The Biden administration announced initiatives on February 22 to prepare states for floating offshore wind, which some say could revolutionize renewables on the West Coast. The plans from the White House, Department of Energy (DOE), and other federal agencies include a 20-month study on how to build out transmission networks that would link the West Coast’s grid to first-of-their-kind floating wind projects. That study — led by DOE — would be funded by $100 million from the Inflation Reduction Act. DOE also announced that California, which has the biggest state-level goals for floating wind, would be the first West Coast member of the seven-state National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium. The state’s presence in the consortium will infuse it with a new focus on floating technologies, particularly ways of slashing their costs, according to DOE.
A total of 4.7 GW of utility-scale solar capacity was installed in Q4 2022 in the U.S., but the difficulties in sourcing modules caused a delay in installations, according to the American Clean Power Association. As stated in a recent report from the group, developers in the U.S. commissioned 98 solar projects with a total capacity of 4.73 GW in the last quarter of 2022. However, solar installations were nearly flat last year compared to the 13 GW installed in 2021. Regarding operational solar power capacity, California topped the list with 17.6 GW.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is proposing to dismiss an application from Sunnova Community Microgrids California to own and operate microgrids that would be constructed as part of new, residential communities that will include up to 2,000 homes and a few non-residential facilities. A proposed decision issued by a CPUC administrative law judge, on February 14, which the CPUC can vote on at the earliest April 6, concluded that the exemptions that Sunnova is seeking are unauthorized. In particular, the proposed decision points to the agency’s statutorily required responsibility of overseeing electricity rates in the state.
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection is piloting SolarAPP+, a web-based application enabling California licensed contractors to bypass upfront plan review and obtain an instant, online electrical permit for qualifying rooftop solar installations of 10 kWdc or less on single or two-family homes. In San Francisco, SolarAPP+ is expected to reduce the issuance time for these electrical permits from two weeks to one day.
Washington state officials unanimously recommended approval for two solar farm projects in Yakima County during an Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) meeting last Wednesday. The EFSEC board voted 6-0 to send a positive recommendation on the High Top and Ostrea solar projects to Governor Jay Inslee for final approval. The two Cypress Creek proposals are among six solar farm proposals which have either been submitted or approved in the eastern portion of Yakima County or just across its border in Benton County.
Avantus has sold its Big Rock I energy storage project in California to Gore Street Energy Storage Fund for an undisclosed sum. Located in Imperial County, the 200 MW energy storage system is expected to be one of the largest in the region after it becomes operational next year.
Wärtsilä is in the final construction stages of the LeConte energy storage project, a 250 MWh system in Calexico, California, that Wärtsilä – as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor – is building for REV Renewables. The LeConte system was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in early 2022 as part of a plan to build 15 GW of new energy storage and demand response resources by 2032 to ensure long-term reliability and meet the state’s renewable portfolio standard.
A recently-unveiled solar farm at Edwards Air Force Base in California represents the largest public-private partnership in Defense Department history. The 1.3 GW project was built in collaboration with Terra-Gen as a result of the Edwards Solar Enhance Use Lease Project. The project, which features more than 2 million panels, is the largest project of its kind in U.S. Air Force history.
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