Especially in today’s politically charged environment
Utilities should think hard about business models.
The CEO Power Forum: Not all utility CEOs are created equal...
Upon review of a load profile study submitted by Xcel Energy, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found that “it is clear … that solar PV facilities contribute to Xcel’s capacity requirements and that the existing Standby Service tariff does not reflect that contribution.” The commission ruled that $5.15 per kW per month would be a reasonable, conservative interim rate to be paid to sellers in the form of a capacity credit.
SolarCity raised lease financing from Goldman Sachs to fund more than $500 million in solar power projects – an estimated 110 MW in generation capacity – for homeowners and businesses. The agreement was initiated in 2012 and expanded per its initial terms at the end of April. Solar City says the combined lease financing is the largest of its kind announced in the U.S. for homeowners’ rooftops. About 26 MW has already been deployed under the lease program.
SOLON completed construction of 1.15 MW of solar systems for the Tanque Verde Unified School District (TVUSD) in Arizona. Spread over four campuses – Tanque Verde Elementary School, Aqua Caliente Elementary School, Emily Gray Junior High School, and Tanque Verde High School – the solar systems are a combination of shade structures and rooftop systems. With over 4,000 solar modules, the systems will offset a daytime electricity requirements of each campus. MP2 Capital will sell all of the power generated from the systems to the school district under a 25-year agreement.
Cupertino Electric is installing a new 230-kV transmission line to interconnect a new substation serving a 200-MW photovoltaic power plant in Imperial Valley, Calif. When complete in late 2013, the overhead line will span five miles and interconnect a new 230-kV substation on the 2,000-acre solar project site in California’s Imperial Valley.
Amory Lovins on negawatts, renewables, and neoclassical markets.
Fortnightly speaks with Amory Lovins about the evolving role of conservation, competition, and distributed resources in the energy industry.
SunWize Technologies is working with members of a North American consortium that includes Solexica Energy, JCM Capital, and Radical Energy, to develop two major PV projects in the Republic of Ecuador. The projects, known as Condor Solar and Solarconnection, comprise solar arrays totaling 30 MW (AC) and 20 MW (AC) of capacity respectively. The facilities will feature approximately 234,000 solar panels, multiple inverters, and a substation to distribute energy in northern Ecuador.
SOLON completed construction of a 459 kW photovoltaic (PV) system at the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility for the Town of Gila Bend, Arizona. The system is expected to offset the plant’s energy usage by 86 percent. The project was financed through a State of Arizona Water Infrastructure Finance Authority grant, awarded to the Town of Gila Bend for drinking water infrastructure improvements. SOLON says it has installed nearly 65 MW of solar in Arizona, and 90 MW nationwide.