California advances flexible demand that can absorb renewable power  With flexible demand appliance standards for pool controls set to take effect in California next year, the state is now developing standards for electric storage water heaters, to be followed by standards for five more types of appliances.

PV systems can now support grid as fossil fuels decline A new report by the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaics  Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) says that existing PV systems have the technical capabilities to provide various frequency-related grid services.

Google invests in 800 MW solar project in Illinois The Double Black Diamond Solar project may be the largest solar installation east of the Mississippi when complete in 2025.

The Hydrogen Stream: U.S. companies, institutions present hydrogen plans As the hydrogen project in Appalachia moves on, American Airlines confirms its commitment to hydrogen aircrafts. Meanwhile, a Scottish distillery might soon run on hydrogen for whisky production.

Startup Enteligent secures $6 million to scale solar EV charging The company offers a DC-to-DC electric bidirectional electric vehicle charger that allows EVs to charge directly from solar panels without the need to convert to AC.

Natron Energy announces $1.4 billion sodium ion battery factory in North Carolina The company will open a 24 GW annual production facility, creating over 1,000 jobs.

The California Energy Commission expects to issue flexible demand appliance standards for electric storage water heaters “hopefully” within months, said Michael Sokol, director of the efficiency division at the California Energy Commission (CEC), on a webinar hosted by the Clean Energy States Alliance.

The CEC issued a flexible demand appliance standard for pool controls last October. CEC Commissioner Andrew McAllister said at the time that a standard for electric storage water heaters would be next, noting that ten of the largest heat pump manufacturers had committed to help California reach its goal of 6 million heat pumps for water or space heating by 2030.

Flexible demand appliance standards in California will work in tandem with flexible rates for electricity, enabling appliances to operate when rates are lower, for example when renewable generation is high.

EV chargers, batteries, and more

The CEC has set a tentative sequence for developing flexible demand appliance standards for five more types of appliances, based on “our early analysis” and preliminary stakeholder planning discussions, Sokol said.

The third standard, after pool controls and electric storage water heaters, is expected to cover electric vehicle supply equipment, such as EV chargers. Next would be standards for battery energy storage systems.

The next three standards to be developed would have “end-user time impacts,” Sokol said, namely low-voltage thermostats, electric clothes dryers and dishwashers.

McAllister said last year that California aims to reach 7 GW of load flexibility by combining 3 GW of price-responsive demand from appliances with 4 GW of traditional demand response, in which some customers “drop load” during the 100 highest-demand hours of the year.

A Californian who owns a pool and operated a flexible demand pool control unit on its default schedule would save about $100 per year, Sokol said. Customers will have the ability to override the default schedule and operate a pool control unit at times of their choosing.

CalFlexHub

Much of the research underlying the new standards is conducted by the California Load Flexibility Research and Deployment Hub (CalFlexHub) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

CalFlexHub will hold an all-day symposium on September 24.

Three solar-plus-storage microgrids will “transform” a 142 mile-long distribution circuit that serves three tribes in eastern Humboldt County, California from “one of the state’s least reliable” circuits into a “highly resilient” system, says the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt University.

The Schatz Center, which is leading the microgrid system design, says the microgrids will have a total of 9 MW of solar and 14 MW / 37 MWh of storage. The rural location will also enable 2 MW of small-scale, fish-safe hydropower and 1 MW of small-scale generation powered by forest residues.

A microgrid will serve each of the three tribes served by the “Hoopa 1101” distribution circuit—the Hoopa Valley, Yoruk and Karuk Tribes. The microgrids are expected to reduce outage hours in the area served by 90%. The cost will be about half the cost of improving reliability by undergrounding power lines, the Schatz Center said.

Chairman Russell Attebery of the Karuk Tribe said the project will “provide the safeguards needed to survive along the river. Our people will no longer fear losing their food or vital medical resources, like vaccines, as we have in the past.”

Each microgrid will be located “in front of the meter” and thus will be capable of powering a portion of the distribution circuit during local outages. The microgrids will be “nested,” enabling them to function either jointly or independently, as immediate circumstances along the power line require.

The project, known as the Tribal Energy Resilience and Sovereignty (TERAS) project, will advance sovereignty through tribal construction, ownership and operation of the advanced microgrid systems, and will include career development and education components.

The design has wide applicability, suggested Schatz Center Director Arne Jacobson, saying the center is “excited to radically expand the capacity of microgrids to provide energy reliability in high-risk locations.”

The Schatz Center previously designed California’s first front-of-the-meter, 100% renewable energy microgrid at the Redwood Coast Airport, and the first iteration of the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe’s microgrid in Humboldt County. The center is now designing an expansion of that microgrid into four nested, behind-the-meter microgrids, which will provide a demonstration site for the controls system that will subsequently be deployed along the Hoopa 1101 circuit.

The $177 million TERAS project is being supported with a federal cost share of $88 million, awarded in the latest round of grants under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program. In making the award, DOE said the project will “develop a replicable public-private partnership model for equitable and community-driven grid modernization.”

DOE says the GRIP program is designed to “enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.”

The Schatz Center is also developing a campus-wide microgrid at Cal Poly Humboldt.

The evolving art and science of agrivoltaics At Bluewave, integrating solar technology with traditional farming practices isn’t just a concept, it’s the new standard. Jesse Robertson-DuBois, director of sustainable solar development, shares insights on the transformative journey of agrivoltaics within the industry.

Renewables “cheaper and faster” than methane, says nation’s largest utility NextEra’s Q2 2024 quarterly earnings report shows significant growth in the company’s renewable pipeline. However, the group, which is typically exacting, refused to put a hard number on their future demand growth expectations.

Battery fire shuts down California highway A utility-scale battery delivery overturned on a highway after the truck carrying the batteries collided with a car, overcorrected, tipped to the side and dumped its cargo, leading to a fire that lasted more than 24 hours.

Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

Massive 900 MW solar project designed to preserve agricultural land Brookfield Renewable Partners filed a notice of intent for a 900 MW solar project in Oregon that will be installed in ribbons along the edge of a field to allow for continued agricultural use of the land

Three small changes that can make a big difference to your energy bills  There are a few ways to make efficiency-minded changes at home that reduce energy bills now and in the future.

8 GW of solar-plus-storage at resilience hubs in California could save lives Solar and storage at almost 20,000 community sites across California could help protect its population during power outages, especially during heat and smoke events, a study found.

Battery fire shuts down California highway A utility-scale battery delivery overturned on a highway after the truck carrying the batteries collided with a car, overcorrected, tipped to the side and dumped its cargo, leading to a fire that lasted more than 24 hours.

Senate committee approves bill to improve permitting of energy projects The bipartisan legislation is designed to speed up permitting by setting deadlines and doubling production targets for renewable energy permitting on federal lands while not compromising environmental review or community needs.

Bill aims to cut 45X tax credits for Chinese solar makers While the lucrative tax credits has attracted clean energy manufacturers from around the world to build factories in the U.S., the fact that many of the new manufacturing facilities are from Chinese companies has created a controversy that this new bill aims to solve.

Data center power loads threaten corporate net-zero goals The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2026, data centers will consume more than 800 TWh annually, more than double their consumption in 2022.

A truckload of batteries caught fire after an accident on a California highway on Friday, July 26, just before 6 a.m. PST, leading to significant delays as the lithium product burned through the weekend.

According to the California Highway Patrol:

The collision occurred when the driver of a 2020 Freightliner, trailering a flatbed trailer loaded with a sealed container of six industrial grade lithium-ion batteries, lost control and overturned onto the right shoulder of northbound I-15. Subsequently, the battery container became detached from the flatbed trailer and also rolled onto the right shoulder.

The truck was carrying just over 75,000 pounds of lithium batteries, six in total, which were headed to a project in Wisconsin. The battery manufacturer and solar power facility owner have not yet been publicly disclosed.

Due to the location of the accident, heading east out of Los Angeles, it is unlikely the batteries were manufactured by Tesla. The Tesla Lathrop, California megafactory is located due north of this facility and would likely have used a different set of highways to reach Wisconsin.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department stated, “Multiple attempts were made to move the container from the freeway shoulder to open land using heavy equipment from the County Fire’s Special Operations Division, including an excavator and a dozer. Ground improvements and grading were completed in preparation for relocating the container to a safe area for long-term mitigation and cleanup. However, the container’s weight, exceeding 75,000 pounds, has made these efforts unsuccessful so far.”

The fire burned for at least twenty-four hours, posing significant hazards. It was announced that at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 28th, crews had done enough work to reopen two lanes of the interstate. About an hour later, all northbound lanes were reopened. As of Tuesday afternoon, state officials reported that the fire was still burning to some degree.

Also on Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol released the name of the driver, but their injuries, if any, have not been announced.

Caltrans, the California transportation manager, said that they “coordinated delivery of essential supplies and medical aid, including 100 gallons of diesel and 60 gallons of gasoline to stranded motorists on I-15 and to those being diverted to I-40.” Additionally, multiple pallets of water were delivered to the site as temperatures in the desert began to increase. The Highway Patrol was also conducting welfare checks on vehicles stopped in the miles-long traffic jam.

California faces public safety power shutoffs, wildfires and heat waves that “increasingly trigger outages across the state,” creating a “pressing need” to support increased community resilience, says a research paper.

To help meet its climate resilience needs, the state could add rooftop solar and storage to about 20,000 schools, community centers and places of worship, creating what the authors call “resilience hubs.”

Resilience hubs could provide clean, cool air for those “who might otherwise die” in heat waves or smoke events, the study says, adding that the elderly and those with chronic health conditions are particularly vulnerable to heat waves.

Each site could, as a baseline, add an amount of solar-plus-storage that is economically optimal for everyday use, such that it could be financed, perhaps with state loan guarantees. Across all the sites, 5.5 GW of rooftop solar and 1.8 GW of storage could be financed to power everyday operations. In an emergency, if grid power is available, the sites could provide smoke-free, conditioned air for 40% of California’s 39 million people, and also power communication and medical devices, the study projected.

Increasing the rooftop solar to nearly the 8 GW maximum potential across all sites and increasing storage would increase resilience capacity. Because that increased capacity could not be financed at current electric rates, it would require grant funding, incentives, or more favorable rate designs.

The community sites considered could only partially help the state meet its needs for resilient power, the study found.

The nonprofit PSE Healthy Energy, which employs most of the study’s authors, said on a landing page for the study that resilience hubs are unlike emergency cooling centers as they are “built in trusted community spaces and provide resilience-building services on an ongoing basis,” such as helping vulnerable communities “to address underlying risk factors and improve resilience to disaster over time.”

Hybrid systems

The study evaluated resilience hubs powered by solar-plus-storage, but acknowledged that hybrid systems that add fossil generation “may be more economical, particularly when high levels of resilience are required.” Even so, fuel-based backup requires regular testing and maintenance, they study says, citing research finding that half of poorly-maintained generators fail within 48 hours during a long-duration outage.

The study used the REopt model, developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in its analysis of the solar-plus-storage potential at the community buildings it considered.

The open-access study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, is titled “Modeling and design of solar + storage-powered community resilience hubs across California.”

AI-enabled solar installation robot Maximo the robot will soon help to construct the 2 GW Bellefield solar project in California. 

California state grant advances 2 GWh iron flow battery deployment plans The Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s long-duration battery energy storage project in partnership with ESS Tech, Inc. has been awarded a $10 million grant from the California Energy Commission to demonstrate the capability of iron flow battery technology.

Can the grid cope with the surge in electricity demand? The grid needs to modernize to meet a booming demand for electricity, which is only predicted to grow even further in coming years. IEC Standards are key to help with the transition.

Sunnova forges two new partnerships with home energy financers The residential solar and energy storage “adaptive services” provider partnered with EV charging and home energy financers.

Massive 900 MW solar project designed to preserve agricultural land Brookfield Renewable Partners filed a notice of intent for a 900 MW solar project in Oregon that will be installed in ribbons along the edge of a field to allow for continued agricultural use of the land.

From ESS News

While most long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies are still early stage, flow batteries have already had significant commercial success due to their long cycle life, excellent recyclability, and low fire risk.

In one of the biggest developments in the field, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the sixth-largest community-owned electric service provider in the US, has partnered with iron flow battery specialist ESS Tech, Inc. to deliver up to 200 MW/ 2 GWh of iron flow long-duration energy storage systems.

With the partnership closed in 2022, the project reached a new milestone last week with the approval of a $10 million grant from the California Energy Commission. The funding will be used for developing a 3.6 MW, eight-hour iron flow battery project, which is expected to set the foundation for future large-scale battery deployments and manufacturing at energy centers in Sacramento.

The project aims to showcase the capability and reliability of iron flow battery technology in supporting grid distribution and transmission systems as SMUD transitions to a carbon-free power portfolio by 2030.

Founded in 2011, ESS manufactures iron flow batteries using widely available materials such as iron, salt, and water. Designed for applications that require up to twelve hours of flexible energy capacity, the batteries are used in utility-scale renewable energy installations, remote solar-plus-storage microgrids, solar load-shifting and peak shaving, as well as other ancillary grid services.

To continue reading, please visit our ESS News website.

The AES Corporation, a global power company with generation and distribution businesses, introduced a robot powered by artificial intelligence. Dubbed “Maximo”, the robot works alongside solar installation teams, helping to install solar panels half the time and half the cost of manual labor installations, said the company.

“Maximo is the first proven solar installation robot on the market,” said Andrés Gluski, AES president and CEO. “We are facing unprecedented increases in demand, driven in large part by the rise of AI and data centers, and innovations like these will be fundamental for accelerating our ability to bring projects online faster and with greater efficiency.”

Maximo can do the heavy lifting and can automatically place and attach panels, increasing safety and accuracy of installations.

To date, AES has used the robot to install nearly 10 MW of solar and the company expects to use Maximo to help build up to 5 GW of its solar backlog and pipeline over the next three years.

One of the projects that Maximo will soon be assisting on is the 2 GW Bellefield project in Kern County, California, a solar-plus-storage project for which Amazon is the offtaker.

