465 MW solar and storage project in Wisconsin: WEC Energy Group entities, We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), have sought approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in the US to purchase a 465 MW solar and battery storage project in the state, comprising 300 MW solar and 165 MW battery storage capacity. Both these entities will own 90% of the project, with Madison Gas and Electric owning remaining other 10%. The Koshkonong Solar Energy Center in Dane County is currently developed by Invenergy that plans to start project construction in late 2022, while aiming for commercial operations in 2024. It is likely to cost $649 million investment. The companies claim it is the state's largest renewable energy project, and is part of WEC Energy Group's plan to invest close to $2 billion in new solar, wind and battery storage projects at its utilities by 2025.
106 MW solar capacity enters construction in Canada: The North American subsidiary of GP Joule GmbH, GP Joule North America has started construction on all 106 MW solar PV portfolio in Canada, with capacity divided as 3×35 MW. The utility scale solar EPC company is building this capacity for local community builder Concord Pacific. GP Joule will be using its own Phlegon fixed racking system for these projects.
Solar permitting platform in the US: Cloud based solutions creator for government, Accela and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have joined hands to launch SolarAPP+ or Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus as an instant online solar permitting platform for code compliant residential solar energy and battery projects. According to Accela, the solution will be rolled out to 1,500 agencies at launch and made available to its current state and local customers. It will bring down permitting timeline from an average of 2 weeks to instantaneous, the company claimed. The duo claim their partnership will help agencies seamlessly manage large volume of residential solar and home battery permit applications to substantially rebalance staff workloads. Details about SolarAPP+ are available on its website.
Way for PPAs cleared in West Virginia: West Virginia state in the US has cleared House Bill 3310 making it legal for power purchase agreements (PPA) to be signed for solar power systems. The state legislature was passed by the state Senate with 33:1 support. "Across the country, schools, businesses and homeowners are using power purchase agreements to significantly reduce upfront solar costs and advance a cost-effective, competitive energy solution. West Virginians will now have the freedom to use an innovative financial tool to invest in this clean, low-cost form of energy," said VP of State and Regulatory Affairs at Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).