Renewable Energy News

Dominion acquired two stand-alone solar energy developments in southwest Tennessee, currently in late stage development by Strata Solar of Chapel Hill, N.C. All power and environmental attributes from both projects will be purchased by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) under their renewable standard offer program. Interconnection to the electric grid will take place through facilities owned and operated by Pickwick Electric Cooperative of Selmer, TN.

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JinkoSolar) will supply 35 MW of solar PV modules to Clenera, a clean energy finance and management firm, for the construction of the Avalon Solar Project. According to terms of the agreement, groundbreaking is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2014, with an anticipated completion date during the fourth quarter of 2014. Swinerton Renewable Energy will provide EPC services for the project. The power will be sold to Tucson Electric Power.

Strata Solar installed nine utility-scale solar projects across North Carolina using more than $100mm of tax-equity financing provided by a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company. North Carolina utility Progress Energy Carolinas will purchase the power. The three largest projects - Bladenboro, Wagstaff and Nash 58 - all exceed six MWs in capacity and provide a boost to the local tax base without requiring additional county expenditures on sewer, roads or any other infrastructure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pre-qualified a four-company team led by TransGen Energy to bid for solar projects at U.S. military installations throughout the United States and its territories. TransGen Energy is serving as prime contractor for the TransGen Solar Team. The team will deliver solar projects under PPAs with the U.S. Department of Defense. Another team member is ConEdison Solutions and will oversee and operate each installed solar facility. The third partner, Quanta Solar Solutions and they will install the awarded solar sites.

As part of the statewide NY-Sun Initiative, a $60 million investment to support the Long Island solar industry's transition to PSEG Long Island has been announced. PSEG Long Island will partner with NYSERDA to locally implement the statewide NY-Sun program. NY-Sun Initiative is a collaborative effort among public-private entities who are all working toward advancing the use of solar power in New York State. NYSERDA will more than double the proposed NY-Sun Initiative allocation for the Long Island region from $28 million to $60 million.

NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy dedicated the company's 250 MW Genesis Solar Energy Center, located in Riverside County, Calif. All of the power generated by the solar facility is being provided to Pacific Gas & Electric under a long-term contract. The solar facility, which is comprised of two identical 125-MW generating units, entered service in November 2013 and March 2014, respectively and is owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.

Google and MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican) established an agreement for MidAmerican to supply Google's Council Bluffs, Iowa data center with up to 407 MW of wind-sourced energy. The wind power will come from several wind projects that are part of MidAmerican's Wind VIII program, an initiative under which MidAmerican will bring 1,050 MW of new Iowa wind power online by the end of 2015.

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power, in partnership with Turner Renewable Energy, officially acquired of the partnership's second California solar installation. The agreement to acquire the Adobe Solar Facility, a 20- MW solar PV installation in Kern County, Calif., was closed upon successful completion of construction. The facility represents the partnership's sixth solar project and is expected to begin commercial operation in May.

SunEdison interconnected a 20-MW AC solar plant in Kern County, California. The project, known as the Adobe Solar Facility, is owned by Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy and is composed of 80,000 SunEdison Silvantis Solar PV modules. SunEdison was responsible for building the Adobe facility, and will provide asset management and 24/7 monitoring and maintenance services through its renewable operations center.

Canadian Solar completed the first diesel hybrid PV system in the remote microgrids in northern Ontario, Canada. The 152kW rooftop solar array on the Deer Lake First Nation Elementary School is the first project under the strategic partnership with NCC Development (NCC), a First Nation renewable energy management company. NCC uses renewable energy (RE) microgrid solutions to assist the energy needs of off-grid First Nations and remote communities.