Renewable Energy Focus
PennEnergy - Jan 26
Abengoa Yield, the sustainable total return company that owns a diversified portfolio of contracted assets in the energy and environment sectors, marked the commencement of commercial operations at its new Mojave solar power plant with a grand opening ceremony on January 23. The new facility, located 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near Barstow, has a gross capacity of 280 megawatts. The plant will provide enough renewable energy to serve approximately 91,000 households in California, according to the company.
Fresno Bee - Jan 21
Groundbreaking began Thursday for a power project at a massive Orange County landfill near Irvine. The $60 million plant is expected to generate 20 megawatts of electricity when it opens in a year, enough to power 14,500 homes, and will be about four or five times bigger than most garbage-to-power projects.
ReNews - Jan 28
PV developer 8minutenergy Renewables and partner sPower are kicking off construction at the 72.9-megawatt Redwood solar cluster in California. Power purchase agreements are in place with Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the city of Palo Alto for the three plants, which are sited in Kern County. The Redwood project is made up of the 33.26-megawatt Hayworth facility, the 20.86-megawatt Redcrest, and the 18.75-megawatt Woodmere. Commercial operation is expected between June and August this year.
KCET - Jan 23
The state of California has given the go-ahead to a solar power developer to start clearing desert vegetation in Riverside County on a site where the company plans to build a solar power facility. NextEra Energy Resources' 485-megawatt Blythe Solar Power Project, approved by the California Energy Commission in January, will occupy about 4,000 acres of desert plain west of Blythe when it's completed. Though the Commission hasn't yet given full approval to NextEra's construction plan, the agency is allowing NextEra to mow vegetation and transplant cacti before the nesting season starts for the area's breeding bird population.
Green Car Reports - Jan 21
California drivers with hydrogen fuel-cell cars are now able to purchase their fuel. The Cal State L.A. Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility is now the first fueling station to sell hydrogen, rather than giving it away for free. It recently passed a state performance evaluation for certifying new hydrogen fueling stations, receiving a certification known as California Type Approval that allows it to sell hydrogen by the kilogram. Until now, all hydrogen was provided to fuel-cell vehicle owners for free, because of the lack of an accurate metering system.
Notable Renewable Energy Projects and Deals
PV-Tech - Jan 27
Solar energy finance and investment firm Sol Systems is set to deploy over $200 million in capital to finance at least 150 megawatts of projects. Over the past year, Sol Systems has expanded by over 75 percent in order to make its move into the commercial-scale sector. The company opened an office in San Francisco this January, branched out to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and it is expected to make inlays into New England later this year.
Renewable Energy World - Jan 26
In 2008, Berkeley, California launched the nation's first municipal PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program, where property owners repay loans for energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits through property taxes over periods as long as 20 years. Solar photovoltaic installations are among the most popular kinds of energy-efficiency projects financed through municipal PACE programs. On January 21, Ygrene Energy Fund and the newly named Golden State Finance Authority launched a program that the partners say will not only make “zero-down” PACE financing available throughout California, but will enable home and business owners to finance energy efficiency, as well as water conservation upgrades and retrofits much easier and faster than ever before.
Greentech Media - Jan 22
Two charitable groups just announced they will provide $48 million in grant funding to accelerate the transition to clean energy at the state level. Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Heising-Simons family are donating equal amounts to the fund that will be dispensed to a broad range of stakeholders over the next three years.
