 15 percent contraction last year, according to the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight Report from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables (previously known as GTM Research) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). This is the first quarter where the data clearly show that tariffs took a bite out of the solar market . . . Looking ahead though, the report forecasts an acceleration of solar deployment in the second half of 2018 driven by utility-scale projects. According to the report, 8.5 gigawatts of utility PV projects were procured in the first six months of the year, the most ever procured in that timeframe. Read more here.

Infographic Source: Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables

Governor Brown Signs 100 Percent Clean Electricity Bill, Issues Order Setting New Carbon Neutrality Goal

News Release, Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

SACRAMENTO – Reaffirming California’s global climate leadership, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed Senate Bill 100, authored by Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León, setting a 100 percent clean electricity goal for the state, and issued an executive order establishing a new target to achieve carbon neutrality – both by 2045. “This bill and the executive order put California on a path to meet the goals of Paris and beyond. It will not be easy. It will not be immediate. But it must be done,” said Governor Brown. Read more here.

RELATED

  • SEIA News Release Excerpt: Following is a statement by Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association: 
    “California has taken a monumental step in enacting one of the world’s most ambitious clean energy policies. As the largest solar market in the U.S., California has already proven that investing in renewable energy brings jobs and massive economic and environmental benefits to the state — benefits that will grow exponentially with the enactment of SB 100.”
  • Vote Solar News Release: Statement from Adam Browning, Vote Solar’s Executive Director, celebrating SB 100’s passage:
    “Today, California made history. This is the biggest and most important climate action to date in the United States.  Big because California is big. Important because it sets a new bar for what’s possible, and because it is replicable. This year New Jersey committed to 50% renewables, and in November voters in both Arizona and Nevada will decide whether their own state should do the same. This is a revolution of evolution, and it’s happening across the country.”
  • How Do Ambitious Climate Pledges Impact Economic Growth? For Insight, Compare Texas And California, Forbes
    Compared to other places, like Texas – known for its oil and gas production – California’s economy is performing better on most measures, showing that it is entirely possible to pair steep emission reductions with vibrant growth. California has established some of the world’s most ambitious carbon emission reduction targets, and is achieving them faster and at lower cost than expected. The state hit its 2020 target four years early, while its economy grew much faster any other state and the U.S. economy as a whole – California’s economy climbed from 10th largest in the world in 2012 to 5th largest today.

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SEIA Raises Doubts About Trump Administration’s Proposed Climate Rule

Solar Energy Industries Association Media Release 

“With or without this new proposal, solar will continue to grow, power the economy and provide the clean energy that consumers want and the grid needs. When you combine low-cost and low-carbon with technology that continues to get smarter, you can compete in any market and under any regulatory regime. We pledge to work constructively with the administration to develop policies that help American consumers, add American jobs and protect the planet.”  – Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association on the Trump administration’s proposal to revise the Clean Power Plan.

Read the entire release here.

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Solar car racers motoring into G.I.

By Julie Blum, Grand Island Independent

Solar cars traveling in a 1,700-mile cross-country trip will be cruising into Grand Island next week. The Stuhr Museum will be the first checkpoint stop for participants after the race gets underway earlier in the day in Omaha on July 14. The 2018 American Solar Challenge has collegiate racers traveling from Nebraska to Oregon in solar-powered vehicles they created. They will spend nine days on the road driving west along U.S. highways, state roads and secondary roads following portions of the Oregon Trail. There are 24 teams that have registered for the race. That number will be whittled down through a qualifying process July 6-12 that includes vehicle inspections and the Formula Sun Grand Prix. The inspections and the track race will be held at Motorsport Park Hastings. Continue here.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

6 simple facts about solar power

By Laura King-Holman, The Wire, OPPD Blog

Solar energy is a hot topic. It seems you can’t escape the topic in the news and on social media. OPPD is also taking steps to pursue a community solar project of its own. But what does “solar” mean? Here are some facts and history of solar energy from the U.S. Department of Energy. Continue here.

Photo Courtesy of Troy Schaben, Assistant Fremont City Administrator of Utilities:  Fremont’s First Community Solar Farm

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

Solar on businesses, government buildings and schools, [or aggregated into a community-solar program] can save utilities and consumers money on other distribution infrastructure costs. For example, expensive utility transformers can get overloaded on hot summer days when people are using more energy to cool their homes. Solar can reduce strain on the system on these days, which extends the life of utility equipment and creates savings for everyone.

Additional widely-recognized benefits of solar: avoided fuel hedging costs created by volatile fossil fuels like natural gas, avoided electricity losses from power plants that are located far away from cities, and avoiding the need to build new expensive natural gas plants.

SEIA Releases Updated ‘SEIA Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power’

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To advance efforts to educate residential solar consumers across America and  pave the way to a positive solar buying experience, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) launched an updated SEIA Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power.

Available online, the free guide offers those interested in going solar a one-stop shop to better understand the basics of solar energy and ownership options. It includes key questions to ask solar installers before entering a transaction. The guide is a result of a joint effort of the leading companies across the solar industry and goes hand in hand with SEIA’s existing Solar Business Code by which all SEIA members abide. Read the entire news release here.

More SEIA Resources

Additional Guide for Local Landowners
Solar Land Lease: Considerations in Nebraska
Authors:

YouTube Video
Solar Farm Leases – John Hay

About SEIA
Celebrating its 44th anniversary in 2018, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, which now employs more than 250,000 Americans. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to build jobs and diversity, champion the use of cost-competitive solar in America, remove market barriers and educate the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.

US Solar Market Adds 2.5 GW of PV in Q1 2018, Growing 13% Year-Over-Year

Solar Energy Industries Association News Release

BOSTON, Mass. and WASHINGTON, D.C. – Showing resiliency in spite of the new tariffs on imported modules, the U.S. solar market added 2.5 gigawatts of solar PV in the first quarter of the year, representing annual growth of 13 percent, according to the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight Report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Solar PV accounted for 55 percent of all U.S. electricity capacity added during the quarter and added more than two gigawatts for the 10th straight quarter, the study said. Read the rest of the release here.

Pexels Photo

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