2018 was another strong year for the solar power industry in the United States. Last year was the third year in a row that the country installed gigawatts of solar in double-digits. A total of 10.6 GW of solar PV (photovoltaics aka solar panels) were completed, bringing the total amount in the U.S. to 64.2 […]
Solar Is Becoming The Next Cash Crop For Farmers
Farmers across the country are starting to install solar panel systems as a new way to make money. This particular post will highlight a WaPo article that focused on farmers in Illinois. According to the article, hundreds of farmers have applied to have solar panel systems be connected to the grid so that they can […]
Disney Commits To More Solar Power
Disney has just announced plans to cut its carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2020. The company now has multiple solar installations, with one of their most notable one being their Mickey Mouse installation that was completed in 2016 near Epcot Center. That project sits on 22 acres and generates enough electricity to power 820 […]
San Bernardino County Says No To Utility-Scale Solar
The largest county in the United States has just banned utility-scale solar. More specifically, San Bernardino County has said no to large scale solar developments that plan to sell a majority of its electric production elsewhere. More than a million acres constitutes the amount of land that will be off-limits to solar contractors that do […]
One Of The Largest Solar Projects About To Be Constructed
An almost 500 MW (497 MW) solar panel project is about to begin construction in Texas. The project is owned by Enel Green Power North America (A subsidiary of Enel Green Power, based in Italy). They have named this project “Roadrunner.” There’s only three solar installations that are slightly larger than this one and they […]
Solar Now Accounts For More Than 2 Percent Of U.S. Power
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, solar power accounted for 2.4 percent of the nation’s electricity demand in 2018. Combining both utility scale and non-utility scale, the total solar industry grew 25 percent in 2018. California continues to be the solar power leader. The state increased its 2017 levels by 15 percent. It is […]
Chicago To Go 100 Percent Renewable
A recent announcement from the Major of Chicago details plans for the city to be powered completely by renewable energy by 2035. If it gets approved, Chicago would become the largest city in the country to set a goal of 100 percent clean energy. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “Resilient Chicago” details a comprehensive roadmap to put […]
Major Solar Bill Of Rights Introduced
California Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jim Nielsen (R-Fresno) has just proposed significant solar power legislation. Their Solar Bill of Rights proposal, if passed, would enable California homeowners to “….require the PUC to collaborate with the Independent System Operator to modify existing tariffs to remove barriers to the participation of customer-sited energy resources in […]
The First Solar Plus Wind Plus Storage Project
NextEra Energy Resources and Portland General Electric (PGE) have recently announced that they are developing a renewable energy project that incorporates solar, wind, and energy storage. It includes 300 MW of wind, 50 MW of solar, and 30 MW/120 MWh of energy storage. The final completion date is planned for 2021. The location of the […]
Yet Another Solar Plus Storage Story
Much has been written on this site concerning the significant near term potential for solar plus storage applications. This post goes beyond the hypothetical as we look into the contract that the leading U.S. solar panel installer has recently won to implement a major solar plus energy storage project. According to a recent PV magazine […]