FERC’s latest Energy Infrastructure Update said that just over 72.8GW of solar is expected to be added from Dec. 2022 until Nov. 2025.

Solar to dominate US capacity additions with 73GW expected through 2025

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Nearly two-thirds of US generating capacity additions in the next three years will be fulfilled by solar, with the technology’s share of power generation in the country set to almost double, according to a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

FERC’s latest Energy Infrastructure Update said that just over 72.8GW of solar is expected to be added from December 2022 until November 2025. By this prediction, total US solar capacity would increase from 78.8GW to 151.6GW, a near-double increase. The figures account for utility-scale “high probability” projects and do not include distributed capacity.

In addition to the “high probability” project forecast, FERC published data showing “all additions” that could possibly be installed through November 2025. This scenario presents a potential 201GW three-year solar pipeline, encompassing the maximum possible additions based on all proposed or potential projects.

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Source: PV Tech

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Winston Cone Optics seeks to develop pilot projects that use solar energy to heat water, evaporate waste and remove salt from wastewater.

Solar projects yielding exciting potential for dairies, other industries

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A company started by UC Merced founding faculty member Roland Winston – and staffed by alumni – is looking for partners for some exciting solar projects. And the government could cover the costs.

Winston Cone Optics seeks to develop pilot projects that use solar energy to heat water, evaporate waste and remove salt from wastewater.

“Solar energy isn’t a new concept, but what makes our solar thermal collectors unique is the use of nonimaging optics to concentrate sunlight year-round from a stationary position,” said Winston. “The result is less maintenance, fewer components, and better efficiency and reliability.”

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Source: UCMERCED

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The CPUC approved 800MW of new solar and battery storage projects to ensure Californians can get reliable power through 2026.

California approves solar, battery projects to strengthen the grid

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The California Public Utilities Commission, the agency that regulates utility companies in the Golden State, approved 800 megawatts of new solar and battery storage projects this week as part of a broader effort to ensure Californians can get reliable power through 2026.

Commissioners signed off on four contracts from Southern California Edison and three from San Diego Gas & Electric — all but one of which are for battery projects, which allow energy generated by solar and wind to be saved up and deployed when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. The remaining contract, the Edwards Sanborn Solar Storage Facility from San Diego Gas & Electric, is for a hybrid solar-and-battery facility that the developer hopes will be the world’s largest of its kind. Upon completion, it could provide enough power for more than 158,000 homes.

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Source: Grist

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Renewables developer Intersect Power has brought a 310MWp PV, 448MWh energy storage system project online in California.

310MWp PV + 448MWh energy storage system comes online in CA

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Renewables developer Intersect Power has brought a 310MWp PV, 448MWh energy storage system project online in California.

The company announced the 22 December 2022 start of commercial operations for its Athos III solar project in Riverside County yesterday (11 January, 2023).

The solar PV can generate a maximum of 224MWac/310MWp of solar energy and the project features a 112MW/448MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), a four-hour unit.

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Source: IEEFA

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The Athos III solar project (also known as Blythe Mesa Solar II) generates 224 MWAC/310 MWDC of solar energy, enough to power 94,000 homes.

Union-built 310-MW solar + storage project comes online in California

Intersect Power started the commercial operation of its Athos III solar project in Riverside County, California, on December 22, 2022. The Athos III solar project was built by union labor, with American-made solar panels, batteries and steel piles, and it is expected to meet the domestic content and prevailing wage requirements for tax credit incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The Athos III solar project (also known as Blythe Mesa Solar II) generates 224 MWAC/310 MWDC of solar energy, enough to power approximately 94,000 homes, and features 448 MWh of co-located storage.

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Source: Solar Power World

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SPI Energy has begun manufacturing M10 modules in the new production line in Sacramento which will add 550MW of solar module capacity.

SPI Energy begins M10 module manufacturing at new production line in California

PV solutions provider SPI Energy’s wholly owned subsidiary, Solar4America (S4A), has begun manufacturing M10 (182mm) modules in the new production line at its facility in Sacramento, California.

The new line will add 550MW of solar module manufacturing capacity which currently produces 700MW and is expected to ramp up to 2.4GW this year.

Moreover, the new M10 module production line will cater to both the residential market with 410W Mono PERC modules and the commercial and industrial (C&I) one with 550W bifacial Mono PERC modules.

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Source: PV Tech

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The CPUC approved 3 energy project contracts proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric, and 4 contracts proposed by Southern California Edison.

California greenlights more than 800 MW of storage and solar

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The CPUC’s 11.5-GW mid-term reliability procurement order sought to meet the state’s grid needs between 2023 and 2026, given the then-planned retirement of the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant by 2025, as well as the closure of several natural gas plants. The state is now considering extending the life of the Diablo Canyon plant through the end of the decade. However, it continues to focus on procuring new clean energy resources to meet grid needs, with the 2021 decision requiring 2 GW to come online by August, another 6 GW by mid-2024, followed by installments of 1.5 GW and 2 GW in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

In September 2021, SDG&E issued a request for offers to meet its share of these procurement needs, and then reopened the solicitation last April for new bids as well as updates to previous ones. It filed a proposal with the commission in October, seeking approval of two lithium-ion battery storage projects – the 80-MW Bottleneck project and 100-MW Cald project – as well as a 20-MW hybrid solar and storage facility. SCE, meanwhile, also launched an RFO in 2021, and filed its latest proposal with the commission in October, proposing four storage projects, ranging from 69 MW to 230 MW, for a combined capacity of 619 MW.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The project in Kern County, CA, will combine 174MW of solar PV and a four-hour 88MW/352MWh BESS once operational in September 2023.

Financing closes for 352MWh solar-plus-storage project in California

Wells Fargo, MUFG and Silicon Valley Bank have completed US$260 million of construction financing for Leeward Renewable Energy’s Chaparral Springs solar-plus-storage project in California.

The developer announced the securing of financing and tax equity commitments for Chaparral Springs yesterday (10 January). The project in Kern County, California, will combine 174MW of solar PV and a four-hour 88MW/352MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) once operational in September 2023.

The debt portion was issued under the Loan Market Authority’s Green Loan Principles. JP Morgan has provided US$29 million in tax equity investment and has committed to investing another US$114 million at commissioning.

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Source: Energy Storage News

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In January 2023, Caltech Space Solar Power Project is poised to launch into orbit a prototype, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator.

Caltech to launch space solar power technology demo into orbit in January

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Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover.

The launch, currently slated for early January, represents a major milestone in the project and promises to make what was once science fiction a reality. When fully realized, SSPP will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity over long distances wherever it is needed—including to places that currently have no access to reliable power.

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Source: Caltech

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This is one of the first efforts by a major oil & gas company to build a net exporting, behind-the-meter solar PV plant.

Solar project powers an oil and gas field with California sunshine

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The Lost Hills oil field in California’s San Joaquin Valley has been producing oil since 1910, with significant reserves yet to be extracted. The operators plan to continue to produce oil for many years to come, with the goal of providing reliable, affordable, and ever-cleaner energy to customers in California.

Before the solar project, Lost Hills, which operates as a waterflood, imported all its power from the local utility. The electrical energy load, which is generally stable throughout the day and over the year, is driven mainly by artificial-lift systems, fluid-processing facilities, and waterflood injection pumps. Faced with higher utility energy rates and increasingly stringent greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission regulations, the operator embarked on a project to identify alternatives to reduce its energy costs and lower its carbon footprint.

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Source: JPT

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