FPL’s 900-MWh energy storage project receives first battery unit installations
Power Engineering Crews have started work installing the first energy storage battery units at Florida Power & Light’s massive Manatee Energy Storage Center. The utility says FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center will be the biggest solar power-battery storage...
CPUC to vote on updated solar “Avoided Cost Calculator” on June 24
On Thursday, June 24, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is slated to vote to approve an updated version of the “Avoided Cost Calculator” that deeply undercuts the value of rooftop solar, according to the advocacy...
Demand IQ solar e-commerce software now available in Spanish
Demand IQ announced a Spanish-language feature for its solar e-commerce software Stella. Demand IQ’s AI-powered platform allows homeowners to instantly receive customized solar savings estimates directly on solar providers’ websites and field marketing devices. Solar installers...
Solar News
Amazon becomes largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the U.S.
Amazon announced 14 new renewable energy projects in the U.S., Canada, Finland and Spain to advance its ambitious goal to power 100% of company activities with renewable energy by 2025 — five years ahead of the...
United Natural Foods invests in Pine Gate’s Trent River Solar project
United Natural Foods announced that in collaboration with solar project developer, Pine Gate Renewables as well as U.S. Bank, it is investing in Trent River Solar, a 108.5-MW solar facility located in Jones County, North Carolina....
Consumers Energy plans to end coal use in four years
Consumers Energy announced a sweeping proposal to stop using coal as a fuel source for electricity by 2025 —15 years faster than currently planned. The plan would make the company one of the first in the...
‘Reports of energy efficiency’s death are greatly exaggerated.’ The cost keeps falling as the resource grows
Energy efficiency can be the least-cost resource in a procurement, and it is increasingly helping utilities select and optimize clean energy portfolios, experts say....
Report: New solar is cheaper to build than to run existing coal plants in China, India and most of Europe
This week, BloombergNEF’s released estimates for its global benchmark that tracks the levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE, for utility-scale PV and onshore wind. The LCOE looks at the all-in cost to build, operate, and maintain...
Agriculture News
U.S. corn, soybean crop ratings down on week
The USDA’s condition ratings for corn and soybeans declined again over the past week, with hot, dry weather in many key growing areas taking an early season toll on crops. Parts of the Midwest and Plains...
Waters of the U.S. announcement muddied in confusion
There are many questions about how the Biden administration’s recent Waters of the U.S. announcement impacts farmers and landowners now and going forward. Earlier this month the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to...
Agronomists agree Corn Belt crop looks good overall, but needs rain
Agronomists from across the Corn Belt agree that corn looks pretty good so far this season, but most areas really need some rain as the crop enters the rapid growth stage. During the AgriGold Specialty Products...
Drought Monitor shows worsening conditions across Corn Belt states
The U.S. Drought Monitor’s (USDM) latest report indicates drought conditions are intensifying across much of the Corn Belt. Climatologist Curtis Riganti with the National Drought Mitigation Center tells Brownfield this week’s report shows expansion of moderate and...
Lawmakers urge EPA not to exempt oil refiners
Three U.S. Congresswomen and a dozen of their colleagues are concerned about reports that the Biden administration is considering options to exempt oil refiners of their obligations under the Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard. Representatives Cindy...
