North America

KDC Solar has completed a 4-MW solar carport project for CentraState, a healthcare provider in Freehold Township, New Jersey. Combined with a previously completed ground-mount array, CentraState can now generate 61% of its energy consumption via on-site solar.

Tesla is offering a discount on solar panels and batteries to people who are affected by wildfire power outages, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted today. More than 2 million people across California have been affected by power outages since October 25th as utility companies try to prevent their power lines from sparking new blazes. A fire just north of San Francisco has already consumed more than 66,000 acres and is only 5 percent under control.

Dominion Energy has acquired a 72MW PV project from First Solar that is expected to enter service in late 2019. The installation will provide power and renewable energy attributes under a Dominion Energy South Carolina contract that was previously filed and accepted in South Carolina.

RP Construction Services has begun the 3-MW solar installation for clothing retailer Gap’s distribution center in Fresno, California. Once complete, the system is expected to help Gap meet approximately 50% of the Fresno facility’s energy needs and reduce the company’s operating expenses, while supporting the company’s goal to reach 100% renewable energy across its global owned and operated facilities by 2030.

Renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for 18.49% of net domestic electrical generation during the first eight months of 2019, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of just-released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). A year earlier, renewables’ share was 17.95%.

A U.S. research team has used protein bacteriorhodopsin to improve the efficiency of what it called ‘bioperovskite’ solar cells. The scientists used Förster Resonance Energy Transfer to predict the strength of long-range excitonic transport between the perovskite and protein layers.

U.S. oil major Chevron did not respond to pv magazine’s questions. Exxon Mobil and BP did not produce figures for their clean energy investment activity and Total responded only with its ‘low carbon electricity’ spending. Shell stated it had invested €1.6 billion in clean energy from late 2016 up to June.

Leading US solar developer 8minute Solar Energy is to collaborate with Doosan GridTech to use advanced, predictive software controls to dispatch energy from solar-plus-storage plant in California.

One of the largest solar arrays in Vermont has a new owner.

CleanChoice Energy is introducing town partnerships for its CleanChoice Community Solar offerings. The company’s first Community Solar Partnership is with the Village of Wappingers Falls, where CleanChoice Energy will serve as the town’s preferred provider of community solar, allowing local residents to realize savings while working toward the town’s sustainability goals. Wappingers Falls’ residents can subscribe to CleanChoice Energy’s new portfolio of local community solar farms and save up to 10% on their utility bills.

Dominion Energy has acquired a 72-MW solar project still under construction in Beaufort county, South Carolina, from First Solar.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Citizens Energy Corporation announced the completion of a 1.4-MW solar project in the Mohawk Valley. Located in Oneida County, Upstate Cerebral Palsy is the sole beneficiary of the commercial solar project.

According to new research from Wood Mackenzie, non-residential storage system costs will fall by 27% in the United States over the next five years. The fall in system costs will help drive a more-than-tenfold growth in the U.S. non-residential storage market by 2024. Commercial and industrial customers with predictable, peaky loads are increasingly turning to storage to help manage demand charges.

Law firm Wigdor LLP has brought another class-action lawsuit against New Jersey-based solar installer Momentum Solar. A former employee in the company’s call center, who is black, has alleged that management frequently referred to him by racial slurs, and was shortly terminated after filing a complaint.

SEIA announced that the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA) is now a formal SEIA state affiliate. This past year, SEIA has also added state affiliate groups in Kentucky, Alabama and Vermont.