News

At a moment when American democracy looks increasingly vulnerable, President Biden and Democrats pointed to their third landmark bill as evidence that American government is working once again. A nearly $400-billion investment in clean energy subsidies will mark the United States’ most serious effort yet to combat climate change. A cap on prescription drug costs will… Read More »Biden signs climate, drug price bill into law, another win for him amid crisis for U.S. democracy

Dorsey’s firm Square to invest $5M for solar-powered Bitcoin mining Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey-run financial services company Square is investing $5 million to build an open-source, solar-powered Bitcoin mining facility with blockchain technology provider Blockstream Mining. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey-run financial services company Square is investing $5 million to build an open-source, solar-powered Bitcoin mining facility… Read More »Dorsey’s firm Square to invest $5M for solar-powered Bitcoin mining

Solar makes up a small share of U.S. electricity production today, but it’s expected to supply 39 percent of new power plant capacity built this year according to the latest tally by the US Energy Information Administration. Battery storage will grow to 11 percent of new capacity, with a carbon impact determined by the cleanliness of… Read More »Carbon-Free Power Plants in 2021

The latest quarterly ranking of new solar capacity shows Virginia and the Carolinas in the Southeast leading the way on solar thanks in large part to recent policy victories. Virginia’s solar industry is on a roll, and its momentum is only expected to gain speed and gigawatts as the state’s 2020 Clean Economy Act kicks in.… Read More »As Policy Impacts Kick in, Virginia Climbs into Top Five States for Solar

The 300 MW Basin Creek Solar Project would be built on ranch land in Butte and would supply energy to an expanding data center. Local news reports said that Madison River Equity LLC will seek a special use permit next month from a Montana zoning board for a 300 MW, 1,600-acre solar array known as the Basin Creek… Read More »Montana cryptocurrency producers back a utility-scale solar project

With approximately 4,000 miles (6,437 km) of canals transporting water throughout California, the state has plenty of real estate on which to build solar panel infrastructure, a report by Popular Science explains. It turns out that fitting panels above the waterways using suspension cables also provides a surprisingly powerful benefit for the canals themselves. Researchers from the University of… Read More »‘Solar Canals’ Could Save 63 Billion Gallons of Water Annually in California

State Compensation Insurance Fund, a nonprofit provider of California workers’ compensation coverage, is installing a large solar and battery system at its northern Solano County offices as part of a big upgrade at seven locations. The Vacaville system includes 5.4 megawatts of photovoltaic production paired with a battery with 2 megawatt-hours of storage and 1 megawatt… Read More »Big solar, battery system going into Vacaville

Generate, a solar developer and project owner,  announced that it has put the first six of up to 23 New York State community solar projects into service under a multi-year facility with Starbucks Coffee Company. The 90-MW portfolio of projects is expected to supply solar energy for local Starbucks stores and up to 24,000 households, small… Read More »New York Starbucks locations will soon be 70% solar-powered

Large standalone battery plants had not succeeded in New England’s capacity market. Until now. Battery plants have established themselves in the sunny Southwest, but this week was the first time they won big in New England. San Francisco-based developer Plus Power won two bids in the latest capacity auction held by the New England ISO, which… Read More »Plus Power Breaks Open Market for Massive Batteries in New England

The Solar Investment Tax Credit, also known as the ITC, which was scheduled to drop from 26% to 22% in 2021, has been extended for 2 more years. This extension was included in a $1.4 trillion federal spending package. What does this mean for residential solar customers? It means that all solar projects that begin construction… Read More »ITC Tax Credit Extended