“As society’s energy needs grow, the demand for new solar and wind projects are also increasing, requiring us to innovate so we can scale more quickly,” said Chris Walker, director of AWS Sustainability. “We’re excited to collaborate with renewable energy developers like AES that are prioritizing the use of AI technologies that can help us move faster to a carbon-free energy future.” 

Maximo makes use of computer vision for precise placement of the panels. It also learns as it goes, which the company says improves performance and efficiency. The robot is said to perform in a range of climates and lighting conditions and has been validated in the field across a variety of U.S. project sites.

Automation of heavy lifting and precision tasks may become more commonplace in an industry already suffering from a shortage of workers. A report by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) noted that the solar industry expects total U.S. installations will grow from 141 GW in 2022 to over 700 GW in 2033. The Solar Energy Industries Association predicts the total number of solar jobs could reach 538,000 by 2032. The IREC report noted that in 2022, 44% of solar industry employers said it was “very difficult” to find qualified applicants—the highest such percentage ever recorded in the Solar Jobs Census, and likely to continue with the escalation of installations.

Maximo is not the first robot to assist in solar installations. Last year, for example, Terabase Energy completed its first installation using Terafab, an automated utility-scale solar installation platform. The Terafab system uses digital twins, logistics software, an on-site digital command center, a field-deployed automated assembly line, and installation rovers that can operate 24/7.  Terabase reported that in its first installation, labor productivity improved 25% when compared with manual installation.

Automated permitting for distributed solar and storage is set to expand well beyond California, as five states follow California’s lead in offering grant support to localities to help them switch to automated permitting.

An automated process can issue a permit “instantly” to a distributed solar project that meets all permitting requirements, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Standard permitting can take months, says the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, “resulting in delays and higher costs for homeowners and solar companies.”

The best-known automated permitting software for solar and storage is SolarAPP+, developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL provides free support to local governments before and during implementation of SolarAPP+, and a spokesperson said the software will always be free for local governments to use, while solar installers pay user fees.

While the software is free to local governments, grants can help them meet the costs for staff time to transition to automated permitting. Once the transition is completed, automated permitting can save substantial staff time.

NREL reports that SolarAPP+ is now used by 138 local governments in California and 14 local governments in nine other states, including several large cities and counties. The software is also being pilot tested by 56 local governments.

California has been helping local governments make the switch to automated permitting by offering them grant support and technical assistance, in a program launched in 2022.

Five other states are now following California’s lead in offering grants and technical assistance to local governments adopting automated permitting.

In Washington, state legislators early this year allocated $600,000 for a grant program. The state’s solar trade group WASEIA provided written testimony to the Washington House Appropriations Committee and a policy brief supporting the budget provision “to help speed rollout of SolarApp+,” said Bill Will, the association’s senior policy advisor.

Colorado has launched an “Automated Permit Processing for Solar” grant program with $1 million in funding for local governments. The state’s solar trade group COSSA “was the main advocacy organization to push for” a state law that created the grant program, said Mike Kruger, president and CEO of COSSA, as the group worked with bipartisan sponsors and other stakeholders “to lower red tape and speed up solar permitting,”

Minnesota has budgeted $2 million to support a grant program for local governments to adopt SolarAPP+. Passing the legislation “was a multi-year, bipartisan effort,” said Logan O’Grady, executive director of the state’s solar trade group MnSEIA. The group “was proud to collaborate with advocacy partners on this initiative, boosting the residential solar market and enabling Minnesotans to go solar faster and easier,” he said.

Illinois plans to use a portion of its federal Solar for All grant to fund a program to help communities automate permitting, according to Environment America.

Maryland has announced an upcoming SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program.

Automation requirements

California and Maryland have also set requirements for local governments to automate solar permitting.

California requires all but the smallest local governments to use either SolarAPP+ or another automated permitting software. Larger cities and counties were required to comply by last September, and medium-sized cities and counties are required to comply by this September.

The California Energy Commission says that “enforcement lies outside of CEC jurisdiction but may be enforced through private claims.”

California last month completed awards of $19 million in grants to 334 cities and counties to make the switch to automated permitting, according to an analysis by Permit Power, a new advocacy organization dedicated to advancing automated permitting.

Maryland’s Brighter Tomorrow Act, enacted in May, requires local governments to adopt automated solar permitting software, according to the law firm Saul Ewing. Montgomery County, Maryland, with a population of 1 million, already uses SolarAPP+.

In New York, the solar trade group NYSEIA recently called for automated permitting in the state.

Advocacy partners

The nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors joined with others in advocating for the automated permitting grant programs in Minnesota and Maryland, said a spokesperson.

Environment America Senior Campaign Director Johanna Neumann said the nonprofit group’s Maryland director identified legislative sponsors for the state’s automated permitting policy, recruited allies, and helped guide the legislative strategy.

Permit Power also contributed to the Maryland effort, Neumann said.

Residential solar company SunPower stock crashes 70% The company’s share price fell below $1 as it announced it is halting some operations and ending its lease and power purchase agreement offerings, among other actions.

How long do residential solar panels last? Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of this series, we look at the solar panels themselves.

U.S. Senators introduce comprehensive energy permitting reform act Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY) released the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, promising to accelerate the permitting processes for energy and mineral projects of all types in the U.S.

WoodMac says global solar tracker shipments grew by 28% in 2023 Global tracker shipments reached 92 GWdc last year, according to WoodMackenzies’ latest report. The US accounted for the majority of the global market, with three US-based manufacturers, Nextracker, Array Technologies and GameChange Solar, ranking as the three largest shippers in the world.

Interview: My experience as a battery energy storage homeowner What is it like being a residential solar and energy storage prosumer living in California? Ahmad Faruqui, economist-at-large, shares his perspective with pv magazine USA .

Q. When did you install energy storage? Was it part of a solar project?

In December 2019. I installed a single battery along with 25 solar panels on my roof.

Q. Did the project have an EV charger included?

Yes, I also installed an EV charger at the same time. I bought a Tesla Model 3 in June 2019. Until the EV charger was installed, I was driving to a nearby Supercharger to charge my car. Now I charge mostly at home.

Q. What brand of storage do you use?

I went with an LG Chem battery. It was a choice between a Tesla Powerwall and an LG Chem battery. The Powerwall had more storage capacity but was substantially more expensive.

Q. How did you decide on the size of the battery you needed?

I went with the solar installer’s recommendation and installed a single battery.

Q. Why did you include energy storage?

I installed it for two reasons: to power essential circuits in the house during power outages and to engage in arbitrage against a three-period time-of-use rate, EV-A rate. It had much lower off-peak prices than the standard TOU rate.

Q. What functions do you use the battery for?

Every day the battery is used for TOU arbitrage. It is charged every morning by the solar panels while the house is powered by the grid at the off-peak rate. After the battery is fully charged, the solar panels power the house. That usually begins in the late morning hours and continues until the early afternoon hours. When the solar panels are not generating enough power to meet the needs of the house, the battery begins to send power to the house. That continues until the battery has dropped to 30% charge. Then it goes into standby mode, to supply power if an outage occurs.

On mild weather days, when the central air conditioner is not running, the battery can keep on powering the house until 10 or sometimes even 11 pm. In the summer, the battery stops charging the house around 6 or 7 pm.

Q. How often do you have power outages? What kind of problems do they cause?

From June 2021 onwards, I have had more than a dozen power outages. Usually they are just a few hours long. The battery kicks in and runs five essential circuits, including the refrigerators, the freezer, lights and numerous plug loads.

I have now added a sixth circuit, which supplies power to the gas furnace. I did that when we had a couple of outages during the winter months. Both lasted longer than 10 hours. One was a planned outage for repairs to the underground wiring that we have in our neighborhood. It was followed two days later by an even longer unplanned outage. During those days, the gas furnace was not getting power and it did not run. The temperature in the house dropped to 60 degrees.

Q. Has the battery suffered degradation? Has it needed repairs?

Slight degradation seems to have occurred. It’s rated at 9.8 kWh but I don’t think it is storing that much power now, four and half years after installation. The only repairs that were needed were when it was just a month old. An installation error occurred, and the battery died. A replacement was installed a couple of months later.

There was also a problem with the two “strings” that connect the solar panels with the inverter. One of them was inadvertently disconnected when the contractor came by to check why my net usage data from the inverter did not line up with the data in my monthly PG&E bills. I was quite despondent. Thankfully, the problem was remedied in a few weeks by the contractor, but only if I reached out to the president of the firm.

Q. Has everything met expectations?

Pretty much. The solar panels have substantially reduced my net usage from the grid, as shown in the charts below. I have data from PG&E’s website on my usage going back to 2008. It does not have the ability to show solar production but shows imports and exports and net usage. Production data is only available on the SolarEdge website.

From 2008 to 2015, my monthly consumption averaged 1041 kWh. In 2015, two of my PG&E monthly bills (for electric and gas) exceeded $500. In February 2016, I did a whole house energy upgrade which lowered my consumption to 806 kWh, but that did little to lower my bills since electric rates kept on rising. So, at the end of 2019, I installed solar and storage and my consumption since then has averaged 103 kWh (which includes the charging of my EV).

Electricity consumption varies across the months, since I live in the East Bay Area. Summers are hot and winters are cold. However, what stands out in the figure below is the dramatic difference in the pre-solar and post-solar pattern of usage.

Of course, there is year-to-year variation in the usage pattern, driven largely by weather. That’s brought out in this figure.

Here’s another way to unpack the data.

Q. Can you compare solar production with household consumption?

SolarEdge, through its inverter, knows how much electricity is being produced by the solar panels. It also knows how much electricity is being exported and imported and thus my net usage. Thus, it can solve for my gross consumption using a simple equation: Net usage = Production – Consumption.

The following figures provide consumption and production data by month for the years 2020-2024.  Consumption has risen over the years mostly because I have begun charging mostly at home and because I did not drive the car much during 2020-21 because of the lock down. Production has risen over the years because some foliage that was casting a shadow on the solar panels was removed.

The monthly variation is driven almost entirely due to seasonal variation in the weather – temperatures as well as the number of daylight hours. It’s worth noting that I don’t have a heat pump for HVAC or water heating. I have installed a highly efficient gas furnace and a very low NoX gas water heater.

2020

2021

2022

2023

Q. How much have your bills changed?

Before installing solar, my bills were averaging $200 a month, and rising with every passing year. Since then, the bills have averaged $50 a month. Last year the number was $65 a month.

During this time period, the off-peak rate has doubled, from 17 cents/kWh to 35 cents/kWh. The average rate now is around 46 cents/kWh. PG&E has lowered rates by 10% during the summer to give customers some respite but rates are expected to rise again in the fall. They may hit 50 cents/kWh by year end.

My gross electricity consumption last year was 12,700 kWh using information on the SolarEdge website. Using a price of 40 cents/kWh as the average, which might be an understatement, my monthly bill would come out to $423 a month, as opposed to $65 a month which I paid. That’s a reduction of nearly 85%.

Q. Are you eligible for participating in a VPP?

Early on, SolarEdge in conjunction with PG&E made a VPP offer to me. My system includes an SolarEdge inverter. I gave it some thought but declined the offer. I was concerned they may deplete my battery on critical system days, which would be really hot days. My battery would not have backup power to supply the house if an outage occurred. I continue to have that reservation about the VPP model.

Q. Do you see home storage as a viable way to help Californians control their rising electricity costs?

Yes, but only if storage is paired with solar panels. The battery by itself cannot lower the electric bill.

Q. Do you expect most Californians to include energy storage in their solar projects going forward?

Given the shift from NEM 2.0 to NEM 3.0, a battery would appear to be a must. My understanding is that half of new solar installations now feature batteries. However, since NEM 3.0 has lengthened the payback period considerably, overall solar installations seems to have dropped by 60-80 percent.

Q. Do you see a possibility that NEM 3.0 will be adjusted or repealed, or is it here to stay?

That’s a very difficult question to answer. It all depends on what the legislature wants to do. The CPUC won’t change NEM 3.0 unless it is forced by the legislature to do so.

Dr. Faruqui is an Economist-at-Large who has been working on energy issues since the summer of 1976, when he interned at the California Energy Commission. From 1978 to June 1979, he was a full-time analyst at the CEC. Subsequently, he worked at the Electric Power Research Institute for 11 years and then at several consulting firms, most notably Barakat & Chamblerlin, Charles River Associates, and The Brattle Group.

Clearway Energy has secured financing for a 200 MW solar-plus-storage project and a 113.5 MW energy storage facility in California. The company will utilize $700 million in construction financing to deploy these projects, which have long-term agreements with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), South California Edison (SCE), and the Power & Water Resources Pooling Authority (PWRPA).

The Luna Valley facility features 200 MWac of solar power coupled with 169 MW of energy storage. As indicated in the site layout above, the batteries are positioned at the site of the solar inverters, suggesting potential DC coupling with the solar power.

Nestled in Fresno County, the Luna Valley facility is surrounded by a mix of existing and future solar power plants. To the south, it is neighbored by the existing Tranquility Solar Project. The Adams East Solar Projects lie to the east, while the Scarlet Solar Power Project, currently under development, is situated to the west.

This facility is one of sixteen current and prospective solar facilities within a fifteen-mile radius.

The Luna Valley facility has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with SDG&E, SCE, and PWRPA, while the Daggett Storage facility has an agreement exclusively with SDG&E.

According to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), SDG&E has contracted equal amounts of solar and energy storage from the Luna and Dagget facilities. These resources are linked in a “virtually paired hybrid contract” as part of legislative efforts to replace the potentially retiring 2.2 GW Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. The combined resources are designed to be available daily from 5 P.M. to 10 P.M., providing power for at least five consecutive hours.

The energy storage facility, featuring a four-hour 113.5 MW battery, marks the final phase of the now complete 482 MW Daggett Solar plus 394 MW Energy Storage complex. To fulfill the five-hour runtime requirement, the facility operates the 113.5 MW battery at a derated 91 MW.

A sound study reveals that daytime noise levels within the facility’s perimeter could reach up to 55 decibels (dB), comparable to a loud conversation. Just outside the fence, sound levels peak between 40 and 45 dB, with the lower end akin to a whisper and the upper end similar to a normal conversation or a running dishwasher.

The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) will power its operations and electrify its fleet of vehicles with a three-acre solar farm, solar canopies and 56 charging stations. Fresno EOC will also use the vehicle-to-grid technology as it transitions its gas vehicles into a 50-shuttle electric fleet.

The EOC is a non-profit Community Action Agency that oversees more than 35 human services programs that help underserved populations in California’s Fresno County become more self-sufficient. It uses its bus fleet to transport community members to and from work, school and medical appointments, deliver meals, and fill other transportation needs to support its mission. To fund the solar project, EOC secured grant funding through the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program, and it will also receive rebates from local utility PG&E.

The project will take 24 months to complete from start to finish and will draw about 80% of the local workforce to help build the solar project. In addition, people enrolled in Fresno EOC’s own workforce and training program will receive education on energy and solar projects and may, in the future, provide hands on training and experience to the community.

The 1.5 MW ground-mount solar farm will be installed on a fixed-tilt racking system. Excess energy will be stored in a Nuvve-branded pre-validated battery energy storage system (BESS) integrated with Nuvve’s vehicle-to-grid platform.

The 56 charging stations are a mix of Nuvve PowerPort Neo level 2 EVSEs and V2G EVSEs. All chargers are Build America, Buy America (BABA) compliant

“Fresno as a community has historically endured poor air quality due to tailpipe emissions from the Los Angeles basin and gas-fired peaker power plants,” said Nuvve co-founder and CEO Gregory Poilasne. “With the adoption of our cutting-edge electric vehicle software and infrastructure, this project can serve as a model approach for modern, efficient, and eco-friendly public transportation.”

Elastocalorics could replace heat pumps, air conditioning systems Elastocalorics have the potential to replace current air conditioning and heating systems, offering significant energy savings when paired with technologies such as photovoltaics.

First Solar probes potential infringement of TOPCon patents First Solar says it is evaluating potential infringement of its patents for its TOPCon tech, secured through the acquisition of TetraSun in 2013. The U.S. thin-film solar module manufacturer has not named the companies involved or given a timeline for the investigation.

The Energy Information Administration reported in its monthly electric power industry report that battery adoption rates are rising among solar customers in California.

In October 2023, about 20% of California solar shoppers opted to include a battery energy storage system in their installation. In April 2024, that number has climbed to over 50%.

The change to battery-included systems is largely due to the transition to Net Energy Metering 3.0, a regulatory structure that decreased the amount paid to customers for sending solar production directly to the grid. Due to an hourly mismatch of peak solar production and peak electricity demand, regulators shifted compensation rates to place an emphasis on storing and dispatching solar generated electricity when it is needed the most.

A 50% or greater battery attachment rate is a significant change for the state’s solar industry. Solar-plus-battery systems make up about 9% of all installed residential net metering capacity in California. Over 40,000 new systems were added between October 2023 and April 2024, accounting for 232 MW of new battery storage capacity in the state, said EIA.

While NEM 3.0 achieved its intended effect of encouraging more battery installations, the rulemaking decision was unpopular with solar advocates. The change increased the overall sticker price for installing solar, and while you get the added benefit of battery backup during outages, the amount of time it will take to breakeven on a solar investment in California has increased. This has led to a decline in installations, with Q1 2024 having the lowest installed capacity in a quarter since 2021 with a little over 300 MW of solar installed.

California now has more than 12,000 MW of installed solar capacity in residential net metering systems smaller than 1 MW. Residential installations account for more than 70% of installed net metering capacity, and about one-third of total installed solar capacity in the state.

“Our data show that during the third quarter of 2023, 83,376 new residential net metering photovoltaic systems were installed, compared with 70,152 systems connected under the old NEM 2.0 rule during the same period in 2022. However, we cannot differentiate the systems that requested to be grandfathered to NEM 2.0,” said EIA.

The first quarter of 2024 saw an additional 46,631 systems installed. Since January 2022, an average of 21,000 solar systems were added every month.

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its 50 States of Solar: Q2 2024 report that looks at state regulatory and legislative discussions that affect the distributed solar market in various states.

The report finds that many states are taking a close look at solar policies due to the influx of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) going to state agencies and clean energy projects. Q2 2024 saw 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico take a total of 182 distributed solar policy actions.

In addition to states are examining the interplay of IRA funding and solar programs, other trends are seeing states initiate formal studies to inform net metering successor efforts, and states are modifying existing community solar programs.

The greatest number of actions address net metering policies (64), and residential fixed charge or minimum bill increases (48), and community solar policies (42). Most of these actions were taken in California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

Top five distributed generation solar policy actions

In Q2 2024, six states issued decisions, passed legislation, enhance programs or initiated studies that pertain to solar policy:

California—Regulators at the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued two major decisions on community solar and income-based fixed charges. The CPUC approved income-tiered residential fixed charges for the state’s investor-owned utilities, which range from $6.00 to $24.15. The CPUC also approved a new Community Renewable Energy Program and modifications to existing Green Tariff programs. The new community energy program will use existing procurement mechanisms like the Renewable Energy Market Adjustment Tariff and PURPA Standard Offer Contract as the foundation of the program.

Alaska— Alaska lawmakers passed legislation requiring the Commission-regulated utilities to offer community energy programs. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska is to develop several program specifications, including bill credit rates that consider the full economic value provided by community energy facilities. The Commission is also authorized to adopt a separate rate for capacity provided by energy storage as part of a community energy facility.

Colorado—Legislators in Colorado approved changes to the states’ community solar garden program. The revised program will begin in 2026 and focus on inclusive community solar development. It requires that at least 51% of a facility’s subscriptions be reserved for income-qualified customers and allows for the donation of excess credits to income-qualified customers. For income-qualified customers, the subscription charge is limited to 75% of the value of the bill credits, while this decreases to 70% if the project is receiving IRA funding for energy communities and 50% if IRA funding is being used to provide bill savings.

Connecticut and Washington—Lawmakers in these states initiated net metering studies. Connecticut’s study will consider whether the Renewable Energy Solutions Program should be extended and possible successors. Washington’s study will examine the value of distributed solar and storage and options that may be used after the net metering cap is reached.

Kansas—The Kansas legislature enacted legislation in April that increases the aggregate cap for net metering, as well as the individual system size limit. The aggregate cap will increase by 1% (of the utility’s highest annual peak demand since 2014) per year until reaching 5% in July 2027. The bill increases the system size limit to 150 kW for all customers and also provides guidance for net metering crediting under time-of-use rates.

“States are beginning — or rather, re-beginning — to study net metering programs, outside of the valuation of distributed solar,” said Rebekah de la Mora, senior policy analyst at NCCETC. “These investigations focus on program redesigns and successors, looking at the policies, economics, results, and future projections of net metering programs. Some of these investigations are already baked into law, like in Puerto Rico, while others were proposed by newly-passed bills, such as those in Delaware and Washington.”

One other state that made a big move as a result of federal funding is Mississippi, where the Public Service Commission has suspended multiple solar and storage incentives/programs in the state due to Solar for All funding.

Black Bear Energy, an onsite renewable energy developer, announced one of its customers, a real estate investment trust (REIT), has completed the sale of tax credits associated with its new solar assets.

The REIT sold Inflation Reduction Act created Investment Tax Credits (ITC), which can be transferred to third parties with a tax appetite in exchange for cash. The transaction was completed on a marketplace operated by Evergrow.

“By unlocking tax credit financing for REITs, Black Bear and Evergrow are forging a new path for improved returns that simultaneously support the commercial real estate sector’s sustainability objectives,” said said James Richards, chief executive officer of Evergrow.

The tax credits are generated from multiple projects installed on multifamily assets in California and Washington DC. The portfolio totals 556 kW and individual projects range in size from 66 kW to 195 kW. 

Black Bear Energy said the transaction will open doors for broader REIT participation in renewable energy projects and unlock monetization of the ITC. It said that prior to this transaction, it was unclear if there would be a market for REITs to sell tax credits, as the associated projects are magnitudes smaller than utility-scale project tax equity transactions. REITs also have special tax, accounting and business requirements that make knowledgeable partners important.

“With this transfer, we have proof of concept that demand exists for credits of this size and risk profile,” said Drew Torbin, founder and president of Black Bear Energy. “This is significant as the ITC sale proceeds typically increase the returns by 300 basis points and upwards of 600 basis points for certain projects which qualify for the 10% bonus adder.”

Tax equity, a financing arrangement where investors fund solar power projects in exchange for federal tax benefits like investment tax credits, is a complex field that integrates capital and labor.

Initial costs for assembling these deals can start under $100,000 but may quickly escalate to millions. These expenses, covering fees for lawyers, accountants, and engineers, support extensive review of data rooms and the drafting of extensive contracts, focusing on compliance and diligence. The objective is to ensure that large investment groups can safely deploy billions of dollars in compliance with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service regulations.

(Read: “Solar tax transfer for smaller projects: Dissecting a $600,000 tax credit transaction”)

Battery storage deployment in Canada kicks into gear  The deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Canada is picking up the pace, with the announcement of a 705 MWh battery storage system delivery to Nova Scotia by Canadian Solar’s e-Storage and various other projects in provinces across the country. However, this surge cannot come quickly enough says Energy Storage Canada.

Vineyard installs solar to keep distillery warehouse cool  The 55kW system is expected to produce more than .06 MWh a year and will help keep the vineyard’s distillery storage warehouse at the optimal temperature of 50 to 60 F throughout the year.

California approves 525 MWac of solar and 320 MW of geothermal Southern California Edison received approval from the State of California to proceed with power purchase agreements for three solar power projects and two geothermal projects from startup Fervo Energy.

How grid operators and renewable energy producers can use batteries to develop a flexible energy system As the urgency of mitigating the impacts of climate change intensifies with each passing year, it is the collective responsibility of grid operators and renewable energy producers to spearhead the transition to a renewable energy system.

Global solar installations to nearly quadruple by 2033 Wood Mackenzie forecasts 4.7 TW of solar capacity to be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for about 50% of the growth.

TrendForce says 210 mm module shipments surpassed 260 GW in Q1 Market intelligence platform TrendForce says 210 mm n-type technology is “set to spearhead a new industrial revolution.” It expects 210mm modules to account for 78.29% of the large-format module market this year, increasing to 82.51% by 2027.

Aggreko Energy acquires C&I solar developer With the acquisition of Infiniti Energy, Aggreko expands its commercial and industrial development portfolio.

Enphase begins shipping U.S.-made microinverters for commercial applications The IQ8P-3P commercial microinverters support up to 480 W of peak output power for three-phase commercial installations, and they’re compatible with a wide range of solar modules up to 640 W.

The State of California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved five clean energy project power purchase agreements submitted by Southern California Edison. Three of the projects are solar power plants with a total generating capacity of 525 MWac, while the other two are geothermal projects. According to Fervo Energy, these geothermal projects represent the largest geothermal power purchase agreements in the world.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Form EIA-860M, at least one of the Atlas facilities will be coupled with energy storage.

According to the filing with the CPUC, each of the three solar power projects is expected to have an AC capacity factor of just over 36%. In comparison, the Fervo Energy geothermal facilities offer a capacity factor of just over 82%.

In their filing, the CPUC cites the state’s “mid-term reliability” capacity requirements of 3.8 GW by 2036, noting that both the geothermal and the solar-plus-storage projects meet those needs.

California aims to reduce emissions to 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2e) by 2035. The state projects 800 MW of geothermal capacity by 2026, 1.1 GW in 2027, and 2 GW by 2033.

The Atlas Solar V, VI, and X power plants are owned by solar developer 174 Power Global LLC, a subsidiary of the South Korean company Hanwha. Hanwha also owns Qcells, the largest silicon solar module manufacturer in the United States.

Located in Salome, Arizona, the solar facilities will transmit their electricity via the Atlas Solar Tie Line Project, a 500kV transmission line. This line will interconnect the proposed Atlas facilities with the Ten West Link 500 kV transmission line, eventually facilitating the use of the electricity in Blythe, California.

The facilities are situated in an active solar development region managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Arizona State Land Department.

The two geothermal facilities are located at the same site in southwest Utah. The first phase, 70 MW, is expected to come online in 2026, with the second phase scheduled for 2028.

Publicly available documents from western electric utilities hint that Fervo’s power purchase agreements may range between $0.08 and $0.10 per kWh. The company recently announced that drilling times in February were 70% faster and 50% cheaper than in 2022.

The City of Campbell, California announced a partnership with Paired Power to install a solar parking canopy with integrated electric vehicle chargers. The project will enable the city’s Public Wors Department to add electric vehicles to its fleet.

The solar canopy, called PairTree, will generate electricity and charge the city’s Ford F-150 Lightning Pro electric truck. Paired Power will deliver electricity to the Level 2 chargers attached to the canopy through its management software called EV Connect.

The project was funded through a resiliency grant from Silicon Valley Clean Energy.

“We’re excited to work with Paired Power to supply the City of Campbell with a 100% renewable EV charging solution powered by the sun, further enhancing the city’s commitment to sustainable transportation,” said Scott Kaptur, director of government and fleet solutions at EV Connect.

The PairTree solar canopy is comprised of a bifacial solar panels and a 42.4 kWh energy storage system.  The off-grid solar EV charger includes up to two Level 2 charging ports with up to 5.3 kW charging power. The PairTree is typically intended for remote locations, like concert venues and military sites, said Paired Power. The energy storage system is UL9450 certified.

“The solar panels have 4.6 kW units and the battery capacity maxes out at 42.4 kWh, which is substantial enough to provide between 75 and 230 miles of range,” said Paired Power.

Paried Power said setting up one of these EV charging stations takes about four hours.

The company said the solar canopy starts at $26,000, while some systems outfit with energy storage and multiple chargers may cost about $70,000. Installation costs average about $5,000 per canopy, said the company.

From pv magazine Global

A group of scientists from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) demonstrated that conjugated polymers, which are a class of electronically conductive plastic materials, can be used as an intrinsically conductive adhesive (ICA) to shingled solar cells together.

