The project in Kern County, CA, will combine 174MW of solar PV and a four-hour 88MW/352MWh BESS once operational in September 2023.

Financing closes for 352MWh solar-plus-storage project in California

Wells Fargo, MUFG and Silicon Valley Bank have completed US$260 million of construction financing for Leeward Renewable Energy’s Chaparral Springs solar-plus-storage project in California.

The developer announced the securing of financing and tax equity commitments for Chaparral Springs yesterday (10 January). The project in Kern County, California, will combine 174MW of solar PV and a four-hour 88MW/352MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) once operational in September 2023.

The debt portion was issued under the Loan Market Authority’s Green Loan Principles. JP Morgan has provided US$29 million in tax equity investment and has committed to investing another US$114 million at commissioning.

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Source: Energy Storage News

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In January 2023, Caltech Space Solar Power Project is poised to launch into orbit a prototype, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator.

Caltech to launch space solar power technology demo into orbit in January

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Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover.

The launch, currently slated for early January, represents a major milestone in the project and promises to make what was once science fiction a reality. When fully realized, SSPP will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity over long distances wherever it is needed—including to places that currently have no access to reliable power.

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Source: Caltech

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This is one of the first efforts by a major oil & gas company to build a net exporting, behind-the-meter solar PV plant.

Solar project powers an oil and gas field with California sunshine

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The Lost Hills oil field in California’s San Joaquin Valley has been producing oil since 1910, with significant reserves yet to be extracted. The operators plan to continue to produce oil for many years to come, with the goal of providing reliable, affordable, and ever-cleaner energy to customers in California.

Before the solar project, Lost Hills, which operates as a waterflood, imported all its power from the local utility. The electrical energy load, which is generally stable throughout the day and over the year, is driven mainly by artificial-lift systems, fluid-processing facilities, and waterflood injection pumps. Faced with higher utility energy rates and increasingly stringent greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission regulations, the operator embarked on a project to identify alternatives to reduce its energy costs and lower its carbon footprint.

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Source: JPT

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SMUD and Swell Energy have signed an agreement for Swell to act as the aggregator for the new My Energy Optimizer Partner+ program

Sacramento, Swell aggregate residential solar + battery storage

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To help deliver on its 2030 Zero Carbon Plan to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from its power supply, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Swell Energy have signed an agreement for Swell to act as the aggregator for the new My Energy Optimizer Partner+ program – a residential customer-driven virtual power plant initiative.

The initial effort will bring 20 MWh and 10 MW of renewable capacity to SMUD by recruiting, installing and aggregating capacity from customers’ battery storage systems located in the utility’s service area. The program has the opportunity to scale to 54 MWh and 27 MW over the term of the partnership. Contract capability is based on a 2-hour deliverable capacity, inclusive of exports with day-ahead notification for up to 240 events per year.

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Source: Solar Industry

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Within three years, a surge of large-scale battery projects is expected to come online on Texas and California power grids.

Utilities rush to install storage batteries in Texas, California

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Within three years, a surge of large-scale battery projects is expected to come online on Texas and California power grids as developers seek to store electricity produced by those state’s sprawling wind and solar farms.

The Energy Department has estimated that 21 gigawatts of storage capacity will plug into U.S. power grids before 2026, more than 2½ times the amount now in operation. Almost 8 gigawatts are expected in Texas.

The boom in battery development comes as weather-dependent wind and solar energy becomes an increasingly large part of the U.S. power grid, requiring an alternate power source when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.

DOE announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects across six states and the District of Columbia that supports agrivoltaics.

DOE announces $8M to integrate solar energy production with farming

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects across six states and the District of Columbia that will provide new economic opportunities for farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry. The funding supports agrivoltaics—the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land—and aims to reduce barriers to utility-and community-scale solar energy deployment while maximizing benefits for farmers and local communities. By increasing access to solar energy, the new projects reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to ensuring that every community unlocks the public health and cost-saving benefits of a clean energy future and support President Biden’s goals to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035 and achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

“DOE’s research into agrivoltaics provides an incredible opportunity to pair solar energy generation with safe and robust crop production—ensuring rural communities reap the full economic benefits of a clean energy future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With these exciting projects, we’re supporting sustainable agriculture and investing in the technologies that enable us to make our climate goals a reality—a win-win for our planet and hardworking farmers coast to coast.”

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Source: Energy Gov

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The bill would create a tax incentive for companies to build solar canopies in large parking lots to boost local clean electricity generation.

Senate Bill introduced to incentivize solar carport deployment in California

California Sen. Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) introduced Senate Bill 49, a bill incentivizing solar carport development, at the State Capitol on Monday.

“Solar farms use a tremendous amount of land, but that type of open space either isn’t available or is tremendously expensive in cities and suburbs that use the most power,” Becker said. “That’s what makes the solar canopy concept so appealing because it wouldn’t require any more land, it would just give parking lot owners an incentive to make dual-use of their lots by essentially putting a miniature power plant above all those cars.”

The bill would create a tax incentive for companies to build solar canopies in large parking lots to boost the local clean electricity generation, avoiding more solar development on land. According to a report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up 35%-50% of the total surface area in cities, and 40% of that pavement is parking lots.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Origo Investments with industry veterans Amond World to develop a refrigerated cold storage facility in the Madera Airport Industrial Park.

Off-grid solar + storage microgrid designed for CA almond cold storage facility

Origo Investments is partnering with industry veterans Amond World to develop a refrigerated cold storage facility in the Madera Airport Industrial Park, which will include two 250,000 sq. ft buildings, each holding approximately 50 million lbs of almonds or other recently harvested crops for farmers and processors.

In order to guarantee energy access, reliability and cost economics while considering the sustainability of the facility, Origo has partnered with Scale Microgrids to design, build, own and operate an off-grid clean energy microgrid providing cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power.

The microgrid system will include 1,200 kW of rooftop solar. Storage of the solar energy will be provided by a 1,200 kW/ 2,400 kWh battery system. The microgrid will include two 1,200 kW enhanced emission-reducing controllable generators.

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Source: Solar Power World

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At least $25.7B in new US clean-energy factories are in the works. Most of these projects and jobs are in traditionally conservative states.

Green factories are changing minds in more conservative US states

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At least $25.7 billion in new U.S. clean-energy factories are in the works, thanks in part to the generous subsidies in President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law. Most of these projects — and the jobs that come with them — are in traditionally conservative states.

In Dalton, Georgia, green energy hasn’t been a priority. Its congressional representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has said that “Earth warming and carbon is actually healthy for us.”

But a new solar-panel factory is changing minds in the city of 34,000. Indeed, the presence of new jobs is transforming solar power into a tangible community benefit.

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Source: The Seattle Times

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LRE has completed construction of its 100MW Rabbitbrush Solar Facility in Kern County with a 20MW, 50MWh battery energy storage system.

LRE completes 100-MW Rabbitbrush solar + storage project in California

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Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) has completed construction and commenced operations of its 100-MW Rabbitbrush Solar Facility located in Kern County, California. The facility also includes a 20-MW, 50-MWh battery energy storage system.

The energy generated by the project will serve two not-for-profit, community-owned electricity providers, Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), through two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs). LRE, CCCE and SVCE hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Rabbitbrush Solar Facility earlier today to celebrate the start of operations at the facility.

“LRE is proud to partner with CCCE and SVCE on a monumental project that will provide significant economic and environmental benefits,” said Jason Allen, CEO of LRE’s. “Bringing this project online is another example of how we manage our projects in alignment with our core values of protecting and respecting the environment in the communities where we operate. Our focus is on providing continuous value to local communities while building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships.”

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Source: Solar Power World

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