Photo: Convergent Energy The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with…

Photo: Trina Solar Trina Solar has sold its Texas solar panel factory as the US scrutinizes Chinese companies cashing in on Inflation Reduction Act tax breaks. December 30, 2024: FREYR announced on December 24 that it had closed its acquisition of Trina Solar’s 5-gigawatt (GW), 1.35 million-square-foot solar panel factory in Wilmer, Texas. The purchase…

Photo: Strauss Wind A new study published in the journal Renewable Energy uses data from the state of California to demonstrate that no blackouts occurred when wind-water-solar electricity supply exceeded 100% of demand on the state’s main grid for a record 98 of 116 days from late winter to early summer 2024 for an average (maximum)…

Photo: Convergent Energy Puerto Rico kicked off 2025 with a harsh reminder of its fragile power grid. On New Year’s Eve, nearly the entire island – 90% – lost electricity, leaving over 1.3 million customers in the dark during holiday celebrations. Power was restored on January 1, but the blackout underscored an urgent need for reliable…

Photo: Honda The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation today reported record-breaking numbers in its monthly update for US EV sales and public charger availability in November 2024. Let’s break it down. EV sales keep on climbing November 2024 was a big month for EVs. A total of 141,442 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were sold,…

The White House announced today that President Joe Biden is banning new offshore oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of US coastline, taking the total area of ocean he’s protected to 670 million acres. Biden, who wraps up his term in just two weeks, has used his authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer…

The Nordex Group The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released an encouraging new report revealing that 90% of wind turbine materials are already recyclable using existing infrastructure, but tackling the remaining 10% needs innovation. That’s why the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has allocated over $20 million to develop technologies that address these…

Image: sonnen A groundbreaking new Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA) provides Texans with solar panels and two 20 kWh sonnen batteries at no upfront cost. A new sonnen storage + solar VPP for Texans SOLRITE Energy, which finances solar and battery storage, and global battery storage manufacturer sonnen today announced the launch of their…

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) announced its commitment to developing a Toyota home charging experience. TMNA says it is preparing for its next-generation electrified vehicles. With investment from Toyota’s growth fund, Woven Capital, TMNA collaborates with WeaveGrid to ensure that Toyota BEV and PHEV vehicles integrate smoothly with the electric grid. This collaboration aims to…

By Almc1217 - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9661566 The Escape Solar and Storage project in Lincoln County, Nevada, will send clean power to big resort customers on the Las Vegas Strip.  Reno-based Estuary Power, Escape’s developer, closed a $340 million financing package for the solar and storage project in late December 2024.  Escape includes 185 megawatts (MW)…