A fact that I was unaware of and a victory lap for the Obama Administration with an exclamation point courtesy of the US Navy. In 2010, there wasn’t a single utility scale solar plant in the US. Utility scale is defined as over 100MW. In 2011, the loan guarantee program (yes, the Solyndra office) helped launch 5 projects with $4.6billion in loans. Keeping in mind that the loan guarantee program will end up bringing a profit to the taxpayers, today there are over 45 privately financed projects over 100MW and growing. The US Navy this week announced that it was buying through the output from the 150MW Mesquite 3 PV plant for 14 bases across California. Led by Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Dennis McGinn, who was the former President of ACORE.
- CleanTechnica: New Solar Math From US Energy Department – 0 + 5 = 50
- Washington Post: The U.S. government just made its biggest clean energy purchase ever
- PV-Tech: LDK Solar liquidation approved and buyer selected
- Grist: In wake of Wikileaks, Clinton’s campaign chair seeks to reassure climate activists
- Vox: The past two weeks are a perfect illustration of what “solving” climate change will look like
- Midwest Energy News: Q&A – New report challenges assumption that bigger solar is better
- New York Times: Tesla Says It Hopes to Work With Panasonic on Solar Energy
- Portland Press-Herald: Arguments over homeowner solar take focus at Maine PUC hearing – Who pays?
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann