Corporate demand and state mandates are driving utility solar installations, but voluntary procurements based on pure economics continue to dominate. Voluntary procurement of utility solar remains the top driver of U.S. utility PV in development, according to Wood Mackenzie. WoodMac defines voluntary procurement as procurement based solely on the economic competitiveness of renewables against other […]
Google Promises $150M for Renewables to Green Manufacturing Footprint
Tech giant will put money into “key manufacturing regions” for its products, including Nest. Google on Tuesday announced it will spend $150 million on renewable energy projects in “key manufacturing regions” for its products, including Nest, with a goal to encourage $1.5 billion in capital investment for renewables. Details on the commitment were scarce. Because […]
Solar ITC Extension Would Be ‘Devastating’ for US Wind Market: WoodMac
The booming U.S. wind industry faces an uncertain future in the 2020s. Few factors are more important than the fate of the solar ITC. An extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC) at its 30 percent value would be “devastating” to the future U.S. wind market, according to a new Wood Mackenzie report. The […]
Spain Moves to Prevent a Second Solar Bubble
Grid-connection applications for solar projects are rising by 15 gigawatts a month in a country with 40 gigawatts of total peak power demand. Spain’s energy regulator is moving to tighten PV plant grid connection rules as the country heads toward a second solar development bubble. The National Commission on Markets and Competition (Comisión Nacional de […]
US Wind Farm Development Reaches Record High in Q2
Completed capacity in the first half of the year improved on 2018 by 53 percent. The U.S. wind industry reached a new high water mark of development in the second quarter, new information shows. More than 200 projects are undergoing construction or late-stage development in 33 states, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy […]
New Ground: Spanish Firm Signs PPA for Crowdfunded Solar Plant
Europe’s first large-scale solar power-purchase agreement for a crowdfunded project comes as renewables contracts reach new heights of innovation. A Spanish firm has broken new ground in the complex world of solar contracting with what is thought to be Europe’s first large-scale power-purchase agreement for a crowdfunded plant. Holaluz, a clean-energy retailer, signed up to […]
C&I Renewables Marketplace LevelTen Draws Investments From Total and Equinor
LevelTen is targeting the “long tail” of smaller companies interested in renewables, including in Europe, CEO Bryce Smith tells Greentech Media. LevelTen Energy, a marketplace for corporate and industrial (C&I) renewable energy procurement, announced a fundraising round of $20.5 million on Monday. The latest fundraise is significantly higher than its previous round of $6.8 million. […]
Solar Developer 7X Energy Secures Final Corporate PPA for 690MW Texas Project
Having found early success in the “very competitive” Texas solar market, 7X Energy is quietly pushing into new geographies, CEO says. Solar developer 7X Energy secured a second and final corporate power-purchase agreement for its 690-megawatt Taygete project in West Texas, unlocking what will be the state’s largest solar project as the ambitious developer readies […]
Statkraft Looks to Virtual Power Plants as Renewable Energy Demand Surges
The Norwegian firm aims to build 2 gigawatts of virtual power plant capacity in the U.K., alongside 12 gigawatts in Germany. The Norwegian hydro giant Statkraft is looking to a virtual power plant (VPP) model for expansion across Europe. This month the company confirmed plans for 2 gigawatts of VPP capacity in the U.K. later […]
Iberdrola Uses Blockchain to Authenticate Clean Energy for Corporate Customers
The new approach makes it cheaper and easier for corporate customers to track clean energy that they purchase. The Spanish utility Iberdrola this month said it had used ablockchainplatform to certify delivery of green energy to one of its corporate customers. The company used a platform developed by Energy Web Foundation (EWF) to provide real-time […]