News

China outspent the U.S. for the first time in the $15 billion smart grid market in 2013. Global smart grid investments reached $14.9 billion in 2013.  According to numbers from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, China spent $4.3 billion on smart grids whilst the U.S. spent 3.6 billion. Smart metering also accounted for just under half of the total smart grid spending worldwide, with distribution automation and other integrated demonstration projects rounding out the total. Read more here.

Princeton University, NRG Energy, ICETEC Energy, Concord Engineering and the International District Energy Association have come together to found a consortium - Microgrid Resources Coalition to promote the growth of microgrids in the U.S.

The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs says that it intends to file a final environmental impact statement for the proposed RES Americas Moapa Solar Energy Center on the Moapa River Indian Reservation in Clark County, Nevada. The proposed project is aimed at constructing a 200 MW solar generation facility, water line and associated infrastructure on reservation land. It will also obtain grants of right-of-way on BLM lands for 230 kV and 500 kV transmission lines and associated access roads. Read more here.

GE announced that it is putting $10 billion more into its advanced energy R&D program as part of its Ecomagination initiative. This new commitment will bring total investment in the initiative to $25 billion by 2020. Two-thirds of the $10 billion will focus on natural gas and includes a push to improve power plant efficiencies and two new R&D partnerships with natural gas companies aimed at reducing waste and resource use in gas extraction. The other third will go to reducing the cost and increasing the output of GE’s wind turbines. Read more here.

Construction work has began on a 12 ton per day food waste to biogas anaerobic digestion facility at the Crapo Hill Landfill in Dartmouth. MA. The project, which is being developed by the Boston based firm CommonWealth Resource Management Corporation is aimed at providing supplemental fuel at the site’s existing 3.3 MW landfill gas to energy plant. Read more here.

Austin Energy has signed a 300 MW 18-year wind power purchase agreement with Lincoln Renewable energy for the 160-turbine wind farm in Castro County, Texas. This agreement replaces a 170 MW 25-year agreement that Austin signed with E.ON Climate & Renewables last June as a result of its March 2013 request for proposals for wind power projects. According to an Austin Energy memorandum to the Austin City Council, E.ON declined to execute the 170 MW power purchase agreement because of tax and financing issues related to the proposed project. Read more here.

SolarCity reports that it ended 2013 with the completion of 12 percent more projects than anticipated. It also cut installation cost by 30 percent. The company also reports an 87 percent growth in fourth-quarter earnings from the year before and completed 280 MW of solar energy systems in 2013. Read more here.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator's cost allocation scheme for regional power line projects ruling. The challenge was brought on by utilities and regulators in Illinois and Michigan in hopes of countering a lower court’s June ruling which approved the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision. FERC has decided to allow MISO to spread the cost of building of regional “multi-value”  among its members. Many multi-value projects are designed to promote wind generation from remote areas. Read more here and here.

The oldest cooperative utility in the U.S., Farmers Electric Cooperative (FEC) of southwestern Iowa is set to lead as the nation’s largest solar utility. It’s also the most reliable utility in Iowa. FEC Manager Warren McKenna shares how the organization became America’s largest solar utility here.

Tesla reported a company record of $761 million in revenue in its fourth quarter earnings. According to CEO Elon Musk, this exceeds the target of 25% gross margin he set earlier in the year and earned 33 cents per share. It also says that it expects a 55% jump in sales in 2014 and improve its gross margin to 28% by the end of the year.  Read more here and here.