Solar accounted for most of the capacity the nation added to its electric grids last year. That feat marks the first time since World War II.

Solar hits a renewable energy milestone not seen since WWII

Solar accounted for most of the capacity the nation added to its electric grids last year. That feat marks the first time since World War II, when hydropower was booming, that a renewable power source has comprised more than half of the nation’s energy additions.

“It’s really monumental,” said Shawn Rumery, senior director of research at the Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA. The trade group announced the 2023 numbers in a report released today with analytics firm Wood MacKenzie. The 32.4 gigawatts that came online in the United States last year shattered the previous high of 23.6 gigawatts recorded in 2021 and accounted for 53 percent of new capacity. Natural gas was next in line at a distant 18 percent.

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Source: Grist

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Chevron New Energies announced it is developing a 5-megawatt hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley.

Chevron announces its first solar-to-hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley

Chevron New Energies, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., announced it is developing a 5-megawatt hydrogen production project in California’s Central Valley.

The project aims to create lower carbon energy by utilizing solar power, land, and non-potable produced water from Chevron’s existing assets at the Lost Hills Oil Field in Kern County. This low carbon intensity (LCI) electrolytic hydrogen will be produced through electrolysis, which is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Chevron’s strategy is to leverage our strengths to safely deliver lower carbon energy to a growing world. Chevron believes in the value of delivering large-scale hydrogen solutions that support a lower carbon world. The facility is designed to produce two tons of LCI hydrogen per day, with the goal of supporting an expanding hydrogen refueling network.

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Source: Chevron

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“NREL being a leader in clean energy technology gives instructors at the colleges a crucial resource,” McCall said.

In California, NREL helps kern county embrace clean energy in partnership with community colleges

For more than 100 years, Kern County, California, has relied on energy (oil and gas) and agricultural production to stimulate the economy. People in Kern County have a fierce sense of pride and a strong sense of identity as an energy producing community, and they are expanding that vision.

“Typically, people who were born and raised in Kern County choose to raise their families there and stay for the long term,” said James McCall, energy and environmental analyst for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Bakersfield is a big city that has a small-town feel. A small town of more than 400,000 people, but that’s small for California. The joke there was it was two hours from everything: Los Angeles, the beach, and the national parks are all two hours away.”

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Source: Clean Technica

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The federal government will fund 17 projects across the US to expand access to renewable energy on Native American reservations and in other rural areas.

Biden administration taps $366M to fund clean energy for Native American tribes and rural areas

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The federal government will fund 17 projects across the U.S. to expand access to renewable energy on Native American reservations and in other rural areas, the Biden administration announced Tuesday.

The $366 million plan will pay for solar, battery storage and hydropower projects in sparsely populated regions where electricity can be costly and unreliable. The money comes from a $1 trillion infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed in 2021.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called the announcement “historic” at a clean energy tribal summit in Southern California that began Tuesday.

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Source: yahoo!finance

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Solar workers traveled to the state capital on Wednesday to rally in support of solar energy, calling on lawmakers to keep CA a solar state.

300+ solar workers and supporters rally in support of solar energy

Solar workers traveled to the state capital on Wednesday to rally in support of solar energy, calling on lawmakers to keep California a solar state.

The solar industry is experiencing business closures and significant job losses in every part of the state after the decision of the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, to slash overnight by 70 to 80 percent the value of solar energy contributed back to the grid.

Since then, the solar industry has lost more than 17,000 jobs, representing 22 percent of all solar jobs in the state. A steep 87 percent decline in solar installations is also pushing California off its path to meeting renewable energy goals that are critical to the fight against climate change.

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Source: ewg

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The City Council unanimously voted to allow PWP to enter into a $512.2M , 20yr power contract with Southern California Public Power Authority

Pasadena approves 20-Year, $500 million solar energy contract

The City Council unanimously voted on Monday to allow Pasadena Water and Power to enter into a $512.2 million, 20-year power contract with Southern California Public Power Authority for solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage.

“This solar agreement is an important step forward in meeting our goal to source 100% of Pasadena’s electricity from carbon-free sources by the end of 2030,” said Mayor Victor Gordo. “This contract is especially timely considering Pasadena’s exit from the Intermountain Power Project. The City, Pasadena Water and Power, and the residents of Pasadena are committed to a clean energy future.”

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Source: Pasadena Now

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Developers are expected to complete 6.4 gigawatts of new grid battery capacity in Texas this year, according to the federal EIA.

Texas will add more grid batteries than any other state in 2024

California and Texas have a new clean-energy superlative to compete over: who’s got the most grid batteries.

Last year, Texas overtook California in large-scale solar power capacity. When huge amounts of solar power rush onto the grid, batteries tend to follow. Now, Texas is building more grid batteries than California, the longtime undisputed leader in clean energy storage.

Developers are expected to complete 6.4 gigawatts of new grid battery capacity in Texas this year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. That’s more than double the 5.6 gigawatts of battery capacity it ended 2023 with. It’s also as much battery capacity as the entire United States built last year, which was a record year for the energy storage industry. The projection outpaces the 5.2 gigawatts set to come online in California.

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Source: Canary Media

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A helpful driver for even more community solar to get adopted nationwide might be just adding energy storage.

Energy storage boosts community solar adoption nationwide

Community solar, a “solar for all” model that allows businesses and individuals to subscribe to electricity credits generated by locally sited solar projects, is a quickly growing market segment in the United States. Midway through 2023, the installed community solar market reached nearly 6 GW, with projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C. A helpful driver for even more community solar to get adopted nationwide might be just adding energy storage.

Pairing energy storage with community solar doesn’t have much impact on the solar project’s design or installation, but it can push the solar project over the finish line. Georgina Arreola, VP of policy for community solar customer manager Perch Energy, said storage helps community solar by improving project economics through additional incentives from utilities and states.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Arevon Energy has secured $1.1 billion in aggregate financing commitments for its Eland 2 Solar + Storage Project in Kern County, California.

California solar + storage project secures $1.1 billion in financing

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Renewable energy project developer Arevon Energy has secured $1.1 billion in aggregate financing commitments for its Eland 2 Solar + Storage Project in Kern County, California. The 374-MWDC solar project coupled with 150 MW/600 MWh of energy storage is under early-stage construction and is anticipated to come online in Q1 2025.

Wells Fargo provided a $431 million tax equity commitment. Arevon obtained $654 million of debt financing including a construction-to-term loan, a tax equity bridge loan and letter of credit facilities. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) served as the Administrative Agent, Coordinating Lead Arranger, Green Loan Coordinator, and Bookrunner. Other Coordinating Lead Arrangers included BNP Paribas, CoBank, Commerzbank AG, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and National Bank of Canada. J.P. Morgan served as Joint Lead Arranger, Collateral and Depositary Agent. Amis, Patel & Brewer, LLP represented Arevon as Sponsor Counsel; Milbank LLP served as Lender Counsel; and Sheppard Mullin served as Tax Equity Counsel.

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Source: Solar Power World

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India is renewing its push to add rooftop solar to meet the needs of a fast-growing nation that's hungry for energy.

India wants to hook its population onto clean energy by boosting rooftop solar

Just a few years ago, someone who wanted to install a rooftop solar connection in India faced getting multiple approvals, finding a reliable company to install the panels and spending heavily before seeing the first surge of clean energy.

But that’s changing. The government has streamlined the approvals process, made it easier for people to claim subsidies and pushed mountains of cash — including $9 billion announced this month — to encourage faster adoption of technology that’s seen as critical for India to reach its clean-energy goals.

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Source: ABC News

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