United States

It’s ‘business as usual’ in the solar industry as the novelty of 2017 starts to wear off, and how better to get back into the swing of things with more, uncertain, developments in the possible extension of EU trade duties against Chinese cell and module manufacturers, leaving us with as many questions as answers.

The technology giant has signed a deal with NV Energy for the output of a 200 MW solar plant, which is awaiting approval by state regulators.

Along with the majority of other market analysts, EuPD Research is forecasting a drop in solar installations in 2017, mainly as a result of a reduced installation target in China, which is likely to ramp up the pressure on PV manufacturers.

The Tokyo-based renewables developer completed the project last week in Waianae, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It is the company’s second biggest utility-scale PV array in the U.S.

U.S. storage specialist Eos Energy this week announced a partnership with Siemens to integrate, install and service utility-scale energy storage solutions.

New Jersey-based utility Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is branching out its solar acquisition portfolio, by acquiring two utility-scale PV plants from BayWa r.e. in North Carolina, through its subsidiary PSEG Solar Source.

The latest report from the respected national lab finds that even if – big if – behind-the-meter solar is raising the rates of other utility customers, the impacts are tiny, especially compared to other activities.

Spruce Finance, which provides consumer financing for residential solar and energy efficiency projects, has raised a total of US$445 million dollars in tax equity and project debt transactions to support its activities in 2017.

The PV Market Alliance has released its official solar installation figures for 2016, which, with a total of 75 GW installed, show a 50% growth from 2015, mainly driven by a mammoth year of installations in China, although the future would seem less auspicious as the two biggest markets show signs of retraction.

The two U.S.-based companies have announced a major partnership for the acquisition of USD 300 million in operating clean energy assets, with a focus on distributed solar projects in the near-term.