PGE Makes Solar Power Available to Customers for $5/mo
03
Oct
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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PGE Makes Solar Power Available to Customers for $5/mo

Portland General Electric customers can now purchase output from a new, large-scale solar installation in Oregon under a renewable power option PGE announced today. For just $5 a month, customers can purchase a 1 kilowatt block of Green Future Solar from energy produced by a 2,935 kW solar installation just completed in Willamina, Ore. Blocks will be available until the capacity sells out. "Green Future Solar helps customers who've wanted to go solar, but couldn't because they rent their homes, installation costs are too high, or they just don't have a good spot available to install solar panels." "This renewable…
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United States to fund South African solar power plant
28
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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United States to fund South African solar power plant

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the United States' government development finance institution, said it has approved funding for a $400 million solar farm in South Africa as part of new energy projects in emerging markets. California-based SolarReserve and Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power will collaborate to build and operate the 100 megawatt solar plant in the Northern Cape province, said OPIC in a statement published last Thursday and seen by Reuters on Monday. [adinserter block="1"] The company said the initiative was part of President Barack Obama's $7 billion plan to "Power Africa". Launched in 2013, the plan aims to boost…
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Maine town approves initial commercial solar rules
25
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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Maine town approves initial commercial solar rules

The Winslow Town Council on Monday gave initial approval to an ordinance that would allow the construction of large-scale commercial solar farms in certain parts of town. A first read of the ordinance, which regulates large-scale principal solar energy systems, was overwhelmingly approved by the council. The council still needs to take a second and final vote on the ordinance at its October meeting. [adinserter block="1"] Town officials were encouraged to draft the regulations after being approached by Ranger Solar, a Yarmouth-based energy company interested in constructing a 10-20 megawatt power station on Heywood Road. If it moves forward, the 100-acre project…
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Ground Solar Arrays: Examining the Return on Investment
24
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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Ground Solar Arrays: Examining the Return on Investment

You’ve likely heard of Brownfields and landfills being turned into solar farms as they have $0.00 value to ever be utilized for any other purpose. Likewise, with the subdivision market for land remaining weak and real estate development still far below pre-economic downturn levels, there is now an increased number of residential and commercial land owners now looking to solar as another profitable alternative use for their land. [adinserter block="1"] Ground arrays can range from 5kW to 30MW to 50MW and more, but for perspective, it takes approximately 5 acres to accommodate 1MW of solar. And the advantages of ground…
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Tiny municipal utility in Ohio pioneers ‘benefits stacking’ solar-plus-storage pilot
22
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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Tiny municipal utility in Ohio pioneers ‘benefits stacking’ solar-plus-storage pilot

A small municipal utility will be the recipient of what is thought to be one of the first US projects to try out a combination of revenue streams from a storage battery linked to a solar farm. [adinserter block="1"] Village of Minster, the local utility for Minster, Ohio, is the somewhat unlikely sounding location for the biggest combined solar-plus-storage project to date, according to grid system integrator and storage specialist S&C Electric. S&C has been asked by Chicago-based developer Half Moon Ventures to build a 7MW storage facility linked to a 4.2MW solar power plant. The 3MWh of lithium-ion batteries…
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EPB launches first community solar power program
21
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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EPB launches first community solar power program

For the first time since it was created 80 years ago, EPB plans to generate its own power. The city-owned utility is looking to the sun to power a new community-based solar farm that is projected to generate enough power for about 125 homes. EPB directors Friday approved a partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority to launch Solar Share, a pilot program to construct 1.35 megawatts of solar generation to be distributed to a number of homes from a solar farm likely to be built on one of EPB's service lots. EPB is still working out the details of how…
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A bright future for roadside solar farms
14
Sep
By John Fitzgerald Weaver
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A bright future for roadside solar farms

Five solar projects sprouting along the Massachusetts Turnpike and Route 3 are not the largest in the state, but they are among the most visible and striking examples of a solar industry that has grown more rapidly than most policy makers and energy specialists ever imagined. As tens of thousands of commuters whiz by, the gleaming rows of solar panels in locations like the Interstate 90 service plaza in Framingham, an embankment on the turnpike near Natick, or a rest area on Route 3 in Plymouth show how solar power has been integrated into daily life. The Framingham and Natick…
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