Renewable Energy Focus
Renewable Energy World - Sep 28
California Governor Jerry Brown on September 27 signed four new bills into law that will boost both behind-the-meter and utility energy storage capacity. Incorporated within one bill, AB 2868, the state government directs California's investor-owned utilities to ramp up their acquisition of distributed energy storage capacity by exploring the feasibility of investing in an additional 500 megawatts. Energy storage is playing a growing role on California's power grids and behind utility meters. The massive leak at the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility and the resulting increased threat of power shortages has led regulators and utilities to advance their energy storage procurement schedules.
SolarServer - Sep 29
The modeled costs to install solar photovoltaic systems continued to decline in the first quarter of 2016 in the U.S. residential, commercial, and utility-scale sectors, according to updated benchmarks from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). According to NREL, driving the cost reductions were lower PV module and inverter prices, increased competition, lower installer and developer overheads, improved labor productivity, and optimized system configurations.
Utility Dive - Sep 29
ThThe California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has denied challenges to the state’s revised net metering policies, known as NEM 2.0, the Desert Sun reports. California’s three investor-owned utilities, along with The Utility Reform Network (TURN) and the Coalition of California Utility Employees, challenged NEM 2.0, seeking a rehearing. The PUC decision made minor changes to NEM 2.0 but otherwise let the program stand as is, saying that good cause was not established to grant rehearing. The PUC in January revised the state’s net metering policies in an effort to make them more equitable across all customer classes as part of a 2013 bill directing them to develop a net metering successor tariff. In the challenge, some parties argued that NEM 2.0 would result in unlawful cost-shifting and cross subsidization.
KQED - Sep 27
The owner of four dams on the Klamath River and the nonprofit corporation created to take responsibility for their removal, Klamath River Renewal Corp. (KRRC), recently filed long-awaited applications with federal regulators to remove the dams. Federal officials estimate decommissioning and removal could cost at least $290 million, with that work to be paid for by ratepayers of PacifiCorp and the state of California’s Proposition 1. Portland-based PacifiCorp submitted paperwork on September 23, seeking permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to transfer ownership of the dams to KRRC.
SeeNews Renewables - Sep 28
SolarCity has teamed up with Citigroup to create two funds to finance over $347 million in solar projects. The first fund was established to finance over $284 million in residential solar projects across the U.S., while the second one is seen to support some $63 million in projects for small and mid-sized businesses throughout California, SolarCity said.
PV-Tech - Sep 28
Recurrent Energy, a solar project developer and wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar, announced that it has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for 100 megawatts of PV power in California with MCE, California’s first operating community choice aggregation program. Power from the Recurrent Energy-developed Tranquility 8 solar project, which is located in Fresno County, will provide MCE with 100 megawatts of clean solar electricity — enough to power 48,300 homes. Construction of the project is expected to begin in 2017, with the site set to supply power to MCE by late 2018.