“This is a new application for a unique class of plastic materials that we are very excited about,” the research’s corresponding author, Alexander Chen,  told pv magazine. “While this research is still in its infancy, one exciting aspect about this work is the deep literature and diverse chemistry that can be integrated into conjugated polymers for the purpose of making new types of conductive interconnects and adhesives.”

Shingled solar panels feature a busbar-free structure in which only a small proportion of cells are not exposed to sunlight. The cells are bonded with electrically conductive adhesive to form a shingled high-density string and the resulting strips are connected. The reduced number of busbars reduces shadowing losses.

The shingled cells used in the experiment were built with cell technology supplied by California-based startup Sunpreme and intrinsically conductive adhesives (ICAs) based on the PEDOT:PSS polymer. The performance of solar cells constructed with ICAs was compared to that of counterparts based in silver-based electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) and the scientists found the former showed “comparable” electrical properties.

“While today’s dominant busbar-based modules require around 15.8 mg/W silver, we calculate that shingling modules with ICAs can reduce silver consumption to approximately 6.3 mg/W, accelerating our position on the silver learning curve by approximately two decades. These findings suggest that the design of pi-conjugated materials for ICAs could offer a realistic strategy for sustainable deployment of lower-cost, high-power solar modules,” the paper said.

Even with the removal of silver filler, the researchers achieved similar fill factors (FFs) and overall power conversion efficiency with shingled interconnects. “Employing a conducting polymer as the ICA additionally opens a myriad of opportunities for tuning the electronic, mechanical, and adhesive properties for designing next-generation electronic interconnects,” they added.

There are improvements to be made for the research to be applied further, as the researchers acknowledged in a statement to pv magazine. However, they are optimistic these can be made.

“While we found that the adhesion needs to be improved to reach that of commercial products, we are optimistic that designing better conjugated polymers for applications as intrinsically conductive adhesives can be achieved relatively quickly,” Chen stressed. “This area of research builds upon the incredible wealth of knowledge that already exists on tailoring the electrical properties of conducting polymers and the adhesive properties of traditional polymers. There is a large synthetic space that can be quickly explored here.”

The researchers said they collaborated with a PV engineering services company – D2Solar, Inc. – to integrate the proof-of-concept shingles. “We look forward to working with PV manufacturers to test the concept at larger scales and in relevant outdoor environments,” they added.

The ICAs were presented in the paper “Silver-free intrinsically conductive adhesives for shingled solar cells,” published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

From pv magazine Global

Scientists from Rice University in Houston, Texas, have improved the stability of pervoskite solar cells by distributing 2D perovskites.

The scientists synthesized formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) into ultrastable, high-quality photovoltaic films for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. They hypothesized that using more stable 2D perovskites as a template could impart their stability to FAPbI3 during growth.

They fabricated four types of 2D perovskites to test the idea, two closely matching FAPbI3’s surface structure and two less well-matched, and used them to make different FAPbI3 film formulations. They found that the 2D crystal template improved both the efficiency and durability of FAPbI3 solar cells. Solar cells with 2D templates didn’t degrade after 20 days of generating electricity in air, while those without 2D crystals degraded significantly after two days.

“The addition of well-matched 2D crystals made it easier for FAPbI3 crystals to form, while poorly matched 2D crystals actually made it harder to form, validating our hypothesis,” said Isaac Metcalf, the lead author of the study. “FAPbI3 films templated with 2D crystals were higher quality, showing less internal disorder and exhibiting a stronger response to illumination, which translated as higher efficiency.”

The research team then found that by adding an encapsulation layer to the 2D-templated solar cells, stability was further improved to timescales approaching commercial relevance. According to their research paper – “Two-dimensional perovskite templates for durable, efficient formamidinium perovskite solar cells,” recently published in Science – the fabricated cell had a power conversion efficiency of 24.1% for a 0.5-square-centimeter active area and maintained 97% of their efficiency for 1,000 hours at 85 C under maximum power point tracking.

“Right now, we think that this is state of the art in terms of stability,” said Rice University engineer Aditya Mohite, “Perovskite solar cells have the potential to revolutionize energy production, but achieving long-duration stability has been a significant challenge.”

The team said that the findings could have an impact on light-harvesting, reduce manufacturing costs, and enable development of solar panels with that are lighter and more flexible than silicon solar panels.

“Perovskites are soluble in solution, so you can take an ink of a perovskite precursor and spread it across a piece of glass, then heat it up and you have the absorber layer for a solar cell,” Metcalf said. “Since you don’t need very high temperatures – perovskite films can be processed at temperatures below 150 C – in theory, that also means perovskite solar panels can be made on plastic or even flexible substrates, which could further reduce costs.”

California has made numerous cuts to solar incentives and programs in its state, including reductions in the valuation and crediting of exported solar generation, cuts to its emerging community solar program, and imposing a monthly fixed charge that erodes the potential savings brought on by rooftop solar.

However, the California legislature has recently moved forward a bill that would undo a decision that would negatively affect the value of rooftop solar for renters in multifamily housing, and for farms, and schools.

The decision sets hard limits on how much electricity produced by rooftop solar can be self-consumed by multi-meter properties. The policy effectively forces customers to first sell their solar production to the utility, and then buy it back at higher rates.

“It would force customers in multi-meter properties—such as renters, small farmers, schools, and colleges—to sell all of their generation to the utility at low rates and buy it back at full retail rates,” said the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA).

California’s Virtual Net Metering and Net Energy Metering Aggregation programs allow properties with multiple meters to install a single solar array for the entire property, sharing one system’s electricity and associated net metering credits with all customers and meters on the property. 

The decision would require multi-meter properties to sell solar to the grid at a low “avoided cost” rate and then purchased back at a full retail rate. This would be required even if the electricity generated on the school’s roof was used directly by the school.

A new bill, Senate Bill 1374, sponsored by Senator Josh Becker, would reverse the decision. The bill passed the Senate 28-7 and now awaits approval from the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee.

“SB 1374 removes a burdensome barrier and restores the ability for customers to self-consume the energy they produce on their property,” Becker said in a statement. “This bill is simply a matter of fairness. Multiple-metered customers should get the same treatment as everyone else — not have to sell their power to the utility at low prices and immediately buy it back at much higher retail prices.”

The state’s three investor-owned utilities PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E oppose the decision. In a joint statement the three said Becker’s bill “subsidizes solar for all non-residential customers, not just schools.” However, public schools would essentially be performing energy arbitrage for the utility companies under their vision.

Utilities have justified cuts to rooftop solar programs based on an argument that non-solar customers subsidize those with solar. The utilities alleged the bill “is likely to trigger grid upgrades, which results in high cost for all, but for the benefit of only a few customers.” However. analysis from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has determined that non-residential solar programs have not caused a cost shift.

Supporters of Senate Bill 1374 say it would help schools with the electricity affordability crisis. Oakland Public Schools have seen their utility bill increase $1.5 million over the last year alone.

“Public schools have one general fund that everything comes out of: teachers’ salaries, textbooks, mental health counselors, utility bills-–it all comes out of the same bucket,” said Sam Davis, Oakland Unified School District board president. In previous years, we used solar energy to offset these rising costs and invest the savings in programs that improve educational equity. Restoring and protecting these incentives is critical to ensuring all students receive the education they need to thrive.”

Nearly 2,500 schools have installed solar in California according to Generation 180. Read about rooftop solar success stories for schools in the U.S. here.

The  U.S. Solar Market Insight Q2 2024 report says 11 GW of new solar module manufacturing capacity came online in the United States during Q1 2024, the largest quarter of solar manufacturing growth in American history.

The report, released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, estimates that total U.S. solar module manufacturing capacity now exceeds 26 GW annually.

In addition to solar manufacturing, the U.S. is also quickly ramping up solar installations. With 11.8 GW of new solar capacity installed thus far in 2024, total capacity now stands at 200 GW in the United States. The utility-scale segment alone accounts for nearly 10 GW of the new capacity added.

The report shows that the U.S. added over 40 GW of new solar capacity last year, and Wood Mackenzie now projects that the U.S. is on target to achieve the same goal in 2024.

“This quarter proves that new federal investments in clean energy are revitalizing American manufacturing and strengthening our nation’s energy economy,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Whether it’s a billion-dollar investment in a nearby solar project or a new manufacturing plant employing hundreds of local workers, the solar and storage industry is uplifting communities in every state across this country.”

The report points to Florida and Texas as leaders in new solar capacity in Q1. Florida installed 2.7 GW in Q1 and Texas 2.6 GW. California, historically a solar leader, falls into third place with 1.4 GW of new installs; however, it is notable that in 2023, Texas installed nearly 12 GW, while California was about 6.4 GW. New Mexico is another leading market with 686 MW installed in Q1, with Ohio following close behind at 546 MW. Bringing up the bottom is North Dakota, Alabama and Alaska.

“The U.S. solar industry continues to show strength in terms of deployments,” said Michelle Davis, head of global solar at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “At the same time, the solar industry faces a number of challenges to its continued growth including availability of labor, high voltage equipment constraints, and continued trade policy uncertainty.”

The residential solar segment has been hard hit by high interest rates and unsupportive state policies. California, where the highly controversial NEM 3.0 went into effect, experienced its worst quarter in two years. Overall the residential sector installed 1.3 GWdc in Q1, reflecting a 25% decline year-over-year and 18% quarter-over-quarter but going forward residential solar is expected to be steady.

Commercial solar showed 23% growth in 2023 and expected to grow by another 14% in 2024. This sector is somewhat buoyed by California projects that were submitted under NEM 2.0 still being in the interconnection queue.

Looking at community solar, installations resulted in 279 MWdc of new capacity in Q1, with New York topping the charts at 17% year-over-year in Q1 2024, making up 46% of national installed capacity.

Again, state policy changes in California are punching holes in a previously growing market. As a result of the CPUC’s vote on AB 2316, the report authors revised their five-year outlook for California and now expects just 200 MW rather than the 1.5 GW—an 87% decline. Overall the community solar market is expected to grow 4% in 2024, exceeding 1.3 GWdc of annual capacity.

Questions and challenges

With many unanswered questions about tariffs on imported solar modules and other components, the report contends that a tariff increase will not have a significant direct impact on the U.S. solar industry, given that the U.S. is importing less than 0.1% from China at the present time.

Moving forward, the report’s five-year outlooks expects the U.S. industry to install around 40 GWdc a year for the next five years. Trade policy uncertainty coupled with shortages in workers as well as high-voltage equipment, will keep overall growth in the single digits through 2029. The five year projection, however, is for U.S. solar capacity to grow to 438 GW by 2029.

Recom Technologies, a European PV module manufacturer, has partnered with Solar Optimum to supply solar panels for a solar carport project at the Six Flags amusement park in California.

The 12.37 MW solar carport system will be constructed over the main guest and employee parking lots. It is expected to offset 100% of the park’s electricity usage.

The project is the largest solar carport in California, and the “largest single-interconnection commercial and industrial development in the world,” said Ara Krikorian, executive vice president of commercial development, Solar Optimum.

Once operational, the project is expected to produce 20.8 million kWh annually, equivalent to the power demand of nearly 3,000 homes. It is expected to offset the carbon emissions equivalent to taking over 3,100 cars off the road each year.

The park will purchase electricity produced by the system over a 25-year period, leading to an estimated 517 million kWh produced over the period.

The project includes a 1.96 MW / 7.89 MWh battery energy storage system.

The carport will make use of Recom Panther bifacial half-cut solar panels. The bifacial panels produce electricity from sunlight above as well as reflected up from the ground to the backside of the panel.

Recom’s Panther series of solar modules is offered in various formats including G1: 158.75mm; M6: 166mm; M10: 182mm; G12: 210mm. Wattage ratings range from 360 W to 665 W, and the company offers both monofacial and bifacial panels with varied frame and backsheet options.

Recom offers a 25-year product warranty for its panels. The panels offer a first year output of 98% of initial rating, less than 0.54 % annual degradation, and a 25-year output of over 85%.

Six Flags’ latest project adds to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Northern California and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, which have also developed on-site solar facilities with over 30 MW of operational solar capacity.

Once the Los Angeles carport is complete, Six Flags will have a combined total of 42.37 MW of solar assets, ranking it among the largest investors of on-site commercial solar.

“Here in California, innovation and climate action go hand-in-hand – our success as America’s economic powerhouse and the world’s fourth largest economy is built on our ambitious transition to a cleaner, greener future. Six Flags’ commitment to clean energy is the type of work that will power our future and ensure our kids have a healthy planet to call home,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom

The Turlock Irrigation District (TID) seeks to procure new or existing clean energy projects delivering either directly into California ISO (CAISO) or TID regions, via the Ascend Analytics Energy Exchange (AEX). TID is a publicly owned company that owns and operates an integrated and diverse electric generation, transmission and distribution system that provides power to a population of 240,000 in California.

The AEX is a marketplace that facilitates renewable energy transactions between buyers and sellers. Ascend AEX has facilitated the procurement of millions of megawatt-hours per year of renewable energy and battery storage capacity.

Offers may be structured as all-in power purchase agreements (PPAs), bundled renewable energy credits (RECs) or ownership offers.

All offers must have a minimum nameplate capacity of 50 MW or annual renewable generation of at least 150,000 MWh. Acceptable commercial operation dates are no later than December 31, 2030.

TID seeks proposals for Portfolio Content Category 1 (PCC) eligible renewable generation (including solar photovoltaic, wind, biomass, biofuel, small hydroelectric generation, and geothermal) or PCC1 renewable generation plus storage (hybrid). Storage discharge duration must be at least 4 hours.

Offers are grouped in two categories:

Group A: Proposals for direct delivery to TID’s balancing authority (BA) system Power Purchase Agreements (All-in): All-in PPAs must have a term length between 10 and 30 years. Ownership Options: EPC contracts for turnkey projects with the option of offering a long-term service agreement (LTSA).

Group B: Proposals for CAISO connected resources: PPAs (All-in, Energy + RECs, Index+): All-in PPAs must have a term length between 10 and 30 years and bundled RECs (fixed price or Index+) must be between 10 and 20 years. Ownership offers will not be considered for Group B projects.

