The United States solar industry recently hit a major milestone. There are now more than 1 million solar panel installations across the nation. Dan Whitten, V.P. of the Solar Energy Industries Association, stated that “It took us 40 years to get to 1 million installations, and it will take us only two years to get […]
San Francisco Now Requires Solar Panels On All New Buildings
San Francisco has just become the first major city to require that all new buildings must utilize solar panels. The city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the ordinance. Drafted by City Supervisor, Scott Weiner, the new law mandates that all new building projects both residential and commercial units of ten floors or less must incorporate […]
The Solar Plus Storage Boom Will Be Here Soon
Perhaps the most significant story in solar power doesn’t necessarily involved solar at all. The biggest story in the renewable energy industry in the coming years will be energy storage. Energy storage systems will be deployed in great numbers for both renewable energy applications and conventional energy storage uses as well. However, discussing solar plus […]
Too Much Utility-Scale Solar In California?
Large, utility-scale solar farms have recently been asked to be shut off at certain times by power companies. Solar capacity has grown to such a point in California that, in combination with natural gas, wind, hydropower, and nuclear power, too much electricity may find its way onto the grid. The grid can only handle so […]
Rooftop Solar Can Provide About 40 Percent Of US Electricity
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) just released a study that shows that the United States can provide about 40 percent of its electricity needs via rooftop solar (PV – photovoltaics). A new study showed a potential of 1,118 gigawatts compared to an estimate from 2008 that only showed 664 gigawatts of potential solar electricity. […]
Oregon Passes Ambitious Clean Energy Bill
Oregon governor Kate Brown, with bipartisan help, has recently signed into law a groundbreaking piece of legislation. The Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Act can be seen as one of the most progressive clean energy bills so far. It states that the two largest utilities in Oregon must phase out coal use by 2030. It […]
Xcel Energy Testing Solar Power Storage In Denver
Xcel Energy, Denver’s electric utility, has been given permission by State regulators to test the integration of utility scale battery systems with the grid. This energy storage test, also utilizing solar power, is part of the Innovation Clean Technology program. The utility requested permission to invest $9.1 million which was given final approval by The […]
Government Agency Claims Energy Storage Breakthrough
A U.S. Government agency has just claimed that it has achieved the “holy grail” of energy storage. The agency is called the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Arpa-E). The breakthrough involves the next generation of battery storage technology that has the potential to play a large role in completely changing the energy landscape. Arpa-E’s director, Ellen […]
Solar Poised For Another Record Year
Coming off a great year in 2015, the solar power industry is poised to do even better this year. As basically a part 2 to the last post about 2015’s record solar year, this one will be about expectations for the remainder of 2016. The U.S. Energy Information Administration just released figures concerning scheduled utility-scale […]
The U.S. Solar Industry Sets New Record In 2015
The numbers are in from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association for 2015 and it’s official; solar had its biggest year yet. A total of 7,286 megawatts of solar pv capacity was installed last year. For some perspective, this is enough energy to power approximately 1 million homes. There is now a total […]