News

A Boston-area startup, Ambri Inc. founded by MIT is working on using liquid metal batteries to store solar energy after sundown. Researchers are working to turn this new concept into a commercially viable product, where the liquid-metal batteries will store power for less than $500 a kilowatt-hour. Read more here.

Duke Energy Renewables has announced its acquisition of two 20 MWAC California solar projects - Pumpjack and Wildwood Solar Power from renewable energy developer Infigen Energy. Both are situated in Kem County near Bakersfield and will represent Duke’s third and fourth utility-scale solar power projects in California State. The solar energy generated from the project will be sold to the Southern California Edison under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Read more here.

Solar installations in Arizona have plummeted since the introduction of a $5 monthly charge to people with rooftop solar installations. Unlike January last year when 583 solar systems were added, only 280 were built in the same timeframe. Read more here.

The House of Representatives passed an energy efficiency bill that will establish a new voluntary efficiency standard for tenants in commercial buildings. The bill, H.R. 2126, also known as “Tenant Star” is designed to help cut utility bills for both landlords and tenants by an estimated $2 billion by 2030. It is also aimed at reducing carbon emissions by nearly 12 million metric tons. Read more here.

Siemens Energy has secured a contract from Own-Energy and a fund managed by BlackRock to supply wind turbines  for Windthorst-2 onshore power project in Windthorst, Texas. Siemens will supply 28 SWT-2.3-108 type wind turbines for the project, which is expected to begin commercial operation in fall 2014. Read more here.

Geopower Energy has completed a $5m private debt facility to acquire a joint venture interest in the Blue Mountain biogas project near Milford in Utah. The project will capture swine waste at Murphy-Brown’s Circle 4 Farm. The electricity will be produced at 3.2 MW and will be sold to the Utah municipality under a long-term and fixed rate off-take agreement. Read more here.

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal calls for an extension of a tax credit for cellulosic biofuels and puts forward the idea of cutting billions in fossil fuel subsidies. The proposed budget also calls for $4 billion in annual cuts to fossil fuel subsidies to oil, gas and other fossil fuel producers.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, demand for U.S. solar power increased by 41 percent in 2013 as 4.75 GW of PV panels were installed. Demand is expected to increase 26 percent as rooftop power plants become more common.

Vivant Solar has announced that it has completed three new tax equity transactions which will enable it to fund approximately $280m worth of solar systems. Vivant Solar is the second largest residential solar provider in the U.S. It has already expanded its presence in California, New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts this year.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Energy Loan Program is set to come back from hiatus soon. The DOE is targeting about $1.5 billion to $4 billion for a renewable energy project loan program. It is aimed at garnering solicitations for a range of smaller-scale, distributed and grid-integrated projects by the end of the year. Read more here.