USA

The US Solar Fund (USF) has closed on both the acquisition and financing of 100% of the cash equity interests in the 128MW Milford Solar Project, located in Beaver County, Utah.

Fifth Third Bancorp and SunEnergy1 have opened the 120MWdc/80MWac Aulander Holloman Solar Facility in Hertford County, North Carolina. The facility, developed by SunEnergy1, is expected to generate clean power that is more than or equal to the total that Fifth Third uses in a year, which is enough to cut out 143,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases and power 25,000 households.

The pressure building for the US to water down decades-old federal energy policy risks further tilting the scales in utilities’ favour, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Tara Doyle started her career in the solar energy industry more than 15 years ago, and today serves as the chief commercial officer at PVEL, which claims to be one of the first testing laboratories to focus on bankability for the downstream PV buyer community. The lab serves developers, financiers, O&M companies, asset owners, and insurers.

New analysis predicts more than 150 GW of tracker capacity will be installed in the next five years – around a third of all ground mount projects up to 2024. Rapid growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and the better cost structures possible from combining trackers and bifacial modules are singled out as key trends.

Today we have heard of farmers in Australia unhappy at the approval given for three solar projects on agricultural land and also learned the benefits PV can bring for fish and shrimp farmers. In this op-ed for pv magazine USA, Stoel Rives LLP attorneys Sara Bergan and Thomas Braun discuss the balancing act to be made between solar and agriculture in the emerging Midwestern PV market.

While based in Munich in Germany’s south, renewable asset management software provider 3megawatt’s first major clients were in the United States. However, as the European markets have transitioned beyond feed-in tariffs to the complexity of subsidy-free solar and wind arrays, the understanding of the need for asset management tools is rapidly increasing, says 3megawatt founder and CEO Edmee Kelsey.

While the damage is largely done for cells, modules and inverters, increased tariffs on U.S. module components and 15% measures on lithium-ion batteries are not good news for either sector.

The pressure building for the US to water down decades-old federal energy policy risks further tilting the scales in utilities’ favour, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) is including a number of key module reliability tests to its PV Module Product Qualification Program (PQP) that is more responsive to downstream market needs.

Standard Solar and Pivot Energy have expanded their partnership to co-develop five more community solar projects across Colorado.

Reports of fires at Amazon facilities look set to pile fresh controversy on Tesla’s US solar installs, with new claims emerging only days after Walmart took Elon Musk’s firm to court over blaze incidents.

Hawaiian Electric Co (HEC) has kickstarted a colossal clean energy tender, seeking providers of 900MW worth of renewables and energy storage projects.

Standard Solar has completed a seven-site solar project for Flushing Community School District in Flushing, Michigan. In a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership, Standard Solar designed, built, financed and will operate and maintain solar arrays at all seven schools within the Flushing Community School District. The renewable energy generated by the 956.8 kilowatts of combined arrays is estimated to save the school district $45,000 annually and $900,000 over the course of the contract.

Azimuth Energy recently completed a 1-MW community solar project at St. Louis Lambert International Airport for Ameren Missouri. The project was first announced in 2017.