SunEdison has begun construction on a 156-MW solar project near Pueblo, Colo. The company said it will be the largest solar power plant east of the Rocky Mountains.
The $253 million Comanche Solar project, which is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2016, is being financed by tapping into a $1.5 billion line of credit, the company said. Xcel Energy subsidiary Public Service Company of Colorado will buy the energy under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
Public Service said it decided to buy the solar power over other energy sources, including natural gas-fired generation. “SunEdison, through the Comanche Solar project, is helping move us in the right direction,” said David Eves, president of Public Service. “It demonstrates that large-scale solar power can play an increasingly larger role in our customers’ energy future at a competitive price point.”
More: PV Magazine
Dominion’s Ratepayer-Funded Donations Subject of AP Investigation
An Associated Press investigation has found that Dominion Resources billed Virginia residential customers for more than $1 million it spent in recent years on donations, including some to charities with close ties to influential politicians.
The wire service said it is legal in Virginia to charge ratepayers for the costs of charitable contributions, but lobbying expenses or political donations are not recoverable in rates.
The practice has attracted the ire of former Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. “Why should captive ratepayers, who have no option to get electricity from another company, be compelled to fund the charitable choices of a company?” Cuccinelli said. “Leave the ratepayers their money, and let them make their own charitable choices.”
More: Associated Press
Alliant Energy Reaches Agreement on Solar Field in Wisconsin
Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy is jumping into the solar energy market by signing a deal with a private solar farm in Beloit that could be running by early 2016.
Alliant announced last week it has reached a 10-year power purchase agreement with South Korean company Hanwha, which plans to build a 2.25-MW solar plant at a former landfill that’s part of the Beloit power-generation complex. Hanwha plans to build, own and operate the ground-mounted solar power field, which would sit on a 30-acre, capped landfill. Alliant said the facility will generate enough power to supply about 2,000 customers.
An Alliant spokesman said the solar facility could be running by early 2016, pending regulatory approval for construction and the power purchase agreement. The facility could be the largest solar power field of its kind operating in Wisconsin.
More: The Janesville Gazette
First Cross-Border Wind Farm Opens in Baja California, Mexico
A 155-MW wind farm in Mexico went into operation last week and is selling its power to Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric, the first cross-border operation of its kind.
The solar facility is near the city of Tecate, in Baja California, and consists of 47 wind turbines. Power is exported through a new 4.8-mile transmission line.
More: North American Wind Power
Bloom, Constellation to Develop 40 MW of Fuel Cell Capacity
Bloom Energy has partnered with Constellation Energy to create 40 MW of fuel cell capacity at 170 installations on the East Coast and in California, where Bloom Energy is based.
The deal would double Bloom’s existing installed base. Bloom’s East Coast assembly plant is located in Newark, Del., on the previous site of a Chrysler assembly plant.
More: NewsWorks
Duke Pushing for Smart Grid Battery Storage Standards
Duke Energy is joining the MESA Standards Alliance to push for new standards for smart grid technology and battery storage. The MESA (Modular Energy Storage Architecture) alliance was formed last year in an attempt to reach standards for interactivity between grid-scale battery storage and smart grid systems.
The goal is to develop a common methodology for joining grid-scale batteries with utility companies’ control systems, said Thomas Golden, Duke’s technology development manager. “We went out into the marketplace to see what standards are out there, and there wasn’t really anything beyond MESA,” he said. “What we get out of this is an opportunity to influence the standard we think will push the industry to the next level.”
A recent study predicted that 2015 will see about 220 MW of energy storage going into operation in the U.S., with more to come as utilities strive to reach renewable standards.
More: Greentech Media
Startup Claims its Windows Produce 50x Energy of Traditional PVs
Startup SolarWindow Technologies has announced that its power-generating windows, which it claims can generate 50 times more energy than conventional solar panels, will hit the market within 28 months.
The technology can be applied as a coating to glass windows or plastic surfaces, where the film instantly generates electricity, the company said.
The coatings would be primarily organic, made from carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.
More: inhabitat
ACE, JCP&L and Rockland Electric Seeking Proposals for Solar Projects
Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power & Light and Rockland Electric in New Jersey are accepting proposals for projects that will produce Solar Renewable Energy Certificates.
The companies are looking to obtain nearly 80 MW of SRECs.
They said net-metered projects up to 2 MW and grid supply projects certified to be sited on old landfills, brownfields or historic fill are eligible.
More: Patch