Build option proposals can take the following forms:

1. Build a power generation facility, retain 100% ownership of the facility, operate the same facility, and sell the
facility’s output to TID (respondent submits a PPA offer).
2. Build a power generation facility, TID owns 100% of the facility, TID operates the same facility, and TID takes the
facility’s output (respondent submits an ownership offer).

Regardless of the form of the build option, Respondents submitting proposals that include a build option must provide,
after being shortlisted, a legal analysis of how their proposal will comply with California procurement laws. Proposed build
options that do not comply with the procurement laws of California will not be considered.

Note that standalone storage and RA-only offers will not be considered as part of this RFP.

The RFP team will host an informational webinar for interested bidders on June 19th at 11 a.m.PT. Submissions are due July 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT. To participate, ask questions, and receive RFP updates and materials, prospects must register on the TID RFP website.

A solar project that was unanimously approved by the Kern County, California Board of Supervisors in 2021 is coming under fire by some who oppose the cutting of western Joshua trees to make way for the Aratina solar project. An environmental review process is conducted prior to approval and before construction begins on any large-scale solar plant, including Aratina.

Aratina is a solar-plus-storage project with an intended generation capacity of up to 530 MW and 600 MW battery energy storage system. Once fully operational, it is expected to produce enough clean electricity to power 180,000 homes. The electricity generated by the Aratina Solar Center will be transmitted to utilities and community energy providers throughout California.

In addition to reducing 860,000 metric tons of carbon emissions every year, which is the annual equivalent to planting 14 million trees or removing 180,000 cars from the road, the project is expected to benefit the local community. Avantus has allocated over $135,000 toward programs and services in Boron and Desert Lake. It is also is expected to generate over $30 million in local tax revenue over the solar center’s lifetime that can go toward local services like schools, public safety, and street services. During construction, Aratina is expected to create approximately 570 construction jobs paying between $31 and $75 an hour.

To receive approval to develop the project located in the Boron and Desert Lake area of eastern Kern County, California, Avantus, the developer produced an Environmental Impact Report, as required prior to beginning construction. The company held public forums as part of the County review, during which some local residents raised concerns about visibility of the plant, and the developer altered its plans, stating that it “listened to the concerns and have incorporated them into a revised design that increases project setbacks from residential areas by up to a half-mile (almost nine football fields)”.

The revised site design, referred to as Aratina 2.0 by Kern County, increases project setbacks from Boron and Desert Lake’s residential areas. The company said the raised bed railroad that runs by the location and vegetation alongside the road will also reduce visibility of the project.

Because the site of the Aratina plant is home to western Joshua trees, the developer has to comply with the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (WJTCA), a California Law that was enacted in July 2023. Incidental Take Permits of the WJTCA authorize renewable energy developers to take western Joshua trees with an option to pay a standard mitigation fee rather than complete mitigation actions. Under the act, the fees collected are deposited into the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund for the purposes of acquiring, conserving and managing western Joshua tree conservation lands and completing other activities to conserve the tree.

To meet these requirements, Avantus hired qualified biologists, approved by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), to a complete count of all western Joshua trees within the site and they will provide the CDFW with a complete Tree Census report. As part of the mitigation requirement in the WJTCA, Avantus must pay a mitigation fee of $10,521.95 per acre to be mitigated to the Western Joshua Tree Mitigation Fund. In addition, prior to removing any western Joshua tree or engaging in groundbreaking activities, the developer was required to contribute $10,000 to cover the account fees and the cost of retaining a land acquisition specialist to assist the department in locating, acquiring and conserving the mitigation lands.

According to Avantus, the process of selective clearing of vegetation, including Joshua Trees and large natural obstacles, will soon begin. The removal has been approved by Kern County and the CDFW, with all impacts such as noise and traffic minimized throughout.

Going beyond the requests of local residents and requirements of the WJTJCA, Avantus purchased the grazing rights on 215,000 acres of federal land in Kern County and created the Onyx Conservation Project. The contiguous land area is seven times larger than the city of San Francisco and considered among the largest mitigation projects in the nation.

The habitat is home to 20 sensitive wildlife species including the California condor, Mojave Desert tortoise, American badger, Mohave ground squirrel and golden eagles. It is also estimated to include more than 80,000 acres of western Joshua tree habitat, including 3,000 acres of dense woodland. This conservation effort will help sustain the health and diversity of the desert ecosystem, which is underlaid by designated Wilderness Areas, Desert National Conservation Lands, and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. All 215,000 acres will also be open for public recreational use, including hiking and camping.

Avantus will also invest millions of additional dollars for habitat enhancements across Onyx to jumpstart restoration for desert plants and wildlife species.

The CDFW is cognizant of how renewable energy development is necessary in the effort to combat climate change, and endorses such protective measures.

“Our Department is committed to the conservation, protection and restoration of the Golden State’s habitat, and this groundbreaking state and federal public-private partnership provides a roadmap for how renewable energy can continue to combat climate change while also providing landscape-level ecosystem benefits to native plants and wildlife,” said CDFW regional manager, Julie Vance. “By purchasing and permanently retiring the grazing rights, Avantus is assuring this rich, vibrant land is preserved and its inhabitants can flourish.”

Avantus, formerly 8Minute Energy, is a leading solar and energy storage provider and is on track to provide more than half of California’s utility-scale solar and storage demand over the next decade. Aware of the impact that solar projects can have on land, Avantus works closely with wildlife agencies and environmental organizations safeguard species throughout all stages of a project’s life. Avantus reports that its past projects have received support from groups including the Sierra Club, Audubon California, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Why large-scale solar?

Climate change threatens our nation and planet, as evidenced by the increasing number of extreme weather events. The U.S. has a net-zero by 2050 goal, which means moving away from fossil fuel generated energy as fast as possible as much as 40% of all carbon dioxide pollution comes from fossil fuel power plants, according to the Department of Energy.

The good news is that for the first time, solar accounted for over half of new electricity generation capacity added 2023 and, by 2050, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity on the U.S. grid.

According to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, the U.S. has officially exceeded five million solar installations, marking a milestone that comes just eight years after the U.S. reached one million installations in 2016.SEIA forecasts that solar installations in the U.S. will double to 10 million by 2030 and triple to 15 million by 2034.

While the number of installations in itself is impressive, cumulatively they are making a serious cut to carbon emissions. SEIA estimates that the installations displace 198 million metric tons of CO2 every year. This reduction is the equivalent to 22 billion gallons of gas, or enough gas to travel to the sun and back nearly 3,000 times in a traditional ICE vehicle. Overall, SEIA calculates that the current solar capacity in the U.S. offsets the emissions of 12 million Americans, which is greater than the population of New York City and Los Angeles combined.

With PV expected to triple in the United States by 2028, to reach an estimated 380 GW of solar capacity, according to the SEIA and analysts at Wood Mackenzie, sharing facts early on is important. Not only is it important to seek input from area residents—modifying plans when necessary—but going above and beyond permitting requirements to mitigate potential environmental damage is becoming more common among large-scale developers in the U.S.

Tandem PV, a perovskite solar panel developer, announced it has secured a $4.7 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office to advance commercialization of its thin-film solar technology.

The award is part of a larger $71 million investment by DOE in projects that support bolstering the U.S. solar supply chain.

The company develops solar panels that pair conventional silicon cells with perovskite materials for panels, giving them the potential to produce up to 40% more power than traditional solar modules used today, said Tandem PV.

Tandem PV’s design stacks a thin-film perovskite layer on top of the crystalline PV layer, with the two materials absorbing different wavelengths of sunlight. The company is currently producing tandem perovskite panels with about 26% efficiency, which is roughly 25% more powerful than a conventional silicon solar panel today.

Solar panel efficiency is an important metric for solar facility developers. More power at a similar price per watt leads to lower labor costs for installation, lower land-acquisition costs, and a lower total cost of ownership for customers, said the company.

“This is Tandem PV’s 10th award from the Department of Energy and we are grateful for its consistent, long-term investment and validation,” said Tandem PV co-founder and chief technology officer Colin Bailie.

The company said its has demonstrated “the equivalent of decades of projected durability” in the lab. Durability has been a key issue to solve for perovskites, which show high efficiencies, but degrade rapidly in the field.

Tandem PV said it plans to obtain independent industry-standard validations of the durability and efficiency of its perovskites during 2024. The company said plans are underway for a first manufacturing facility as research and development efforts advance.

“Thanks to historic funding and actions from the president’s clean energy agenda, we’re able to deploy more solar power – the cheapest form of energy – to millions more Americans with panels stamped ‘made in the U.S.A.’,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy.

Tandem PV, founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley, has raised a total of $33 million in venture capital and government funds including from the DOE, the National Science Foundation and the California Energy Commission.

Tandem PV was selected for the $4.7 million award as part of SETO’s Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics Funding Program.

Cowboy Solar, largest solar project in Wyoming moves forward The $1.2 billion project will be built by Enbridge, with 771 MW expected to be fully operational by 2027.

Battery energy storage tariffs tripled; domestic content rules updated Breaking down U.S. market impacts on energy storage from recent policy changes with insights from Clean Energy Associates.

As expected, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted on changes to its utility-backed community solar program despite strong opposition from industry groups, community solar developers and even Assemblymember Chris Ward who introduced the original version of the bill (AB 2316).

Community solar enables small businesses and residents who are renters or who otherwise cannot put solar on their roof to subscribe to a portion of an off-site solar facility, receiving a utility bill credit for the power it generates. In California, approximately 45% of California households are renters who don’t own their roofs and, therefore, can’t install a solar system.

The Community Renewable Energy Act (AB 2316) put forth by Assemblymember Ward was sponsored by the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), and supported by the Solar Industries Energy Association, GRID Alternatives, Vote Solar, the Sierra Club, and more. Notably, investor-owned utilities, which serve over 75% of the electricity usage in the state, opposed the bill.

Riding on the tail of the CPUC’s net metering change, which dealt a serious blow to the residential solar industry, developers and other industry experts expect this new legislation will stall the buildout of community solar in California.

California was previously the leading state in solar energy; however, the tide is turning. Aaron Halimi, founder and president of Renewable Properties, a community solar developer, said that this recent decision by the CPUC will prevent California from being a leader in community solar. An increasing number of states are implementing pro-active community solar policies just as the market is starting take off.

Calling the new rules a “misguided decision”, Halimi said it’s unlikely the industry will invest in building community solar and energy storage projects in California.

“The CPUC’s decision primarily benefits the financial interests of utilities and does not support the State’s climate goals or the aim of reducing electric bills for low-income Californians, which was the purpose of AB 2316,” said Halimi.

Derek Chernow, Western regional director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) released a statement saying that the ruling “ignored the will of the California Legislature and the broad coalition of ratepayer, equity, environmental, labor, agricultural, and business groups who have demanded a functional community solar program for more than a decade”.

The legislation passed with a 3-1 vote, and CCSA thanked the lone dissenter, Commissioner Darcie Houck, for her vote and remarks for how this Decision will fail to reach community solar’s full potential.

The CCSA characterized the CPUC’s choice to accept the utilities’ proposal as doubling down on failed programs that “have not — and will not — establish a viable community solar market that would provide affordable energy to Californians that need relief the most”.

“It’s also further evidence that California’s utilities are doing everything they can to stifle distributed energy generation in order to tighten their grip on the state’s electricity grid. The vote solidifies California’s place near the bottom of community solar markets nationwide, ceding leadership to other states to truly democratize solar energy and fulfill national energy equity goals,” said CCSA.

The Community Renewable Energy Act (AB 2316) was sponsored by the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), and supported by the Solar Industries Energy Association, GRID Alternatives, Vote Solar, the Sierra Club, and more. However, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opposed the bill.

The CPUC asserted in its proposed decision that the Net Value Billing Tariff (NVBT) outlined in the Community Renewable Energy Act “conflicts with federal law and does not meet the requirements” of the bill, which CCSA has noted is erroneous.

In comments filed in March by CCSA, it characterized the original proposed decision as misguided and misinformed, and determined it will not result in the development of community solar projects as envisioned by the legislature with the enactment of AB 2316.

Now the CPUC has revised its proposed decision and in it concedes that it needs guidance as to what a successful community solar program looks like:

…the record of this proceeding contains no details on what would be considered a successful community renewable energy program. Accordingly, the workshop with parties to discuss the objectives, methodology, and metrics for the evaluations of the community renewable energy program will include a discussion of what a successful community renewable energy program would look like, including metrics for success and a megawatt baseline expectation for the community renewable energy program.

This revised proposed decision says it’s beneficial to ratepayers to layer a customer subscription model and a non-ratepayer-funded adder on standard supply-side tariffs. This “revised” proposed decision still intends to rely on one-time funds from the EPA’s Solar for All program as a subsidy. The CCSA warns against subsidizing “an unworkable program” instead leveraging private capital “to serve hundreds of thousands of income-qualified customers and small businesses”.

Furthermore, the revised proposed decision gives no details such as a method for dispersing external funding to the projects and participating customers, reporting requirements, the process for participating, eligible tariffs, cost recovery mechanisms, and more.

According to the CCSA, CPUC is moving nothing forward and instead, “doubles down on supporting the broken proposal from the state’s utilities and would make California’s community solar program dead on arrival. It will not result in the development of new projects as envisioned by AB 2316 and will continue to leave California with no functional community solar program.”

The CCSA emphasizes the value that community solar can bring to California’s grid and help the state achieve both clean energy and equity objectives. Moving forward with the revised proposed decision, CCSA contends, would mean ignoring the many groups from the legislature to a broad coalition of ratepayers and other groups who seek a functional community solar program.

An increasing number of states are implementing pro-active community solar policies just as the market is starting take off. While installations of community solar contracted in 2022, Wood Mackenzie forecasts the U.S. community solar market to grow 118% over the next five years, with at least 6 GW expected to come online in existing markets between 2023 to 2027.

“California should be seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a vibrant market. We urge the CPUC to slow down and take the additional time necessary to get this important decision right,” said Derek Chernow, Western regional director for the CCSA.

