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Following the Sun

As of Q3 2018, the solar industry has deployed a total of 60 GW of capacity across the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). By now, solar PV is no longer seen as a risky investment, but a mature industry. For years, much of the activity in solar deployment has been concentrated in just a few markets like California, Arizona or Massachusetts. Unsurprisingly, the markets that have shown the greatest growth over the past decade have also become highly competitive both in terms of the sheer number of active solar developers and installers, but also in...

The popularity of solar energy skyrocketed in South Carolina (SC) with the introduction of net metering in 2014 when the state legislature unanimously passed its landmark energy bill. After the introduction of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) program, the Palmetto State went from having virtually no solar energy to having an installed capacity of 591 megawatts (MW).

Vastly higher clean energy targets are essential to empower the international community to make the leap to a sustainable future, according to Richard Heinberg, coauthor of “Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy.” In this interview, he delves into the practical challenges involved in the global transition to renewable power sources.

Developers in the United States believe that there is still room to maintain an adequate level of return for their power-purchase agreements (PPAs). Electricity prices in recent years have plummeted both for PPAs and in the wholesale market. Even so, developers believe that they can benefit from the expected decrease in capital costs and the increasing clean energy interest from companies.

At Transforming Transportation 2019, more than 1,100 participants joined World Bank Group and World Resources Institute (WRI) to discuss strategies to make new mobility more sustainable and affordable for everyone. On Jan. 17, experts from the financial sector talked about how to finance new mobility efficiently.

Across the nation, new elected officials have been sworn in this January. They can alter the trajectory of clean energy projects in the years to come. Incoming governors may preside over expanding clean energy markets.

Nonprofits face a unique challenge in the solar-development market. According to a report by Smart Electric Power Alliance, the demand for community-shared solar is soaring, but supply cannot catch up due to a lack of financing options.

The emergence of New York as a leading state in clean energy has happened due to extensive policy work behind the scenes. In this interview, Alicia Barton, president and CEO of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), describes the dramatic expansion of her state’s clean energy goals in recent years.

Hawaii has experienced ups and downs in its ambitious solar programs, according to Gwen Yamamoto Lau, executive director of Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA). In this interview, she describes her state’s journey toward its 100-percent-renewable energy goal.

Among the many clean energy successes Massachusetts has had so far, some gaps remain, said Larry Chretien, executive director of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, in this interview. There are policies that could amplify sustainability further at the state level. Public enthusiasm has helped programs take flight.

Given the regulatory and policy challenges North Carolina faces, it takes patience for the solar power and energy efficiency industries to move forward there. According to staff at North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, Duke Energy is taking the lead with developing some opportunities, but other utilities are lagging behind it. The respondents to this written interview were Executive Director Ivan Urlaub (the primary source), General Counsel Peter Ledford, Regulatory and Policy Analyst Daniel Brookshire, and Engagement and Equity Specialist Jordan Jones.

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Blueprint for Clean Energy

This bimonthly webinar series invites leading practitioners and researchers in the field of energy efficiency to talk about the latest opportunities and developments in corporate, nonprofit and public-private arenas.

States of Clean Energy Innovation is an online news hub with customized clean energy data and stories about the United States and Puerto Rico. Each state is different, each state has thoughtful leaders working on our transition to clean energy, and each state deserves its own dashboard.

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