Solar Shortages Threaten Cooperative Utility Projects
Posted on Oct 8, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Solar Shortages Threaten Cooperative Utility Projects
Shortages of solar panel equipment are expected in 2016, with lead times of up to six months for larger orders. Dan Danley, contract technical liaison with NRECA’s Business and Technology Strategies unit, has been warning utilities to plan ahead to avoid solar project delays. The projected shortages are the result of increased demand for solar equipment driven in part by a 30 percent...
Settlement Reached for Utah Coal Plant
Posted on Oct 7, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Settlement Reached for Utah Coal Plant
Deseret Electric Power Cooperative (Deseret), WildEarth Guardians, the Sierra Club and federal regulators have reached an agreement establishing limits on the amount of coal that the Bonanza Power Plant, located in Uintah County, Utah, may burn. The limits imposed by the deal could result in the early retirement of the Bonanza Power Plant, but Deseret believes the deal will allow for...
Colorado Coop Institutes New Charge for Solar Customers
Posted on Oct 7, 2015 in Corporate Governance, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Colorado Coop Institutes New Charge for Solar Customers
The board of Colorado-based cooperative Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA) recently voted to institute a new charge on customers that rely on solar power during the day and IREA at night. The new charge, called a “Load Factor Adjustment” is meant to recover costs of service from IREA customers with solar panels that sell excess power to IREA by way of net metering. The...
Mississippi Considers Net Metering
Posted on Oct 6, 2015 in Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Mississippi Considers Net Metering
The Mississippi Public Service Commission (Commission) is considering a plan to mandate that utilities pay solar panel owners for power they generate. Electric cooperatives, which serve 767,000 Mississippi customers, argue the Commission can’t legally force them to adopt net metering.
Hawaii Coop to Offer Daytime Discounts
Posted on Oct 5, 2015 in Energy Savings Programs, Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Hawaii Coop to Offer Daytime Discounts
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is planning to roll out the pilot version of a program that would discount customer-members’ rates for electricity used during the day. KIUC has identified 300 residential customers whose rates between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. would be shaved by 25 percent. The innovative concept, which may initially appear counterintuitive when compared to off-peak...
Appalachian Electric Cooperative Set to Begin New Solar Project in Fall
Posted on Oct 2, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Appalachian Electric Cooperative Set to Begin New Solar Project in Fall
Appalachian Electric Cooperative is set to begin construction of a new 1.373-megawatt “community solar” facility this fall. The facility will include 9,468 photovoltaic cells that will generate enough renewable electricity to power approximately 115 homes for an entire year. The new project will be funded in part by a grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority and is one of only two...
Endangered Species Protection Not Needed for Greater Sage-Grouse
Posted on Sep 22, 2015 in Environmental, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Endangered Species Protection Not Needed for Greater Sage-Grouse
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled Tuesday that the greater sage-grouse does not require protection under the Endangered Species Act, a win for the energy industry, ranchers and other landowners in the West.
Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Signs 20-year PPA with SunPower
Posted on Sep 18, 2015 in Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative Signs 20-year PPA with SunPower
SunPower is constructing a 20MW ac solar PV SunPower® Oasis® Power Plant system in Arizona and has agreed to sell the electricity generated to Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) when the plant commences operating by the end of 2016. SSVEC has an option to purchase the facility at a later date.
Coop Installs Montana’s First Community Solar Project
Posted on Sep 15, 2015 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Coop Installs Montana’s First Community Solar Project
Flathead Electric Cooperative recently installed a 356-panel community solar project in Whitefish, Montana. Members can purchase a panel for $900 and then receive credit for the energy the panel produces for the life of the project.
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Signs PPA with SolarCity for Battery-Stored Solar Power
Posted on Sep 11, 2015 in Innovation/Efficiency, Reliability, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative Signs PPA with SolarCity for Battery-Stored Solar Power
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) has agreed to purchase electricity from SolarCity’s proposed 52-MWh battery system project, believed to be the first utility-scale system in the U.S. capable of dispatching stored solar power. The project, when completed, will provide 13 megawatts of solar power to the grid in the evening, when demand is highest. The power purchase agreement...
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