North America

Canada's Nova Scotia wants solar-and-storage on brownfield sites
The province's Alternative Energy Resource Authority is seeking proposals for three utility scale PV projects varying in generation capacity from 800 kW to 4 MW. Two of these must be combined with large scale batteries with a total storage capacity of around 2.4 MWh
Dec 10, 2019 // Storage, Canada, North America, Nova Scotia, solar-and-storage, AREA
Colorado Springs Utilities launches largest solar field to date
It wasn’t as easy as flipping a switch but, when Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) brought it’s newest and largest solar panel field online, it quadrupled how much energy it generates from the sun.
Dec 10, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Grids, USA, Colorado, North America, Colorado Springs Utilities, Aram Benyamin, Jared Polis
U.S. senators replicate call for ban on Huawei solar inverters
A group of ten bipartisan senators such as Marco Rubio (R-FL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), calling on it to take action to fight the national security threat introduced by Huawei's entrance to the U.S. solar sector.
Dec 10, 2019 // Inverters, Policy, USA, FERC, Huawei, North America, Marco Rubio, Susan Collins, Joe Manchin
Auction convened to offload PV generators of bankrupt DC Solar
A sizeable batch of DC Solar stock is to go under the hammer this week in a bid to liquidate assets from the now-defunct Californian PV firm, undone by a high-profile FBI investigation.
Dec 9, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, California, USA, North America, bankruptcy, dc solar, legal affairs
BlackRock invests $2.5bn in renewables
BlackRock, the global biggest fund managing company, has closed 1bn USD of a 2.5bn USD fund aimed at wind, solar and storage. However, this is only a small part of the financial giant’s 6.96tn USD balance and nothing in comparison with 17.5bn invested in coal projects.
Dec 9, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Storage, USA, BlackRock, investment, North America
Marina Energy installs 3.5-MW solar facility in New Jersey resort
Crystal Springs Resort has started commercial operations of the biggest resort-based solar farm in the Northeastern United States. Developed in partnership with New Jersey-based Marina Energy, the 25-acre, 3.5-MW solar area has over 19,000 solar panels.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, USA, North America, Crystal Springs Resort, Marina Energy
Key Solar finishes 3-MW rooftop project for Massachusetts UPS center
New England solar installer Key Solar has finished a 3-MW solar venture for a UPS hub in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Rooftop PV, USA, Massachusetts, North America, Key Solar, Kevin Price
Carlson Electric will install 100-kW solar system at Wisconsin horseradish farm
Huntsinger Farms, the world’s largest grower and processor of horseradish and the parent company of Silver Spring Foods, has won a $28,902.60 Focus on Energy grant to subsidize a new solar power installation on its Eau Claire, Wisconsin farm. Carlson Electric of Hudson will install the solar farm in Spring 2020.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, USA, Wisconsin, solar modules, North America, Huntsinger Farms, Carlson Electric, PV system, Eric Rygg
BlackRock keen on C&I PV, storage as new renewable fund hits record close
Rooftop solar, energy storage and other less-mainstream green energy technologies are among the targets of a new colossal renewable fund, the creation of the world’s largest asset manager.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Markets & Finance News, Storage, Rooftop PV, USA, BlackRock, Europe, BESS, North America
Nevada waves through 1.19GW/590MW solar-plus-storage hybrid
Nevada utility NV Energy has secured approval from the state’s public utility commission for a solar-plus-storage push that could see 1,190MW of PV capacity installed in southern Nevada by January 2024 alongside 590MW of energy storage.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, Storage, USA, EDF, Nevada, North America, 8minutenergy, 8minute Solar Energy, nv energy, arevia power, quinbrook infrastructure partners
Univergy sets up subsidiary in Poland, plans to develop 220MW of PV projects
Spanish-Japanese renewables company Univergy International has established a new subsidiary, Univergy Polska SP, in the Polish city of Sopot in order to help develop a five-project PV pipeline.
Dec 6, 2019 // Plants, USA, Poland, Europe, North America, univergy, Ignacio Blanco
Chalcogenide perovskite materials for waste heat recovery and solar power
The recent study has shown that metal chalcogenide perovskite materials may be utilized for conversion of heat energy into consumable electrical power. These compounds, suitable for solar cell production, feature excellent aqueous and thermal stability. Another benefit is nontoxicity of their elements.
Dec 6, 2019 // Technology, USA, perovskite, North America, PV cells
Soltec announces better energy harvest using 2P on bifacial trackers
Soltec, a leading solar tracker manufacturer, has announced the results of bifacial PV panel and tracker functionality testing from the BiTEC test centre at Livermore, the state of California, revealing an advantage in using two-module-in-portrait as well as a general gain of 15.7 percent.
Dec 5, 2019 // Manufacturing News, Plants, Large-Scale, Commercial, California, USA, pv modules, Bifacial PV, North America, Soltec, BiTEC, mono-facial
Trade tariffs have caused ‘devastating harm’ to US solar industry
Tariffs introduced to imported solar cells and modules have caused “devastating harm” to the US solar industry, new analysis compiled by the Solar Energy Industries Association has claimed.
Dec 4, 2019 // Markets & Finance News, Tariffs, USA, SEIA, Trump, North America, us, trade tariffs, suniva
A new metric to evaluate the economic feasibility of cell efficiency increase
Researchers have introduced a new metric for determination of the highest allowable cost for cell efficiency increase and levelized cost of electricity optimization. The scientists have called this new parameter ‘value of efficiency’.
Dec 3, 2019 // Technology, Manufacturing News, Commercial, USA, LCOE, North America, PV cell, VOE