Anti–solar power leadership in Congress is all set to put the kibosh on the Department of Energy’s loan program in an upcoming vote, but there will be a 290-megawatt gorilla at roll call: Arizona’s massive Agua Caliente photovoltaic power plant, which is a standout example of the loan program’s overall success. Agua Caliente … [continued]
When Beacon Power applied for the Section 1705 loan guarantee program, they probably had no idea that that painted a target on their back. After all, they weren’t even a solar or wind business. Beacon had perfected and patented adaptations to an old nuts-and-bolts flywheel technology, spending $200 million … [continued]
The Agua Caliente solar project is delivering over 200 megawatts of power to the grid, and is about two-thirds complete. When it is completed, it should be generating a total of 290 MW. Yuma County, Arizona is the construction site. On average, about 400 workers are employed in completing … [continued]
There’s a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs hearing on the bankruptcy of Abound Solar coming up, of course… and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has put out an excellent statement on the matter, of course. Context, context, context. Context is key. And I’m afraid that will … [continued]
Another baseless attack on the solar industry, a highly successful industry in the US with over 100,000 employees and over 5,000 companies, has popped up in Congress. Of course, it is named after one of the very few failures in the industry — Solyndra. Here’s a response from SEIA: … [continued]
I didn’t even get into the whole Abound Solar story when the company filed for bankruptcy — didn’t really see the point of it. But Media Matters has published a great piece on it, “What AP Isn’t Telling You About Abound Solar,” that I think is worth a share. … [continued]
First of all, it’s important for anyone not familiar with the solar industry to know that it has been the fastest-growing industry in the US recently, and with this fast growth comes a lot of change — costs dropping fast, some technologies improving, other technologies being priced out of … [continued]
