Energy News Network (https://energynews.us/tag/solar/)
The fate of a pair of 1950s-era coal plants and the largest solar project ever proposed in Ohio are entangled in a single case before the state’s Supreme Court.
Plans by Michigan’s two major utilities to close coal plants within the next 15 years are having a ripple effect on smaller companies that purchase power from them.
As solar prices become competitive with fossil fuels, member-owned electric cooperatives are beginning to embrace renewables.
The director of the NC Sustainable Energy Association says North Carolina needs to revisit state policies and programs to make sure all customers have access to solar power. If there were any question about how much demand there is for solar energy in North Carolina, the fact that Duke Energy’s solar rebate program was launched for a mere 17 days before effectively “selling out” for the year should settle that debate. After launching the program on July 9, the utility announced on July 26 that its annual participation caps for both residential and commercial customers in the Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress territories were fully subscribed, except for some additional capacity set aside for nonprofits. It’s exciting to see the tremendous interest North Carolina homeowners and businesses showed by applying for the program with such immediacy. The first quarter of 2018 had more than 600 filings for rooftop solar construction — 98 percent of which were residential solar systems — which was the second most in any quarter over the past six years.
The Midwest bucked a national trend last year, adding 3,900 renewable energy jobs thanks in part to the impact of Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act.