Google Says It Will Run Entirely on Renewable Energy in 2017

Google announced that it has reached 2.6 GW of renewable energy purchased, putting the company on pace to reach 100 percent renewable energy in 2017.

http://csglobe.com/google-announces-plans-run-entirely-renewable-energy/

Tesla and Panasonic expand solar energy deals

Panasonic will invest more than $256 million in a New York production facility of Elon Musk's Tesla Motors to make photovoltaic cells and modules, deepening a partnership of the two companies.

Production at the plant is expected to begin in summer 2017. Tesla and Panasonic plan to eventually build the energy-converting cells and modules used in Tesla's solar glass tile roofs.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/12/27/tesla-and-panasonic-expand-solar-energy-deals/95867696/

Five community solar sites are sold out!

Community solar is a way for City Light customers who can't or don't want to purchase their own solar systems to add solar to the grid and receive the benefits that come with owning solar panels, but at a size and cost that works for them. You don't need to own a system, and you don't even need to own a home.

http://www.seattle.gov/light/solarenergy/commsolar.asp

Solar is Officially Becoming the Cheapest Form of New Electricity

Solar power is now around half the price of coal and gas, making it cheaper than wind energy, and ultimately the cheapest form of new electricity.  Solar power has reached record-low costs in the past. The difference is that past instances were achieved in isolated projects, whereas now we’re talking large-scale implementation.

https://futurism.com/sunny-days-solar-is-officially-becoming-the-cheapest-form-of-new-electricity/

New ways of utilizing solar farms at night to help Utilities

“Solar farms as we know are sleeping in the night and the entire asset remains un-utilized,” says Varma. “This technology adds a tremendous amount of value to that technology and it can actually help utilities solve many of their problems at 1/50th of the cost.” The technology will increase grid stability for preventing blackouts, and to help connect more renewable energy sources like wind turbines.

http://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2016/12/13/new-technology-awakens-sleeping-solar-farms/

Vanadium Stores Solar Power Efficiently

"The ease with which you can hand electrons to the vanadium and take them away - this is the basis of a very, very stable battery."

Vanadium "redox flow" batteries are indeed stable. They can be discharged and recharged 20,000 times without much loss of performance, and are thought to last decades (they have not been around long enough for this to have been demonstrated in practice).

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27829874