The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has approved Floventis Energy for the development and operation of CADEMO, the first floating offshore wind farm with 60 MW of capacity, to be located off the California coast near the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. This is one of the first agreements signed by the U.S. military, setting a precedent for the offshore wind industry to expand across other locations in the coming years.
A proposed rule from the Biden administration would add an increase of up to 20 percentage points to the tax credit for solar and wind facilities in low-income areas. The Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit program will spread 1.8 GW of electric capacity available for 2023 across four categories. Eligible categories include 700 MW to facilities in low-income neighborhoods; 200 MW to facilities on tribal land; 200 MW to facilities located in federally-subsidized housing; and 700 MW to facilities that generate electricity where at least half of the financial benefit goes to households under 200% of the poverty line.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed a rule last Thursday to streamline the federal permitting process for major transmission lines, a move that could help transform the grid and bring renewable energy online more quickly. The DOE plan calls for completing environmental reviews and other federal approvals for electric power lines within two years. Under the proposal, DOE would be the lead agency conducting environmental impact statements and other federal reviews for transmission projects so that developers wouldn’t need to go through multiple federal agencies.
California Governor Gavin Newsom last week instructed his Office of Business and Economic Development to put together a development strategy for the state’s hydrogen market, using an “all-of-government approach” to get the industry up and running. The hydrogen market development strategy will be developed with support from state agencies, like the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission, and will look at strategies such as new financing models, changes to permitting processes, and procurement initiatives that will get more hydrogen projects in the ground.
A nearly 100-acre solar project developed by Bright Canyon Energy expected to generate 100% of the power needed at the Joint Force Training Base Los Alamitos has powered up and will also provide electricity to nearby cities. The impetus for the solar project, officials said, is the base’s environmental sustainability goal and follows previous environmental initiatives, such as a program the base was recognized for in 2018 that prevents military aircraft from colliding with birds.
MCE, a not-for-profit renewable electricity provider in Northern California, has expanded its local renewable energy portfolio with two new solar projects in Contra Costa and Napa counties. The 1 MW Byron Hot Springs Solar project in unincorporated Contra Costa County has a 20-year term with Renewable Properties, a commercial solar energy developer. Located on top of a storage facility, Napa Self Storage 2 will supply 0.65 MW of solar power over its 20-year term with Shorebreak Energy Developers.
Maxeon Solar will spend more than $1 billion to build a solar cell and panel factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, spurred by manufacturing subsidies in President Joe Biden's landmark climate change law. The investment is the latest by an overseas producer seeking to capitalize on incentives in the year-old Inflation Reduction Act to boost homegrown supplies of renewable energy components and compete with China.
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