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Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants

November 17, 2020

The post Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A U.S. subsidiary of one of France’s largest providers of solar power has given New Mexico officials more detailed information about the company’s plans for developing a series of solar projects. The installations would help offset the loss of generation from retiring coal-fired power plants in the state, including the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) near Farmington.

The 847-MW coal-fired SJGS is scheduled to close in June 2022. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) earlier this year unveiled a plan using solar-plus-storage to replace the plant’s electricity output. The city of Farmington, meanwhile, has been working with Enchant Energy—a New Mexico company involved in carbon capture and sequestration—on a plan to retrofit the SJGS with carbon-capture technology in order to keep the facility operating. According to Enchant, an ownership agreement between the owners of the SJGS allows the city to acquire the power plant and transfer operations to Enchant.…

China Brings 2.2-GW Solar Park Online

October 11, 2020

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A Chinese company announced it has brought the world’s second-largest solar farm into commercial operation. Sungrow, which supplies inverters for renewable energy projects, and the state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development on Oct. 9 said a 2.2-GW capacity solar park in the northwest province of Qinghai is now online.

The Qinghai project trails only the 2.3-GW Bhadla solar park in India, which covers more than 10,000 acres and was completed late last year, in generation capacity.

The largest operating solar farm in the U.S. is the 579-MW Solar Star installation in California, which came online in 2015 and at the time was the largest solar array in the world. A larger U.S. project, the 690-MW Gemini solar and battery storage installation in Nevada, was approved earlier this year and is scheduled to be operational by year-end 2023.

Site Includes Energy Storage

The Qinghai project, which also includes 202.86 MWh of energy storage capacity, is located in the desert near the city of Xining.…

IRS Grants Wind and Solar Sectors Critical COVID-19 Reprieves

May 29, 2020

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The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has granted a one-year extension of the continuity safe harbor, providing much-needed relief for many wind developers, which, crippled by pandemic-related delays, were racing to complete projects before crucial tax incentives expired at the end of this year.

In its May 27–issued Notice 2020-41, the IRS essentially modified prior notices addressing the “beginning-of-construction” requirements for both the production tax credit (PTC), which applies to renewables facilities under section 45 of the IRS code, and the investment tax credit (ITC), for energy property under section 48.

Responding to pleas by industry and a bipartisan group of lawmakers to extend the so-called “Continuity Safe Harbor,” the IRS now gives qualifying renewables projects that began construction in either 2016 or 2017 until December 2021 to complete projects. As crucially, the new notice also provides a three-and-a-half month safe harbor for taxpayer-paid services or property on or after Sept.…

Nation’s Largest Community Solar Program Set to Launch

March 4, 2020

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Florida Power & Light (FPL) on March 3 received approval from state regulators to launch the nation’s largest community solar program. FPL’s $ 1.8 billion SolarTogether project will more than double the amount of available community solar power nationwide.

The program, unanimously approved Tuesday by the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), adds almost 1.5 GW of solar power generation capacity across the state. It includes 20 solar arrays, each with about 74.5 MW of generation capacity—just below the 75-MW threshold that would require more regulatory oversight of the projects. The new projects are all expected to come online over the next year.

“This program represents significant forward progress for the solar landscape of not only Florida, but the entire United States,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL, on Tuesday. “For years, access to solar energy for many Floridians was not economical or easily accessible.…

TECO Announces $800-Million Investment in New Solar

February 21, 2020

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Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) on Feb. 19 said it plans to invest about $ 800 million to add another 600 MW of solar power generation capacity by year-end 2023. TECO on Wednesday said the expansion will increase its solar portfolio to more than 1.25 GW of solar generation, or about 14% of its total generation mix.

“Our customers want a cleaner energy future for themselves, and their children,” said Nancy Tower, TECO’s president and CEO, in a statement. “We are committed to continue to lead Tampa Electric toward cleaner energy while ensuring our prices remain affordable for customers.”

A Gas-Heavy Portfolio

TECO, like many U.S. utilities, is increasing its use of renewable resources as it phases out coal-fired generation. The company, which serves customers in west-central Florida, said it has cut its coal use by 92% since 2000. About 84% of its electricity comes from natural gas.…

Qatar Will Boost Middle East Solar with 800-MW Project

January 22, 2020

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Qatar’s energy minister on Jan. 19 said the country will build an 800-MW solar power project that will push the country far beyond its announced goal for solar energy. That goal of 100 MW of solar generation was established when Qatar in December 2010 was awarded rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament.

France energy giant Total, along with Tokyo, Japan-based investment group Marubeni, signed an agreement with Qatar to build the Al Kharsaah plant near Doha, Qatar’s capital. The project’s cost is estimated at 1.7 billion riyals ($ 467 million). It’s the latest in a string of projects bringing solar power to the Middle East.

“Today is the commencement of the project itself and we expected by the first quarter of 2021 to have half of the [plant’s] capacity up and running,” said Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister, in a news conference Sunday.…