Texas has a unique electric grid. Its grid operation organization, ERCOT, is independent of other states and deregulated, making the state open for business for a market-based approach toward energy generation and transmission. 

Texas has been a favorite among utility-scale solar PV developers for a long time, thanks to its business-friendly environment and its lack of substantial local permitting regimes. The state is also operating as a proving ground for the buildout of a more nascent industry: virtual power plants (VPP). 

VPPs are defined by their distributed and connected nature. Rather than transmitting power over long distances from a centralized power plant, VPPs use smart software to control a variety of connected energy assets like rooftop residential solar, battery energy storage, smart heating and cooling, and appliances. Homeowners with eligible VPP assets are compensated for exporting power or reducing use at electricity demand events throughout the year. 

A panel of experts at the RE+ Texas conference in Houston, spoke on VPP progress in the state. The discussion opened with Stuart Page, senior consultant, Department of Energy (DOE) Loans Program Office asking the audience whether they were currently enrolled in a VPP program. Only two people in a room of hundreds raised their hands. Page then asked how many in the audience had heard of VPP, and most conference attendees raised their hands. 

“I bet every single one of you has an energy resource or utilization than can be controlled by an app,” said Page. “Yet none of you are enrolled, despite the fact that there are discounts with your electric bill associated with it.”

Page said that part of the issue with VPP participation is the complexity of programs. Often, they require an opt-in, where the customer must choose to join the VPP program. Page said that VPP providers should instead choose an opt-out model, where customers are automatically enrolled in the program when they buy a smart device like a thermostat or a home battery. He cited a DOE experiment where an automatic enrollment model with an opt-out option increased participation by 400%. 

So why are virtual power plants important? VPPs enable intelligent, local distribution of power, sending what is needed when it is needed. VPPs typically support reducing electricity use during times of peak demand, providing a critical service that may be one of the most important low-hanging fruits to pick in the nation’s progress towards decarbonizing energy and lowering energy costs. 

VPP technology has shown immediate promise in replacing natural gas “peaker plants” on grids, replacing or preventing the buildout of new resources that are among the dirtiest, most expensive, and least efficient on the grid today. 

The virtual power plant commercial liftoff report released by the Department of Energy said that between 2023 and 2030, coincident peak demand on the grid will rise by about 60 GW, from roughly 740 GW to 800 GW of demand. 

“At the same time, fossil assets are retiring,” said the report. “Roughly 200 GW of peak-coincident demand must be served with new resources coming online by 2030. Tripling the current scale of VPPs could address 10-20% of this peak demand. This could avoid about $10 billion in annual grid costs, and much of the money that is spent on VPPs would flow back to participating consumers.” 

Texas proving ground 

Even in a room full of energy industry members and experts, almost nobody attending the RE+ Texas panel session admitted to being enrolled in a VPP. The biggest barrier to adoption has been the creation and implementation of a standardized VPP program, which many states lack. 

To automatically enroll customers at the point of purchase as Page suggested, a program needs to be in place to enable it. Sterling Clifford, director of government affairs, Sunnova Energy, a VPP provider shared that many state utility regulators have said VPP technology is a “long way off.” 

“But it doesn’t have to be,” said Clifford. “The beginning of the process to the launch of the product was 12 months (in Texas).” 

Texas already has 16 MW of energy resources and 7 MW of non-spin flexible demand enrolled in VPP programs. 

Part of what enabled such a quick launch of the program was necessity. Ryan King, manager, market design, for the ERCOT said the catastrophic Winter Storm Uri in early 2021 forced the grid operator to look for new sources of reliable, dispatchable supply at the distribution level, while reducing transmission and distribution costs and increasing grid resiliency. ERCOT landed on VPPs as a solution. 

Another aspect of Texas’ readiness to adopt VPP programs are its electricity-savvy customers. Texas homeowners and renters are already used to making energy decisions at home, as frequently have to shop for new electricity contracts via a Retail Electricity Provider (REP). Contracts typically last a year or two, similar to how a VPP program enables short-term enrollment. 

Texas was also already uniquely well-suited to integrate a VPP program, said King, as ERCOT is already able to value an avoided kWh of electricity, or a dispatched one. This type of valuation is enabled by Texas’ deregulated market, which allow various resources to participate in the market more freely than utilities in other major markets. 

Texas has only just begun its VPP enrollment and already has a combined 23 MW of flexible capacity online. King said that VPP compensation for homeowners is “the closest thing to a free lunch,” and that once further program requirements are ironed out, growth will be “exponential.” 

As for other states, it may prove more difficult to roll out VPPs. While ERCOT has a transparent market where avoided costs of demand reduction and the value of distributed electricity can be directly understood, other states, like California, have a highly vertical electricity market, where cost allocation reporting is murky. 

“A vertically integrated utility – we should just call it a monopoly because that is what they are – don’t always tell the truth about what the exact costs are,” said Clifford. 

For Texas, a highly competitive free market have opened the door for adoption of new technologies like VPP. In vertical markets like California, “perverse incentives” may close that door. 

DOE’s Stuart Page explained how VPPs lower costs both for grid operators and for ratepayers, but that investor-owned utilities have a disincentive to properly manage their spending habits. 

“We have a rate-based system, which means, instead of shaving the peak of my load, we can just build out new stuff,” said Page. “If I can spend $10 billion on that, I get a rate-based profit margin on it. So, I want to spend tons of money. If I use a VPP approach or any other ‘smart’ approach, I don’t get an increase in my profits. So, there’s a perverse incentive for utilities to participate, and we have to change that.”

What tax credit transfer buyers need to know about IRA compliance The key to ensuring expected financial returns from the IRA comes down to a single word: compliance, and tax credit compliance is fraught with risk and complex to manage.

Solar peaks at 123% of grid, supplies 31% of California’s April electricity The Golden State set multiple clean energy records in April, with solar power increasingly dominating the grid, supported by robust energy storage solutions.

Perovskites move into production Perovskites remain a great hope for the future of the solar industry, once the possibilities of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and heterojunction PV have been exhausted. A look at the latest perovskite research shows that industry optimism is built on a strong foundation.

Solar industry panel cautions about 2025 Texas Legislature According to BloombergNEF’s just released 1H 2024 US Clean Energy Market Outlook, Texas promises to top the charts in terms of solar, wind and battery storage deployments in the period from 2024 to 2035. But it’s position as the number one U.S. state for renewable energy is not a given, as panelists made clear at last week’s RE+ Texas conference in Houston, Texas.

The Hydrogen Stream: Nikola to sell 100 fuel-cell hydrogen trucks to Port of LA In a hydrogen news roundup: Nikola plans to sell 100 hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for logistic operations in California, Volvo has started developing hydrogen combustion trucks, and Airbus has announced plans to launch a study into hydrogen projects in the US state of Georgia.

Energy security in renewables-based systems A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) examines the global energy system’s transformation and its implications for energy security. It tells policymakers that energy security in renewables-based systems will require multi-dimensional thinking.

When is the next Aurora due and what’s the impact on solar generation? In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, explains that the solar cycle does tend to increase the earth’s average annual extra-terrestrial irradiance, but only by a very small amount. It also explains that, while the annual cycle of extra-terrestrial irradiance causes a steady, predictable and significant 3.5% change through the seasonal cycle, the peak of the 11-year cycle of solar activity causes a smaller, more sporadic and unpredictable set of fluctuations.

“Green zealots” scare Florida administration from 100% renewable goal In a significant policy reversal, Florida has scrapped its renewable energy targets for 2050, imposed a complete ban on offshore wind projects, and eased regulations for gas pipeline expansions.

California’s recent strides in emission-free electricity and energy storage have garnered global attention, from top-tier publications to outlets on the other side of the globe.

According to data from the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and record keeping by Stanford Professor Marc Jacobson, “for 45 days straight and 69 of 75, California #WindWaterSolar (electricity) supply has exceeded demand part of each day. On May 20, (supply exceeded demand for) 7.58 h, peaking at 135.4% of demand. On average over 75 days, WWS>demand for 5.3 h/day.”

This performance is bolstered by the extensive use of batteries during the evening electricity peak demand period. As seen in the chart above, the batteries (seen in dark blue) play a crucial role during these ramping periods.

Essentially, the engineers managing California’s power grid have adapted to harness inherently unpredictable power sources.

When it comes to solar, these impressive figures still underestimate the impact of sunlight. This is because they only account for utility-scale generation, with rooftop and behind-the-meter projects contributing an additional 15 GW of capacity worth of electricity – almost equal to utility scale capacity.

For utility-scale supplied solar power, April in CAISO showcased an impressive performance. Generally, April is the third-highest month for solar as a percentage of all electricity, per data from pv magazine USA’s 50 States of Solar report.

However, this past April, the instantaneous “All-Time Max Demand” record was broken four times, rising from an 80.4% record set in April of 2022, to a new record of 97.5% on April 20th this year.

This raises an interesting question: why did ‘All Time Max Demand Served’ jump so significantly this year, especially after it had remained mostly static throughout 2023? It all boils down to increased battery capacity, which has allowed solar to expand its influence more effectively. Notably, we recently saw utility-scale battery capacity surpass 8 GW, which has now began to offset the evening peak demand periods.

Since the electricity for these batteries primarily comes from solar power, perhaps we should also consider that solar is meeting the evening peak demand?

pv magazine USA conducted an analysis of CAISO generation data and discovered that on April 21, solar electricity actually peaked at more than 123% of total electricity generation.

Solar can supply more than 100% of demand due to the net effect of batteries charging. On this date, solar also accounted for almost 38% of all electricity generated within the CAISO region, marking the peak value for the month. Additionally, the following day, CAISO recorded a new high for peak solar output at 18,374 MW.

The chart also highlights the April 8th eclipse – noted with a large dip in generation in light blue around 11 a.m. PST.

According to gridstatus.io, April 21st also marked a new record for battery output at 10:10 p.m., reaching 6,458 MW. This record has since been surpassed multiple times, with the current peak now at 7,528 MW. This record is expected to continue to grow as more utility-scale energy storage is deployed this year.

Over the entire month of April, solar was the largest source of electricity by far, contributing just over 31%. In total, solar combined with hydro, wind, nuclear, and geothermal provided almost 70% of the electricity, with methane generating 19%. Given that imports historically are historically 50% emission-free, this would put the total emission-free electricity used in California in April at approximately 75%.

PERC solar products hard to sell due to falling TOPCon module prices Prices for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar panels continue to fall. pvXchange.com founder Martin Schachinger explains how this will affect the sale of PV modules based on passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) cells.

Colorado modernizes community solar program Governor Polis signed into law bipartisan legislation that launches a new dispatchable distributed generation program and leverages Solar for All funding to upgrade its grid, lower energy bills for all and promote energy equity.

SunPower now offers Tesla Powerwall 3 to residential solar customers SunPower Financial reported it has expanded its suite of solar financing options to include loan and lease financing through Mosaic for Tesla battery installations.

California is now a batteries-included rooftop solar market About 60% of customers have included battery energy storage with their rooftop solar installation, up from roughly 10% prior. However, a “sustained downturn” is expected for the market.

Bladeless wind energy innovation aims to compete with rooftop solar A compact, “motionless” wind turbine with a magnetic generator designed for large commercial rooftops provides 5 kW of capacity per unit. Aeromine Technologies secured Series A funding for scaling its innovative design.

Quantifying losses from harmonics in solar facilities Gamesa Electric has released a white paper on losses due to harmonics in PV plants, including an independent study that compares the performance of ultra-low total harmonic distortion inverters.

Research shows repaired PV modules can perform with acceptable losses A research group has demonstrated the technical feasibility of using repaired solar modules with satisfying results. It also warned, however, that there is an urgent need to define a protocol for evaluating the features of a “viable” repaired panel.

California transitioned its rooftop solar policy on April 15, 2023, eliminated net energy metering (NEM) and moving toward a net billing tariff (NBT) structure. The change essentially cut the rate paid to customers for exporting their excess solar production to the grid by about 80%. On year later, Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has released a report evaluating changes in the state’s rooftop solar market.

LNBL found that rooftop solar installations in California were roughly equal in 2023 to 2022. However, 80% of the systems installed were NEM 2.0 installations rushing into interconnection queues before the April 15, 2023 deadline to secure the more lucrative rate structure. To date, about 50,000 systems have been interconnected under the new NBT structure, in addition to 200,000 NEM systems interconnected over the same period.

Data from EnergySage, operator of the largest residential solar quote site in the U.S., are “suggestive of a more sustained downturn,” said the report.

Quote requests spiked during the December 2022-April 2023 window between announcement and implementation of NBT. Since then, monthly quote requests have averaged roughly 60% of historical (2019-2021) levels.

A 40% drop in historical quote requests is a “leading indicator” for market activity and “is perhaps the clearest signal yet of a substantial and sustained market contraction,” said LBNL.

A significant contraction of the rooftop solar market is not an ideal outcome for California, a state with ambitious clean energy goals and an electricity affordability crisis. Trade association leaders have warned that California is unlikely to reach its clean energy targets without robust contributions from the rooftop solar industry.

(Read the opinion piece: “We must push back on net billing“)

However, the transition to NBT has created some outcomes in California that may be desirable. The profile of an installed system has changed considerably. Pre-NBT, customers attached battery energy storage with their rooftop array in roughly 10% of installations. Now, post-NBT installations include batteries 60% of the time.

This is important for California’s grid operators, that seek to smooth out the mismatch between solar generated electricity supply and demands on the grid. This mismatch, often represented by the “duck curve,” has been deepening in California, causing pricing and grid maintenance issues, and creating a need for inefficient natural gas “peaker” plants to serve times of high demand and low generation.

The high battery attachment rate offers customers some benefits, too. While the overall sticker price goes up with a battery-attached system, the return on investment has improved relative to a solar-only installation.

Installers report a median payback period of eight years for solar systems with a battery, while standalone solar systems have a longer median payback period of about 10 years. Battery storage enables customers to store their solar production and use it when grid prices are at their highest, rather than selling it to the grid at pennies on the dollar on sunny afternoons. Solar-battery owners also have the option to be compensated for exporting power during peak demand events or emergencies, potentially creating a new stream of revenue.

