Solar

Solar Consumer Education and Protection

Consumers should embrace clean energy alternatives only after educating themselves on the technologies and necessary commitments

Consumer Counts: It is critical that stakeholders in the energy space maintain an open dialogue with consumers and create and uphold good, consistent standards, education and protections.

Postcards from Hawaii: Lessons on Grid Transformation

Hawaiian utility experts describe the islands’ fast-growing solar market as a postcard from the future

The group spent four days immersed in Hawaii’s dynamic solar market, listening and learning from the experiences of utility executives, policy makers, solar and clean tech players.

Community Storage: Coming to a Home Near You

A readily available option for storage may be coordinating existing devices that have untapped storage capacity

Despite battery technology’s ability to grab clean tech media headlines, industry still lacks a clear, practical, cost-effective path.

Response to Cicchetti/Wellinghoff Re: Net Metering

Letters to the Editor: A response to the article by Charles Cicchetti and Jon Wellinghoff in our December 2015 issue

A major mistake is the claim, under net metering, customers who generate power with rooftop solar simply “bank” or “park” their extra electricity with their utility, retaining ownership rights.

Dominion Closes on First Phase of Solar Sale to SunEdison

Dominion closed on the first phase of its previously announced sale of a 33 percent ownership interest in 425 MW of solar generating capacity to SunEdison. Dominion received approximately $180 million for the first phase, which includes an ownership interest in 253 MW of solar generating capacity at 15 sites in five states. The second phase is expected to close by early 2016 for approximately $120 million, subject to working capital and certain other adjustments.

GE Wins Nearly $1 Billion Contract To Build SEC’s 1390 MW Waad Al Shamal Combined Cycle Power Plant

GE was awarded an EPC contract valued at nearly $1 billion for gas turbine services for the Waad Al Shamal combined cycle power plant of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). Scheduled for completion in 48 months, the plant will support the phosphate mining operations in the locality. GE will deliver the turnkey power plant, supplying four advanced GE 7F.05 heavy-duty gas turbines and a GE steam turbine. The 1,390-MW combined cycle plant will be able to provide the equivalent power needed to supply more than 500,000 Saudi homes.

Nextera Energy Resources to Build, Own and Operate Solar Energy Systems for U.S. Navy

NextEra Energy Resources is planning a project to build, own and operate approximately 17 MW of solar facilities on three separate military installations on Oahu. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will build one ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar system, three carport solar systems and 10 rooftop solar systems. The systems will be comprised of approximately 71,000 Sharp solar modules. Site preparation is underway, and system construction is expected to begin in February 2016 and be completed by year end.

Got Green? Then Get Smart.

Why it’s the growth of renewable resources that makes the most compelling case for a smarter grid.

To manage the new instability, inherent in many renewable resources, it becomes necessary to introduce more intelligence and automation. That’s what makes the smart grid so compelling.