Renewable Energy Focus
Los Angeles Times - Sep 10
The push for aggressive new state policies to fight climate change suffered another setback Thursday. Legislation to put into law executive orders on long-term targets for reducing carbon emissions was pulled from consideration. It had failed to win enough support from lawmakers and faced objections from the governor's office. The bill's author, state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), vowed to revive it next year. The defeat came a day after Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders withdrew a key portion of another proposal to combat climate change, one calling for California to cut its use of gasoline in half. They had been unable to overcome fierce opposition from the oil industry and resistance from some Democrats.
Bloomberg - Sep 9
Developers installed 1.4 gigawatts of solar power in the U.S. in the second quarter, up 8.7 percent from a year earlier, putting the country on track for a record 7.7 gigawatts this year. Residential systems swelled 70 percent while the utility market remained “the bedrock driver” of the U.S. solar market, accounting for more than half the installations, GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association said in a joint statement Wednesday.
Orange County Register - Sep 8
A citizens board overseeing energy efficiency projects will meet for the first time Tuesday after The Associated Press reported that the panel had yet to meet three years after California voters approved raising taxes on corporations to create clean-energy jobs. The Proposition 39 Citizens Oversight Board was not expected to meet until October or November. Voters approved Proposition 39 in 2012 to raise taxes on corporations and send billions of dollars to schools for energy efficiency projects.
Capitol Public Radio - Sep 9
State senators have confirmed Gov. Jerry Brown's appointment of a former adviser to lead California's troubled utilities commission. Senators said Tuesday that they are satisfied that Michael Picker is moving the Public Utilities Commission in the right direction after he replaced Michael Peevey as commission chairman. Democratic senators praised Picker for improving transparency and accountability, refocusing the commission on public safety, and bringing other reforms. Picker was an adviser to the Democratic governor on renewable energy.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Sep 8
California is approaching the largest reduction in hydroelectricity in 10 years, said Steven Greenlee, spokesman for the California Independent Systems Operator, which monitors 80 percent of the state electric grid. The four-year drought has cut hydroelectricity by 36 percent, Greenlee said. A state mandate to convert from burning oil, coal, and natural gas, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, to solar, wind, and geothermal energy has helped. For example, state utilities filled the hydro gap by adding 2,300 megawatts of new electricity generation, 96 percent of which was from solar energy, Greenlee said.
The Desert Sun - Sep 9
The California Energy Commission rejected calls to scuttle the Palen solar project on Wednesday, giving developer Abengoa Solar another year to start construction despite the objections of conservation groups and county officials. Abengoa originally planned to build Palen using solar “power towers.” But after coming under fire from conservation groups, who said Palen’s 750-foot towers would fry thousands of birds and be visible from wilderness areas in Joshua Tree National Park, the company changed course last month, opting for less controversial solar trough technology.
Sacramento Bee - Sep 9
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) board has approved construction of a solar power array on about 62 acres of its Rancho Seco property, where the utility once operated a nuclear power plant. The project includes a 20-year power purchase agreement for a 10.88-megawatt array. SMUD said construction is expected to begin near the end of this year, and the array is expected to begin producing energy by the third quarter of 2016. The solar power-generating facility will be owned by First Solar Inc., a Tempe, Arizona-based developer of utility-scale power plants.
Greentech Media - Sep 8
Flextronics has purchased NEXTracker, a designer and builder of single-axis PV trackers, for $330 million. This is NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar's second major solar acquisition. He helmed Powerlight when it sold to SunPower in the early days of solar. Nancy Pfund, an investor in NEXTracker at DBL Investors, was also an investor in Powerlight when she worked at JPMorgan.
PV-Tech - Sep 8
Solar power company Canadian Solar has announced that its subsidiary, solar project developer Recurrent Energy, has signed off on both a debt facility with Santander Bank and a tax equity investment commitment with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, securing funds for the 100-megawatt Mustang PV project in Kings County in the process. As part of the deals, Santander Bank will offer $165 million in construction lending, a tax equity bridge loan, and a term loan option, for the Mustang installation.
ReNews - Sep 8
Dominion has agreed to sell SunEdison 33 percent of its 425 megawatts of solar generating capacity for $300 million and set up a joint venture with the company to develop the 210-megawatt Three Cedars solar project in Utah. The deal is subject to working capital and certain other adjustments, and SunEdison has a future option to buy all or a portion of Dominion’s remaining 67 percent ownership. Included in the agreement are 24 projects in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee, and Utah.