Customers with batteries also benefit from having backup power during grid outages, which remains the number one reason for including batteries nationwide, according to an installer survey by SolarReviews.

“Since November 2023, residential storage installs have averaged roughly 5,000 systems per month, more than double the monthly pace over the preceding three years,” said the report from LBNL.

The Berkeley Labs report noted a change in financing options for residential solar customers. Over the final 12-months of NEM, third party ownership rates, including leased and power purchase agreement systems, averaged 26% for stand-alone solar and 11% for solar and storage systems. This jumped up to 39% for standalone solar and 52% for solar plus storage under the NBT system. Some of this change may be attributed to increased interest rates creating loan terms for customers that are more difficult to digest.

Finally, the Berkeley Labs report noted an increase in consolidation in the California rooftop solar market. The market share of the top five installers in the state rose from 40% during the last year of NEM to 51% during the first year of NBT.

One year in, it is clear that the change to NBT has drastically altered the California rooftop solar industry. However, the backlog of NEM orders being served in 2023 has made it unclear what the total effect of this policy change will bring. This sets the stage for 2024 being a critical proving ground for the health of this industry.

“These trends, and others, will no doubt come into sharper focus over the next year or so, once the NEM backlog is fully cleared and a ‘new normal’ under NBT sets in,” concluded Galen Barbose, staff scientist, LBNL.

The U.S. recently exceeded five million solar installations, with the residential sector accounting for 97% of all solar installations in the U.S., according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.

A recent report, The state(s) of distributed solar—2023 update from the Institute of Local Self Reliance (ILSR), estimates that 29 GW of solar capacity was installed in 2023; 31% of which is distributed solar. Distributed solar is solar that is owned by individuals, small businesses and public entities—and is generated at or very near the site where it is used.

The map below shows how much distributed solar was installed in each state through 2023, relative to population.

For the purposes of the map, community solar in Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon is included as distributed solar.

To arrive at these figures, ILSR added its own figures on state community solar capacity to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) figures on small-scale photovoltaic capacity by state. This sum was divided by state population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, resulting in a figure of watts per person. The U.S. EIA did not collect data from Alabama or North Dakota.

A key finding is that 21 states and the District of Columbia have a distributed solar saturation of more than 100 watts per capita.

California, Arizona, Nevada, and Massachusetts all land in the top ten for both distributed solar saturation and total solar generation capacity.

California, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina have the largest overall capacity whereas Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and California have the greatest distributed solar saturation, as measured in installed distributed solar capacity per capita.

Several state solar markets have made significant changes since ISLR’s 2022 update. Installed distributed capacity grew by more than 1 GW in Texas (6 GW), California (4.7 GW), Florida (2.5 GW), Ohio (1.8 GW), Virginia (1.2 GW), and Colorado (1.1 GW).

Five states doubled or more than doubled installed capacity in 2023, including South Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Arkansas. While doubling capacity is good news, it still may not amount to much as both South Dakota and West Virginia are considered “solar laggards” according to PV Intel’s analysis, based on EIA data.

Other states that saw strong growth include Wisconsin, Indiana, Montana, Louisiana, Maine, and Michigan.

Community solar

Community solar provides a way for people to benefit from solar energy who may be unable to install solar either due to financial restrictions or because they do not have a suitable rooftop for solar.

ILSR’s 2024 Community Power Scorecard states that “a model community solar policy has no cap, has a fair compensation rate, simplifies the billing process for subscribers, meaningfully accounts for the challenge of reaching low- and moderate-income (LMI) subscribers, and rewards other beneficial development or small subscriber-friendly practices”.

ILSR reports that state policies like community solar, net metering, simplified interconnection rules and a renewable portfolio standard carve-out for distributed energy are crucial in promoting the adoption of distributed solar.

The distributed solar report notes that 19 states and the District of  Columbia currently have community solar policies and highlights nine states that ILSR calls “solar-enabling” for their strong community solar policies and installed capacity.

Total installed community solar capacity at the end of 2023:

1. New York 1.72 GW
2. Minnesota 904 MW
3. Massachusetts 852 MW
4. Illinois 251 MW
5. Maryland 149 MW
6. Colorado 147 MW
7. New Jersey 137 MW
8. Oregon 29 MW
9. Hawaii 4 MW

ILSR tracks these policies and others in its Community Power Map. According to the ILSR’s Community Power Scorecard, 26 received failing grades in 2024, suggesting that many states have much room for improvement.

ILSR’s State(s) of Distributed Solar analysis is updated annually. For a historical snapshot, explore archived analyses of distributed solar by state in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.

Plug Power’s $1.6 billion loan guarantee for clean hydrogen facilities The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office announced a conditional commitment for loan guarantee to help finance construction of up to six facilities across several U.S. states to produce clean hydrogen using Plug Power’s own electrolyzer technology.

U.S. solar exceeds five million installations Over half of all U.S. solar installations have come online since the start of 2020 and over 25% have come online since the Inflation Reduction Act became law.

No ceiling on U.S. glass opportunity With PV module capacity ramping up, glass suppliers have been investing in new solar glass production capacity. As in India and China, new facilities are popping up in North America, with unique twists to ensure competitiveness, such as using recycled material.

‘We must push back on net billing’ With California’s NEM 3.0 legislation having gutted panel sales and Arizona heading a bevy of other US states preparing to reduce solar-export payments, it’s time the United States solar industry stepped up, for ourselves as well as our customers.

Faulty installations often to blame for battery fires The Electric Power Research Institute, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and German battery analysis specialist Twaice have jointly evaluated 26 battery fires between 2018 and 2023. They say that the diversity of components plays a critical role in igniting fires.

U.S. solar industry week in review pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

The U.S. multi-pronged approach to onshoring solar manufacturing The U.S. aims for a domestic solar supply chain, but the industry’s capacity to serve the early stages in solar manufacturing are minimal. Will its recent industrial policy efforts make a difference?

]]> https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/05/17/u-s-solar-industry-week-in-review-10/feed/ 0 104344 https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/05/17/researchers-demonstrate-25-efficient-perovskite-cadmium-tandem-solar-cell/ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/05/17/researchers-demonstrate-25-efficient-perovskite-cadmium-tandem-solar-cell/#respond Fri, 17 May 2024 15:21:59 +0000 https://pv-magazine-usa.com/?p=104356 University of Toledo researchers say the cell has a top perovskite cell with a transparent back contact made of indium zinc oxide and a commercially established cadmium telluride bottom device. They claim the champion tandem cell has the potential to reach a 30% efficiency.

From pv magazine Global

A research group at the University of Toledo in the United States has designed a four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cell with a top device relying on a perovskite absorber with a tunable wide-bandgap and a bottom cell using a commercially established narrow-bandgap absorber technology made of cadmium telluride (CdTe).

“While a lot of work has been done on perovskite-silicon, perovskite-CIGS, and perovskite-perovskite tandem cells, perovskite-cadmium telluride tandem solar cells are relatively unexplored,” the scientists said. “Although the efficiency potential of CdTe-based tandems is likely lower than CIGS-based tandems due to the higher bandgap of the CdTe bottom cell, the broader commercial success of CdTe solar cells makes them a point of interest in investigating thin-film tandem applications.”

The academics said a key element of the solar cell is the transparent back contact (TBC) technology used for the top tunable wide-bandgap perovskite cell. For the construction of these contacts, they used indium zinc oxide (IZO) as an alternative to well-established indium tin oxide (ITO).

They prepared the IZO films through the radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique, which is an approach involving alternating the electrical potential of the current in a vacuum environment at RFs.

They also explained that their efforts were aimed at identifying the ideal IZO thickness, as this plays a crucial role in improving the performance and optical transmittance of the semitransparent perovskite top cell by increasing the perovskite bandgap allowing more long-wavelength photons to transmit and enter the CdSeTe bottom cell. In turn, this compensates for a typical optical loss factor in a 4T tandem configuration.

The top cell was constructed with a substrate made of glass and indium tin oxide (ITO), a hole transport layer (HTL) made of nickel(II) oxide (NiOx), a layer made of a phosphonic acid called methyl-substituted carbazole (Me-4PACz), the perovskite absorber, an electron transport layer (ETL) relying on buckminsterfullerene (C60), a tin oxide (SnOx) buffer layer, and the IZO back contact.

The bottom cell was designed to have a substrate made of glass and ITO, an ETL made of tin oxide (SnO2), a cadmium telluride (CdTe) absorber, a cadmium selenium telluride (CdSeTe) layer, a copper thiocyanate (CuSCN) HTL, and a gold metal contact.

Both cells were covered with an anti-reflecting coating.

The best tandem cell configuration was achieved when the absorber of the top cell was tuned to have an energy bandgap of 1.76 eV. With this value, the device reached an overall power conversion efficiency of 25.1%.

The top cell was found to achieve an efficiency of 17.93%, an open-circuit voltage of 1.315 V, a short-circuit current of density of 17.11 mA cm², and a fill factor of 79.7%. The bottom cell showed an efficiency of 7.13%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.842 V, a short-circuit current of density of 11.15 mA cm², and a fill factor of 76.0%.

“The result proves the concept that 4T perovskite–CdSeTe tandem configuration can be used to improve the efficiency of commercial CdSeTe thin-film solar cells,” the researchers stated, adding they are currently outlining a roadmap to increase the device’s efficiency to 30%. “Our analysis reveals that high-efficiency 4T perovskite–CdSeTe tandem solar cells are feasible with the future advance of both PV cells.”

The details of the new cell design can be found in the study “Four-Terminal Perovskite–CdSeTe Tandem Solar Cells: From 25% toward 30% Power Conversion Efficiency and Beyond,” which was recently published in RRL Solar.

The University of Toledo developed several types of CdTe solar cells over the past years. The devices include, among others, a 20%-efficient cell based on a commercial tin(IV) oxide (SnO₂) buffer layer, a 17.4%-efficient device using a layer of copper-aluminum oxide to the rear side of the CdTe thin film, and a solar cell based on an indium gallium oxide (IGO) emitter layer and a cadmium stannate (CTO) transparent conductor as the front electrode.

If you flipped through the December 2023 issue of Time magazine, you might have seen an article focused on fraud in the solar industry and the bad actors perpetuating it.

In the 20 years since founding installer Independent Solar, I’ve seen these bad actors and their shady business practices firsthand. While I’m saddened to say that these companies have eroded some of the public’s trust in our industry, they aren’t the only ones to blame. Thanks to changing regulations, customers don’t always see their promised savings and if customers feel like solar power is just a bait-and-switch followed by an endless maze of shifting regulation, it’s no wonder fewer and fewer households are willing to sign solar contracts.

I’ve already seen that shift beginning. Regulatory winds are blowing and solar customers have been thrown into what can only be called a sea of confusion. This has been evident since it washed over California in April 2023 in the form of new net energy metering tariff NEM 3.0.

NEM 3.0

If you aren’t familiar with the situation, NEM 3.0 drastically reduced the amount of compensation solar homeowners receive for unused electricity which is sold back into the grid.

Before NEM 3.0, California did what most states do — it used one-to-one net metering, so customers were credited the same amount for exported solar power as they’d pay to use that amount of electricity from the grid. That meant that their electricity often paid for itself.

NEM 3.0 moved from net metering to net billing. It’s a small change in terminology but a big change in practice. With net billing, the reimbursement rate is calculated based on the day, time, and even month the customer uses the electricity. It’s a deliberately complicated system and the bottom line is that customers are being reimbursed about 75% less than they were before.

Industry suffering

As a result, some solar customers are, understandably, starting to panic. They aren’t alone. Research firm Wood Mackenzie has predicted that, in 2024, solar installation rates in California will decrease by 38%. Investment bank Roth Capital Partners expects something even more dire — a 50% contraction in the solar market in 2024.

Unfortunately, customers who purchased solar power systems for the savings are seeing those returns evaporate before their eyes. Under the new regulations, customers can still save almost as much as before by installing a battery but that is pretty costly so it’s not an option for everyone.

If you live in another US state, you might be relieved that you aren’t dealing with NEM 3.0 but the truth is that many other states are following suit. In fact, Arizona actually beat California to the punch when it came to lowering overall customer energy savings. It drastically reduced customer savings in 2016, far ahead of California.

Further hit

The Arizona legislature is now considering whether it should lower compensation rates even further. Sadly, I think it’s likely that Arizona will lower those compensation rates.

I believe this was always the legislative plan: incentivize homeowners to install solar panels with artificially low rates and then placate utility companies by reducing reimbursement levels. This is hardly a regional issue. Several other states – including Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, and North Carolina – have recently made similar changes to slash savings.

As a result, it’s an uncertain time for customers. Unless something changes, solar companies nationwide will see a continued reduction in solar power installations and this is especially true for states with turbulent legislation like Arizona, where panels are installed with the promise of significant savings, they are then reduced, and the legislature is already considering reducing them again.

I think the executive director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, Autumn T. Johnson, was spot-on when she said, “It’s hard to argue that you should invest $30,000 or $40,000 or $50,000 into a solar system on your home when you have absolutely no idea how the [public utilities] commission is going to treat that from a regulatory perspective tomorrow or next year because they cannot be counted on to maintain the decisions they’ve previously instituted.”

Incentive

Solar is a major upfront investment that is meant to reduce long-term costs but it only works in customers’ favor if they save enough on utility bills to make the solar panels pay for themselves. The less consumers save on energy, the longer that takes.

From a customer vantage point, if they’re still paying almost as much for utilities as they did before, why bother with the cost of solar power?

As an industry, we are responsible for showing our customers that solar is still good for their wallets. It’s still good for the environment, after all.

We also have a responsibility to advocate against billing adjustments that decimate consumer savings. NEM 3.0 might make solar power seem like a bait-and-switch, and without adjustment on our part, it will be. However, with trust, open communication, and intelligent advocacy, we can help customers move toward the new frontier of truly on-site solar power.

Randy French, owner and founder of Phoenix-based Independent Solar, began the company in 2003. 

