Tesla Teams With Tiny Hawaiian Utility to Store Solar

A 33,000-member electric power cooperative on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago is emerging as a leader as it moves from fossil-based power generation to renewables, and deploys what ranks as one of the world’s largest arrays of lithium-ion battery packs. Under terms of the deal with Tesla, KIUC will buy power for 20 years at the rate of 13.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (KWh).

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/tesla-teams-with-tiny-hawaiian-utility-to-store-solar

Google: 4 out of 5 US homes have solar power potential

Project Sunroof has checked the viability of 60 million US rooftops.  A five kilowatt rooftop solar installation now costs just $12,500 on average after tax credits, and pretty soon, installing one might soon be a matter of re-tiling your roof. 

https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/15/google-4-out-of-5-us-homes-have-solar-power-potential/

Greenhouse roof generates solar power while allowing sunlight to pass through to plants below

The greenhouse will serve as a laboratory to probe the solar energy production, plant growth and costs of growing food in such systems.  By controlling climate, water use and plant nutrition, greenhouses can produce food using a fraction of the land and water when compared with traditional field agriculture

http://www.pe.com/articles/power-827258-building-translucent.html

Can Australia Teach the US Real Estate Market How to Value Solar?

The leading real estate site in Australia, Realestate.com.au (3 million visitors a month), has been using an Energy Score since late 2015 that provides prospective buyers and tenants an idea of how energy efficient listed homes are or if they included a solar system.

Below is a sample score for a property...

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/articles/2017/02/24/can-australia-teach-the-us-real-estate-market-how-to-value-solar.html

The impact of these standard practices in real estate transactions has been profound, and the U.S. could benefit from similar standards.

Australia launches the world's first digital energy marketplace for rooftop solar

Pilot program will allow homeowners to tap into a network of ‘virtual’ power stations made up of smart grids of rooftop solar and batteries.   

This has led to a shift away from thinking of households solely as energy consumers towards them being viewed as active participants in the grid.

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/feb/23/australian-consortium-launches-world-first-digital-energy-marketplace-for-rooftop-solar

 

Pueblo, Colorado commits to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.

Cities like Pueblo and Moab have long suffered the consequences of dirty energy and utility reliance on fossil fuels. Pueblo, for example, has a sizable low-income population that has been suffering from the high cost of electricity due to the local utilities’ decision to build new gas infrastructure and saddle the cost with ratepayers. More than 7,000 people in Pueblo have had their electricity shut off due to the high cost of electricity.

http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/02/moab-pueblo-commit-100-renewable-energy/

Solar Panels on TOP of parking garages for Space Savings and Protection for top-floor parkers!

The garage top market is a growing segment in the solar carport market. This is due in part to the appeal of using space that cannot be redeveloped, as opposed to a ground parking lot or greenfield.

http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2014/07/solar-parking-garages-qa-solaire-generation/