Tag Archives: renewables

Bill for home solar systems wins early backing

GetContent.aspby Matt Kempner
ATLANTA 1/13/15 — New legislation backed by power companies and solar advocates promises to make it easier and more affordable for Georgia homeowners and small businesses to put solar power systems on their rooftops.

At least that’s the hope with a bill unveiled Tuesday before a state house subcommittee. State Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, said he would submit the bill Wednesday. It clarifies how homeowners can get outside financing of small solar installations.

Solar advocates say one key to home systems is to make it easier to finance installation and equipment, which can cost $15,000 or more.

Read the whole article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Georgia House tees up solar bill

solarpanelsparkingthinkstock*304xx2149-3230-829-0by Dave Williams
ATLANTA 1/13/15 — After several false starts, legislation letting property owners in Georgia contract directly with solar companies to finance and install solar panels is on the fast track in the General Assembly.

A legislative subcommittee signed off on the bill Tuesday after Georgia Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, presented a compromise hammered out during the last 10 months by representatives of the solar industry and Georgia utility companies.

“It’s been an adventure,” Dudgeon said in describing the months of negotiations that began after his bill failed during last year’s legislative session for lack of support from the utilities. “I don’t think this is the ideal bill for everybody. But if most people are happy, we’ve probably reached a pretty good compromise.”

Read the whole article: Atlanta Business Chronicle

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Republican-led group launches ballot petition to boost solar power in Florida

solar panelsby Ivan Penn
1/6/15 Tampa — Backers of broader use of solar energy in Florida have quietly launched a petition for the 2016 ballot that would allow those who generate electricity from the sun to sell the power directly to other consumers.

If the measure passes, solar proponents argue that it would open up Florida’s solar energy market, which has largely stagnated for years. The measure would allow business or property owners to produce up to 2 megawatts of solar power and then sell that power directly to others, such as tenants, without having to go through a utility.

Read the whole article: Tampa Bay Times

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How solar will destroy the power companies, in 5 easy steps

solar-powerby Rob Wile
6/3/14 — Barclays recently downgraded the entire U.S. electric utilities sector to “underweight” on the threat posed by widespread adoption of solar-storage. These systems allow homeowners to use rooftop solar panels and a battery to cut all but the figurative emergency backup cord to their local electric grid, putting a severe strain on an industry that has been a defacto monopoly.

The firm’s sweeping case focused in large part on debt markets’ apparent ignorance to challenge utilities are facing. We wanted to zero in on the astonishingly simple steps that makes Barclays lays out to make shaking up utilities quite possible.

Read the whole article: Business Insider
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America’s Largest Grid Operator: Massive Renewables Push Won’t Be a Problem

Picture_14_310_219by John Moore
3/17/14 — PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest power transmission grid organization, announced recently that wind and solar power could generate about 30 percent of PJM’s total electricity for its territory covering the Mid-Atlantic region and part of the Midwest by 2026 without “any significant issues.”

That’s engineer-speak for “no big deal.” Even better, we would see more clean power at less cost and with far less pollution than our current mix of coal and natural gas power plants.

PJM’s new renewables integration report, prepared by General Electric, is required reading for anyone who questions the ability of the electric grid to handle large amounts of wind, solar and other renewable energy. GE estimates that about 113,000 megawatts of installed wind and solar power resources (including distributed/generation), could produce about 30 percent of the region’s total energy. That’s enough energy to power 23.5 million homes annually.

Read the whole article: Greentech Media

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