Focus
BPA announces intention to split with California and join new Southwest Power Pool energy market
Jefferson Public Radio – March 11
The Northwest’s largest hydropower supplier announced it intends to join a new day-ahead energy market based in Arkansas over one based in California. Bonneville Power Administration officials announced in a draft policy proposal that they intend to leave the California-controlled “real-time” market they’ve participated in since 2022 and join a new “day-ahead” energy market based out of Little Rock, Arkansas.
News
Demand for renewable energy projects remains strong, but supply is growing: LevelTen Energy
Utility Dive – March 5
After several years of decline, acquisitions of renewable energy projects are expected to pick up in North America in 2025, especially toward the latter half of the year, according to LevelTen Energy. Various market conditions, including rising interconnection and borrowing costs, have forced renewable energy developers to sell a growing number of projects at earlier stages, the company said.
Fishing industry asks Supreme Court to hear case against Vineyard Wind
The New Bedford Light – March 11
A national fishing industry group and a conservative think tank have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their lawsuits challenging the approval of the Vineyard Wind project, which has been under construction since 2023. The lobbying group, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, sued the lead government regulator of offshore wind in early 2022, alleging the agency violated several acts, including those seeking to protect existing ocean users and endangered species.
Projects
Longroad Energy building 55-acre solar field to power Ardagh glass manufacturing plant in California
EnergyTech – March 10
Ardagh Glass Packaging will use on-site solar to supply one-fifth of the electricity demand at its Madera facility. The 55-acre solar field, built, owned, and operated by Longroad Energy, will deliver renewable energy to Ardagh’s glass manufacturing facility.
OnSwitch, Radial to offer 100 MW of rooftop solar for C&I clients
Renewables Now – March 11
California-based solar project developer OnSwitch Inc. has joined forces with onsite power solutions provider Radial Power to develop 100 MW of rooftop solar projects over the next two years. The project will be developed for corporate customers across the U.S.
Most contaminated U.S. nuclear site is set to be the largest solar farm
The New York Times – March 7
In Washington State, a government-led effort has just started to build what is expected to be the country’s largest solar generating station. The project is finally inching forward, after decades of cleaning up radioactive and chemical waste in fits and starts, at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a sweep of desert that was pivotal to the nation’s weapons arsenal from 1943 until it was shut down in 1989. A developer, Hecate, was brought on last year to turn big stretches of the site into solar farms.
Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE to supply battery systems to Aypa Power
Power Technology – March 7
E-STORAGE has secured agreements to supply 1.8 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for two projects being developed by Aypa Power in the U.S. The agreements involve the supply and installation of a 160 MW/806 MWh BESS in California and a 200 MW/998 MWh BESS in Texas. Construction of the facilities is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025.
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