A new study on the hazardous gas emissions from the calamitous 2015 blowout of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, near Porter Ranch, CA, has found that apart from methane, a group of other hazardous pollutants escaped into the air, affecting many residents in the area. The study calls for air monitoring at underground gas storage facilities nationwide, potentially affecting thousands of sites around the country.
Trina Solar is now testing a half-frame solar panel for use with solar trackers with hopes to lower the cost per watt for solar by 1 cent or about 2% overall, said Steven Zhu, the president of the company’s America Region, based in San Jose, in an interview Friday.
Solar developers, manufacturers, EPCs/system builders, and investors alike rely on detailed independent engineering (IE) studies when proposing a solar project to a bank and for implementing the project. These so-called bankability studies are often produced from different points of view, depending on the role of the company in a solar development.
The island of Curacao began a solar net metering program that has inspired close to 800 residential and commercial installations, operating at a cost of 10% less than the fossil fuel generation they replaced, according to a new report by Ronald Lieuw-Sjong at Next Step Consulting, based in Curaçao.
The cumulative value of residential solar installations for utilities is comprised of two different parts: the generation of electricity to the grid, and the avoided cost of building new generation. While the former is fairly straightforward and owners are compensated through net metering or other rate schemes, the latter is difficult to assess and thus far homeowners have received little compensation.
The Center for Biological Diversity took legal action in Arizona federal court this week to challenge the Salt River Project, an Arizona utility, in its ongoing rate discrimination against residential solar customers who had their rates bumped up 60% in 2015.
Tech renewables leader Facebook is moving rapidly toward its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2020. The remainder of the switch will be a major feat, since the company consumed over 3.4 gigawatts of energy last year, of which 75% was renewable, according to the company’s sustainability report. “Facebook has … [continued]
CleanSpark, based in San Diego, is a microgrid manager, using intelligent analytics for design and decision making, along with advanced controls for 24/7 operations. The company began testing its solution on a local residential system that was located just far enough off the grid that the utility would have made interconnection a very expensive option.
Solar roofing maverick 3 IN 1 ROOF is looking to leapfrog Tesla in its bid for UL approval for its solar roof shingle. Fort Lauderdale-based 3 IN 1 has submitted a plan for UL approval, which could take place prior to Tesla’s solar shingle approval.
French floating solar specialist Ciel et Terre has begun installation of 1.78 megawatt floatovoltaic technology system at what it calls the largest floating solar system in California. To finance this project, the company has utilized a 25-year power purchase agreement for the first time, providing a lifetime savings of $4 million for the Town of Windsor.
