Renewable Energy News

Canadian Solar’s subsidiary, CSI Holdco LLC sold two utility-scale solar power plants totaling 4.4 MW to PSEG subsidiary, PSEG Solar Source. The plants have a 20-year off taking agreement with PG&E. The solar installations, together now called the PSEG Shasta Solar Farm, is built at over 3,300 feet in elevation between Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta located in northern California. Construction started in July of 2013, with commercial operation expected in early 2014.

The first commercial collaboration between PHG Energy (PHGE) of Nashville and GE Power & Water business of General Electric is officially online and creating electricity from waste materials at a new Covington, Tenn., facility. GE’s Clean Cycle generator, based on the organic rankine cycle (ORC) technology, produces power by utilizing heat delivered through PHGE’s downdraft gasification system and waste-mixing process.

PSEG Solar Source completed its 19.3-MW DC PSEG Badger 1 Solar Farm located on approximately 172 acres west of Phoenix, Arizona.  The solar farm was developed and constructed by juwi solar (JSI).  Arizona Public Service Company (APS) will purchase the electricity produced by the facility through a 30-year agreement.   

EDF Renewable Energy placed a firm order with Vestas for 220 MW of V100-2.0 MW wind turbine generators. The order is part of the master supply agreement (MSA) announced in September 2013. The most recent order brings the firm commitment of the Vestas turbines to 300 MW to meet the demands of two projects being constructed in the Texas Panhandle: Hereford 1 and Longhorn North. Deliveries and commissioning of both projects are expected to occur in the second half of 2014.  

Siemens received an order from MidAmerican Energy for the supply of 448 wind turbines. With a total capacity of 1,050 MW, this represents not only the largest order for onshore wind turbines for Siemens, but also the largest single order for onshore wind power awarded globally to date. The wind turbines, each with a nominal rating of 2.3 MW and a rotor diameter of 108 meters, are to be installed in five different projects in Iowa. Siemens will also be responsible for service and maintenance of the wind turbines.

EDF Renewable Energy closed on the membership interest purchase and sale agreement (MIPSA) and started construction on the 5.86-MW Lancaster Solar Project. EDF Renewable Energy and Urban Green Technologies (UGT) signed the MIPSA in October 2013. The power generated will be delivered to the Town of Billerica, Massachusetts under a long-term PPA. EDF Renewable Energy will develop, own and operate the solar project with commercial operation expected in spring, 2014. EDF Renewable Energy has also executed an EPC contract with M+W U.S.

Renewable Energy Systems Canada (RES Canada) will construct two 10-MW solar PV facilities for Canadian Solar Solutions (Canadian Solar). The Mighty Solar and Taylor Kidd projects qualify for the province's FIT (feed-in-tariff) program and are scheduled for completion in 2014. The electricity from Mighty Solar and Taylor Kidd will be sold under the 20-year feed-in-tariff contract with the Ontario Power Authority.

EDF Renewable Energy (EDF) and UBS International Infrastructure Fund (UBS) signed a definitive agreement under which UBS will acquire a 50 percent equity interest from EDF in the 161-MW Spinning Spur II wind farm project, subject to completion of construction and customary conditions precedent. Spinning Spur II, located in Oldham County Texas, commenced construction in June 2013 with an expected commercial operation date on or about July 1, 2014. Spinning Spur II will utilize 87 General Electric wind turbines with a rated capacity of 1.85 MW each.

SunEdison introduced a renewable energy project in partnership with New York City, which is scheduled to break ground in the second half of 2015. The project will consist of two PV systems totaling up to 10 MW in size, and will utilize between 30,000 and 35,000 high efficiency solar panels installed across 47 acres leased to SunEdison at Freshkills Park, a former landfill that closed in 2001. When reopened, the converted 2,200 acre park will be the largest in the city and help to meet the PlaNYC goal of a 30-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Dominion Virginia Power installed more than 2,000 solar panels on the rooftop of Canon Virginia Inc.'s (CVI) Industrial Resource Technologies (IRT) facility in Gloucester, making it the largest roof solar system in Virginia. When operational, the panels at the Gloucester facility will generate more than 500 kW of electricity and will flow to the electric grid for use by Dominion Virginia Power customers. Construction started in December and the panels are expected to be fully installed and operational in early 2014.