california

Residential solar installer SunPower has invested in its California sales and marketing division to ensure that as many customers can apply for favourable net energy metering (NEM) 2.0 rates.

A round-up of the latest news from the power purchase agreement market, including a virtual PPA between EDF and Thermo Fisher Scientific in Texas, Engie signing a 116MW PPA with Digital Realty in Germany and PG&E securing 30MW of community solar PPAs.

Agrivoltaics developer Pristine Sun Corporation has secured US$250 million in financing to develop and expand its projects in California, Texas and Louisiana, as well as further afield across the continental US.

A map of the VPPs in which Sunrun’s batteries are participating through Lunar’s platform. Image: Sunrun / Lunar Energy.

US hydrogen production company Element Resources has announced a plan to build and operate a new facility in Lancaster, California, producing 20,000 tons of renewable hydrogen annually.

A 500kV, 125-mile transmission line between California and Arizona broke ground last week, promising to bring over 3GW of renewable energy capacity to the US Desert Southwest region.

PV solutions provider SPI Energy’s wholly owned subsidiary, Solar 4 America (S4A), has begun manufacturing M10 (182mm) modules in the new production line at its facility in Sacramento, California.

NEM 3.0, the latest iteration of California’s rooftop solar net metering scheme, was passed yesterday by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Vocal public debate surrounded the legislation before the vote as solar industry workers and representative bodies called for revisions to the proposed decision.

On 15 December, the California Public Utilities Commission will vote on the latest net energy meeting (NEM) proposal regarding the state’s rooftop solar market. Ahead of the vote, activists have taken to the streets in a series of demonstrations against the legislation, and the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) and other representative groups have been vocal in their criticism of the proposal.

The intense wildfires that ravaged California in the US in 2020 have been responsible for substantial solar energy forecasts errors, according to a study led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).