Omnidian finishes series A, Turtle tackles storage: pvMB 6/26/19

Hello one and all and welcome to your Wednesday pvMB. Today we’ll be taking a look at ENGIE’s 2 MW battery at the San Diego Airport, Standard solar’s acquisition of a project in Vermont, the solar education efforts of an Ohio paper and more!

Turtle & Hughes enters energy storage market – Turtle and Hughes, the electrical distribution company, has announced that the company will be making a foray into the energy storage market. The company launched a new department, Turtle Energy Storage Services, which will provide an array of services including system modeling, planning and design, technical support, and just-in-time inventory solutions. Source: Turtle and Hughes

Omnidian closes Series A funding – “Omnidian today announced a successful $15 million capital raise. The round was led by IA Capital, a New York-based insurtech venture capital firm. Additional investors in the round include the venture arms of major utilities Evergy, National Grid (National Grid Partners) and Avista Corp, as well as investments from Blue Bear Capital, Congruent Ventures and City Light Capital.. With this injection of capital, Omnidian will continue to support its multiple Fortune 1000 clients’ residential lease portfolios and grow its Elite Dealer Program, which allows residential solar dealers to include Omnidian’s comprehensive system protection and cash-back performance guarantees for all cash and loan customers for just $300 for the first year.” Source: Omnidian

Solar education in local news – Now this is good content. In an effort to educate readers on the language of residential solar, Ohio’s Country Journal ran an article by Evin Bachelor, a law fellow at Ohio State University’s Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program. The article goes over the terminology of solar leases and is a great example of the small scale solar education that should be done to increase adoption. Here’s the article. Source: Ohio’s Country Journal

Standard Solar buys 3.2 MW in Vermont – “Standard Solar, Inc. today announced its entrance into the Vermont solar market with the purchase of a 3.2 megawatt solar project in Wallingford… The project, developed by Wallingford Solar LLC, is approximately 17 acres of a 49.6-acre parcel that once served as a gravel pit and hot-mix asphalt plant. Positive Energy NY LLC, a renewable energy construction company specializing in large scale commercial and utility solar projects in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, will construct the array. The project is being supported by a Power Purchase Agreement with the Vermont Renewable Energy Program (VEPP), a not-for-profit Vermont corporation that administers two of Vermont’s Renewable Energy Programs under contract with the Vermont Public Utility Commission.” Source: Standard Solar

San Diego Airport installs ENGIE battery – “ENGIE Storage today announced that San Diego International Airport (SAN) is the first airport in the United States to install one of its battery energy storage systems. The 2 MW/4 MWh GridSynergy® energy storage system furthers the airport’s long-term commitment to efficiency and sustainability.  Paired with the airport’s existing photovoltaic solar system, the new energy storage system will reduce energy charges during peak demand which equate to approximately 40 percent of the airport’s monthly electricity costs. The system is expected to begin operation in early 2020.” Source: Engie

Source: pv-magazine-usa