According to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, the U.S. has officially exceeded five million solar installations, marking a milestone that comes just eight years after the U.S. reached one million installations in 2016.

To put the rapid growth of the U.S. solar industry in perspective, the first solar installation was connected to the grid in 1973, and in just 41 years there are now more than five million grid-connected installs.

The rise in U.S. solar has not always been as meteoric as it is today, as over half of all U.S. solar installations have come online in just the past four years and over 25% have come online since the Inflation Reduction Act became law in 2022.

“Solar is scaling by the millions because it consistently delivers on its promise to lower electricity costs, boost community resilience, and create economic opportunities,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Today 7% of homes in America have solar, and this number will grow to over 15% of U.S. homes by 2030. Solar is quickly becoming the dominant source of electricity on the grid, allowing communities to breathe cleaner air and lead healthier lives.”

SEIA forecasts that solar installations in the U.S. will double to 10 million by 2030 and triple to 15 million by 2034.

The residential sector accounts for 97% of all solar installations in the U.S., with a total of 36 GW installed by the end of 2023. While just 7% of homes in the U.S. currently have solar, that number is expected to grow to more than double to over 15% by 2030.

State policy making a difference

California leads the nation with 2 million solar installations, but the state’s residential market was harmed when  the California Public Utilities Commission’  NEM 3.0 policy change cut payments for exported solar energy by about 75%.

Several other states are seeing rapid growth. Illinois was an emerging market with only 2,500 solar installations in 2017, and today it is a shining example of where solar policy promotes clean energy growth. Illinois is home to more than 87,000 solar installations or about 27 GW and 65 GW more is expected to come online in the next five years according to the SEIA.

Strong policies, such as the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS), are behind the growth in Illinois. Its RPS requires 25% of energy comes from renewable sources by 2025. The state also has the Illinois Shines program with incentives that makes solar more affordable for all. And Illinois has targets to have 40% of its energy come from renewable sources by 2030 and is aiming for 100% by 2050.

Florida is another market experiencing substantial growth, increasing from 22,000 installations in 2017 to 235,000 installations today. In a surprising move that buoyed rooftop solar in the state, the governor vetoed a bill that would have dropped net metering credits to near zero. The bill was founded on the same cost shift rhetoric used in California’s move to NEM 3.0, which has not fared well for rooftop solar.

“Florida is one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the country with new businesses popping up all across the state,” said Hopper. This veto signals that Florida’s energy economy is open for business, and that the rights of state residents should be placed ahead of monopoly utility interests.”

While the number of installations throughout the U.S. is impressive, the difference solar is making in the nation’s capacity is testament to the fact that solar is making a difference. For the first time, solar accounted for over half of new electricity generation capacity added 2023 and, by 2050, solar is expected to be the largest source of generating capacity on the U.S. grid.

The 5 million solar installations are making a serious cut to carbon emissions. SEIA estimates that the installations displace 198 million metric tons of CO2 every year. This reduction is the equivalent to 22 billion gallons of gas, or enough gas to travel to the sun and back nearly 3,000 times in a traditional ICE vehicle.  Overall, SEIA calculates that the current solar capacity in the U.S. offsets the emissions of 12 million Americans, which is greater than the population of New York City and Los Angeles combined.

FERC transmission rule to shore up the nation’s power grid The ruling, which is being praised by industry groups, is the first time in more than a decade that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has addressed regional transmission policy as well as the need for long-term transmission planning.

Solar powered electric truck stop opens in California WattEV’s 5.7 MW solar-powered truck stop, with demand charge management driven by solar-;plus-storage, has begun operations in Bakersfield, California.

Powering drones with ultra-thin, flexible perovskite PV cells An Austrian research team has demonstrated that lightweight, flexible and ultra-thin perovskite solar technology can power palm-sized autonomous drones.

Trina Solar records 65.21 GW of solar module shipments for 2023 Trina Solar says its solar panel shipments reached 65.21 GW in 2023. The Chinese module maker achieved a turnover of $15.75 billion and a net profit of $768.2 million in fiscal 2023, with an annual module production capacity of 95 GW by the end of December.

Two approaches to save net metering in Puerto Rico A solar trade group wants the White House to appoint new pro-solar members to the federal oversight board that has challenged Puerto Rico’s net metering law, while the former president of the Puerto Rico Senate advises considering amending the law.

WattEV has officially opened the world’s largest solar-powered truck charging station in Bakersfield, California. The facility is equipped with a 5.7 MW solar array, featuring a pre-wired racking system from Australian solar manufacturer 5B, designed for rapid deployment and minimal installation costs. Additionally, a 2.7 MWh energy storage system is integrated into the plant to mitigate peak demand charges from the numerous truck chargers.

The depot boasts extensive technical capabilities, including:

• 5.7 MW solar array
  
• 2.7 MWh of battery storage
• 16 dual-cord 360 kW grid-connected chargers
• 15 single-cord 240 kW CCS chargers
• 3 MCS 1,200 kW rapid chargers

To better understand how the solar-plus-storage systems are integrated into the facility, pv magazine USA consulted Umar Javed, the president of WattEV. Umar detailed the specific power management across the chargers:

The 15 CCS chargers of 240 kW are powered by solar and battery storage only.  Each group of 5 of these chargers is powered by a 1.2 MW power cabinet. That same power cabinet is connected to a 1.2 MW MCS charger. The power cabinet contains internal DC power allocation. All the power can go to one MCS or to 5 CCS and other power sharing profiles in between. This design allows for transition from the current CCS standard to MCS.

WattEV’s press release detailed how the integration of the 240 kW CCS and 1,200 kW MCS chargers with the onsite solar facility is managed by software designed to optimize solar generation with scheduled truck charging needs, specifically to minimize demand charges. This system ensures operational continuity even during grid outages.

The solar power portion of the facility is currently 5.7 MW, with plans for future expansion to 25 MW alongside increased charging capabilities.

WattEV opted for 5B’s Maverick solar deployment system, which consists of 90 modules per package, with four packages fitting into a shipping container. According to the company’s website, each module within the packages uses solar panels rated between 550 and 580 watts. Each package of 90 modules totals about 50 kW of solar. The company states that a crew of three to four can install a megawatt of modules in a week.

The project was awarded a $5 million grant from the State of California in 2021.

Strategically located on State Highway 99, a key freight corridor, the Bakersfield site is ideally situated to serve major agricultural and industrial regions in California. This location leverages high traffic volumes and serves as an essential node in WattEV’s broader network plans.

WattEV intends to replicate this model at other key freight corridors, planning to augment both solar capacity and charger availability. This expansion, integral to their broader Truck-as-a-Service (TaaS) strategy, aims to enhance long-haul electric trucking across California.

California approves uncapped fixed charges on electricity bills The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to approve a controversial electricity rate rule called the Income-Graduated Fixed Charge, enabling utilities to assess an average $24 monthly fixed charge on residential bills.–roughly double the national average in the United States. It applies to all customers, regardless of how much electricity they consume. 

Cypress Creek Renewables constructs 208 MW / 80 MWh solar-plus-storage facility in Texas The site reached commercial operation on May 2, adding enough capacity to the grid to serve the equivalent of 41,600 homes in the Brackettville, Texas area. Over $11.5 million in tax revenues are expected to be generated for the county by the project, along with $11.7 million earmarked for the Bracket Independent School District.

Heliene inks supply agreement with UGE for U.S.-made solar modules With the Heliene supply agreement in place, UGE is projected to begin qualifying for the domestic content adder on projects that start construction as early as this summer.

Energy transition needs batteries… and more batteries A recent IEA report says China holds all the cards in chemistry and production.

Sunrun to aid California in its electricity imbalance with home solar and battery VPP Over 16,000 Sunrun customers will supply the grid during peak electricity demand events.

$20 Million federal initiative targets low-emission silicon and thin film research The Solar Energy Technologies Office has launched a dual initiative to propel upstream advancements in a collection of solar cell types, and to reduce the emissions of solar-grade polysilicon under 1 kg CO2 per kg.

Longi announces 27.30% efficiency for heterojunction back contact solar cell The Chinese module manufacturer said the new efficiency record was confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).

Enteligent taking pre-orders for DC-to-DC solar-powered EV charger The company reports that the hybrid bi-directional EV charger can supply 12.5 kW of fast DC charging, charging two times faster than AC Level 2 EV chargers.

California approves uncapped fixed charges on electricity bills An uncapped average monthly charge of $24 will be added regardless of the amount of electricity used at home, sparking the ire of consumer advocates and energy conservationists.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has voted to approve a controversial electricity rate rule called the Income-Graduated Fixed Charge, enabling utilities to assess an average $24 monthly fixed charge on residential bills.

The fixed charge is roughly double the national average in the United States. It applies to all customers, regardless of how much electricity they consume. Opponents of the rate case argue that it will discourage energy conservation and efficiency at home. Grid expert and economist Ahmad Faruqui said the charge will disproportionately harm customers with low electric bills.

A major concern about the fixed charge, first introduced in California AB 205, is that it places no limit on how much the state’s largest investor-owned utilities can increase the fixed charge. Consumer and environmental advocates attempted to place a cap on the fixed charge at $10 per month, and despite the bill’s popularity, it was blocked from advancing to the committee for a vote.

“What is $24 today will turn into $80 tomorrow,” warned the Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics.

Earlier proposals from California utilities proposed a fixed charge as high as $128 per month, and the door is now open for utilities to pursue these high charges. Upon the vote, CPUC said there needs to be “scrutiny” on future utility requests for increases to fixed charges, but language in the proposed decision creates no legal mandate for limiting fixed rate hikes.

Opponents of the rule also argue that the economics of rooftop solar are harmed by the proposal. Even if a customer’s rooftop solar array provides 100% of their electricity usage year-round, the fixed charge would apply, offsetting potential bill savings. California has made a series of regulatory and ratemaking changes that have challenged rooftop solar, causing industry leaders to flag concern that California may be off track in meeting its clean energy goals as a result.

California is currently suffering an electricity affordability crisis. Utility filings show that over 20% of customers of the three large utilities are over a month late on their bills, and that number rises to 33% in low-income brackets. Low-income customers are offered a discount in the monthly discount, so long as they self-attest to their income level in state programs like CARE.

CPUC said the fixed charge will help decouple energy generation charges from transmission, distribution, and grid maintenance charges. Along with the fixed charge, electricity rates for generation, called volumetric rates, will be reduced by about 5 to 7 cents per kilowatt hour.

While the volumetric rates have been lowered in this proposal by five to seven cents, this discount is essentially washed out by recent rate increases. PG&E approved a 13% rate hike, in 2024, while the proposed decision is expected to reduce rates by roughly 19%.

(Read: “California electricity pricing exploded in the last three years, far outpacing inflation”)

Peak demand electricity rates in PG&E currently exceed $0.62 per kWh. A solar and storage industry contact shared that these rates are expected to continue to skyrocket.

“We have been told every utility has a target to be over $1.00 in the near future for peak, summer rates,” the contact told pv magazine USA.

The fixed rate will appear on customer bills in late 2025 for SCE and SDG&E customers and early 2026 for PG&E customers.

Residential solar and energy storage provider Sunrun announced it has connected more than 16,200 California homes in a virtual power plant (VPP) to supply electricity during high-demand events in the summer.

A VPP is a virtual aggregation of small-scale, distributed energy resources (DERs) including PV, energy storage, electric vehicle chargers, and demand-responsive devices such as water heaters, thermostats, and appliances. VPP technology has shown immediate promise in replacing natural gas “peaker plants” on grids, offering additional capacity during times of peak electricity demand.

The VPP program is expected to reduce strain on the grid and provide power to local California communities to help prevent power emergencies. Customers in the program agree to enroll their battery-stored electricity in an energy dispatch schedule and are compensated for participation.

Last year, Sunrun’s VPP program, called Peak Power Rewards, supplied utility Pacific Gas & Electric up to 32 MW of power during evening peak demand hours from over 8,500 customer batteries. This summer, Sunrun is expected to roughly double enrollment and the capacity serving the grid.

This year’s VPP, called CalReady, will be run via the state’s Demand Side Grid Support program, administered by the California Energy Commission. The program comes as part of California’s Strategic Reliability Reserve, which aims to boost energy supply during heat waves, wildfires, and other extreme events.

(Read: “VPP preventing blackouts in Puerto Rico“)

“By sharing their clean solar power, they are making California’s grid more resilient for everyone. Sunrun’s CalReady is far and away the largest virtual power plant in the country and serves as a model for what the electric grid of the future should look like,” said Sunrun chief executive officer Mary Powell.

During the five months of this year’s CalReady program, Sunrun customers agree to enroll their battery to be tapped for energy dispatch up to 35 times over the summer.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) shared that as solar adoption grows in California, a grid imbalance described as the “duck curve” is deepening. The midday dip in net load is getting lower, making it more difficult for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to balance the grid.

The swing in demand for electricity from conventional power plants from midday to late evenings, when energy demand is still high but solar generation has dropped off, means that conventional power plants like natural gas-fired peaker plants must rapidly ramp up electricity production to meet demand. Coordinated VPP programs like Sunrun’s CalReady can help serve this demand, lessening the need for inefficient natural gas peaker plants.

“The benefit of Sunrun’s fleet of many thousand batteries is that they can be orchestrated in unison. It’s the scale, speed and capacity that makes Sunrun’s virtual power plants so valuable,” said Chris Rauscher, head of grid services, Sunrun.

Raucher said that the VPP behaves like a centralized power plant in that it is controlled and dispatched by a single entity. He said a VPP has the advantage of being a distributed resource spread across houses statewide, making it more flexible, resilient, and adaptable when compared to a single-location centralized power plant.

Over the last decade, the U.S. has spent more than $120 billion on 100 GW of new generation capacity, mainly for resource adequacy. A study by Boston-based consultancy Brattle Group estimates utilities could save $35 billion by 2033 by focusing on VPPs for peak demand capacity.

“By deploying grid assets more efficiently, an aggregation of distributed resources lowers the cost of power for everybody, especially VPP participants,” said Jigar Shah, the director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loans Programs Office.