North America

Recent battery plant blazes and a hydrogen station blast have again raised questions about the safety of energy storage technologies.

Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals and a photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions provider, has completed a contract to supply a 26.4 MWac solar power generation plant for Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE). SRE will serve as the project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm.

Duke Energy Renewables is expanding its solar energy portfolio by acquiring the 200-MW Holstein solar project from 8minute Solar Energy. The project, located in Nolan County, Texas, will be the largest in Duke Energy Renewables’ fleet once complete.

sPower, a company handling development, construction and operation of solar power facilities, and PSEG Long Island, a major electric utility provider, have completed a 20-MWac solar plant in Riverhead, New York. The project will provide power for approximately 2,870 homes annually, as New York moves to completely decarbonize its electricity system by 2040.

Where the challenge was once a lack of profitable storage opportunities in the Northeast, now the trick is keeping up. Here’s GTM’s handy guide.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has approved a modified agreement that will accelerate emission reductions from American Electric Power’s (AEP) remaining coal-fueled power plants in the Midwest, eliminate a requirement to install “high-cost” emission reduction equipment at the Rockport Plant in Indiana, and retire Rockport Plant Unit 1 (1,300 MW) by the end of 2028, the utility says.

German clean energy fund Hep Kapitalverwaltung AG has entered the US distributed solar market with an investment in regional developer ReNew Petra.

There’s no shortage of ideas for supporting renewables on Capitol Hill. Gridlock has experts doubtful of near-term progress.

The Southern Company-owned utility’s larger-than-expected storage rollout points toward a big new market in the Southeast.

SMA America has unveiled multiple updates to its service center that were designed to facilitate even more efficient technical support. Key expansions include a new, larger central and string inverter laboratory. The service center also features a rooftop PV system that functions as a real-world lab while offsetting energy costs. The new features will improve the ability to simulate issues, troubleshoot calls and provide service training for customers.

The utility-scale developer seeks to reorient itself around competitive markets beyond its base in the Carolinas, using third-party construction firms instead of its own staff.

Worldwide investments in clean energy projects have hit a six-year low. Global spending totaled $117.6 billion in the first half of 2019, down 14% from a year earlier and the least since 2013, according to a report by BloombergNEF. Investments slowed in all three major markets -- the U.S., Europe and China -- but China’s decline was especially pronounced as the country continued its shift away from subsidies for solar and wind power.

Alabama is ranked 13th in the nation as having the greatest solar potential, yet only 0.26% of its energy comes from solar, leaving the state far behind others when it comes to total installed solar capacity.