Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Picked to Build Solar Plant in Dubai
A Masdar-led group won the bidding to build a solar power plant in Dubai to produce what could be the world’s cheapest electricity generated from the sun.
Read MoreArgentina Launches Innovative Renewables Program
Argentina will hold a public auction on August 22 to buy 1,000 MW of renewable energy under an innovative program called “RenovAR” that includes a “green trust fund” to provide security and confidence to investors.
Read More‘Tesla Solar’ Wants to Be the Apple Store for Electricity
Tesla Motors Inc.’s bid to buy the biggest U.S. rooftop solar installer has little to do with selling cars. Rather, it’s about solving two of the biggest problems standing in the way of the next solar boom. And perhaps a good deal more.
When Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk came out last week with his $2.86 billion plan to acquire SolarCity Inc., it was almost universally derided as a risky financial move that threatens to derail the electric car maker at its most critical moment.
That’s undoubtedly true. But in the dozens of analyst notes and news stories that picked apart the deal, there’s been little attention paid to what we’ll call “Tesla Solar” and how it could transform the power sector. It’s actually a really big idea.
Solar Problem No. 1: It’s too complicated
Consider the average homeowner who might be vaguely interested in adding rooftop solar. Where does the process start?
Read MoreListen Up: Solar Power in the Sunshine State
When I first got into solar, Florida seemed to be a natural market. After all, it’s the Sunshine State. In spite of the sun, there is one big problem that was holding back the market: the state of Florida prohibits residents from purchasing electricity from a source other than a utility. Unlike all other sunny states in the U.S., third party solar companies such as SolarCity, SunRun and Vivint are prohibited from providing solar leases and PPAs to homeowners. This utility-biased state policy has made it difficult for homeowners to finance their rooftop solar systems.
Fortunately, affordable solar loans are now available in Florida. These low interest and easy qualification loans help homeowners get to positive cash flow (electricity savings > financing costs). As a result, the rooftop solar industry in Florida is finally growing, in spite of the utilities’ anti-competitive policies.
My guest this week is Justin Hoysradt, CEO of Vinyasun, one of the leading residential solar installers in Florida. Please join me on this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World as Justin talks about the opportunities for rooftop solar in Florida, as well as some of their unique requirements — such as mounting systems and panels that can resist hurricane-force winds.
Read MoreShuttered Mine Streamlines Development, Slashes Costs of Pumped-hydro Storage in Australia
In the eastern Australian state of Queensland, developers plans to transform a disused gold mine into a 450-MW pumped-hydro storage facility at a fraction of the cost typically associated with pumped-hydro projects.
Read MoreLeveraging Live Video Broadcast Technology to Streamline Renewable Energy Site Management
In the renewable energy industry, many companies worldwide find that distances between offices and installation sites pose a significant challenge for surveying and project management.
Read MoreEPAct 2005: A Game Changer for Transmission? Part Two
In part one of this article, we discussed Section 1222 — entitled “Third-Party Finance” — of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Here, we look closer at Section 1222 put in practice with Clean Line Energy’s Plains & Eastern Clean Line Project
Read MoreDrones Go Where Man Has Gone Before
Around the nation, that chatter you hear is the buzz about drones (or the more official term – small unmanned aerial systems – sUAS). Duke Energy is grabbing its share of buzz. It’s one of the few utilities testing drones and looking to make them part…
Read MoreDrones Go Where Man Has Gone Before
Around the nation, that chatter you hear is the buzz about drones (or the more official term – small unmanned aerial systems – sUAS). Duke Energy is grabbing its share of buzz. It’s one of the few utilities testing drones and looking to make them part…
Read MoreSunEdison Sells Portfolio of Indian Rooftop Solar Projects
SunEdison Inc., the bankrupt clean-energy giant, sold a 7-MW portfolio of rooftop solar projects in India to Amplus Energy Solutions Pvt.
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