| Focus U.S. solar generation up 25% in 2021; renewable energy’s share of power mix set to exceed coal in 2022  PV-Tech – February 28Solar power generation in the U.S. rose by 25.23% in 2021, making it the country’s fastest-growing source of electricity, while renewables accounted for 21.02% of all electricity and look set to surpass coal in terms of total production in 2022. The figures, released in a monthly U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, slightly exceeded predictions made by the EIA at the start of the year but were on par with mid-year data, according to a Sun Day Campaign analysis of the data. READ |
| News Offshore wind lease sale nets record $4.4B The Hill – February 25A lease sale for rights to build wind farms in an area off the New York and New Jersey coasts netted a record-breaking $4.37 billion, the Interior Department announced on Friday. Last week’s lease sale not only broke records for offshore wind, still a burgeoning industry in the U.S., but also oil and gas leasing records, the department said. READ BOEM identifies three potential wind lease areas off Oregon The Maritime Executive – February 27The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has selected three areas off the coast of southern Oregon for potential offshore wind development. The picks have attracted immediate opposition from fishing advocacy organizations. The initial call for information is a prelude to the designation of specific lease areas. BOEM’s objective is to identify enough space for 3 GW of near-term offshore wind power capacity. READ |
| Projects Terra-Gen brings 560 MWh California battery project online Energy Storage News – March 1Renewable energy developer Terra-Gen’s 140 MW/560 MWh Valley Center Battery Storage Project in California is now fully online, the company has announced. The four-hour lithium-ion battery energy storage system is connected to a nearby San Diego Gas & Electric substation and has contracted with the investor-owned utility to provide power under a 15-year resource adequacy contract. READ OCPA and Poseidon Water sign contract to power first desalination project with renewable energy Solar Industry Magazine – February 24The Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) and Poseidon Water have entered into a memorandum of understanding to work together toward making the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Facility the first desalination plant in the western hemisphere to be powered entirely by renewable energy. Poseidon’s proposed desalination project requires an average steady load of approximately 25 MW, which would make it one of the larger energy users in Orange County.READ BLM denies permit for Walker Ridge wind energy project Lake County News – February 26The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has denied the application for the Walker Ridge Wind Energy Project. The agency said the denial was based on potential resource conflicts and the inadequacy of the information provided to the BLM to address these conflicts and to move forward with the environmental review. The project would have included up to 42 wind turbines generating 144 MW within the Indian Valley Management Area in Lake and Colusa counties READ 1.6 MW of energy storage coming to Pittsburg Unified School District Renewable Energy World – March 1MCE is providing $715,000 to Pittsburg Unified School District to help pay for over 1.6 MW (3 MWh) of energy storage at 10 of the 13 district campuses. The batteries will be paired with 2.3 MW of existing solar and could save the school district more than $2.8 million over the seven-year agreement with MCE. READ |
Source: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/renewable-energy-update-march-2022-3669599/