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Representatives from Middlebury College, Encore Renewable Energy, and Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company came together on October 24th for a ribbon-cutting event celebrating the activation of a five-megawatt solar array that provides the College with 40 percent of its total electricity.
The solar array is one of the largest in the state with 15,348 solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers that follow the sun east to west throughout the day—efficiently providing renewable energy to the College.
“It has been a truly cooperative effort to make the solar array fully energized and ready to provide renewable clean energy to the College,” said Middlebury College President Laurie L. Patton, noting that Middlebury’s students played an important role in bringing the project to fruition, through a collaboration in support of climate justice.
The partnership allows the College to retain renewable energy credits and moves it closer to meeting the climate goals in its Energy2028 initiative, which in part calls for the use of 100 percent renewable energy by 2028.
Middlebury, Encore, and Green Mountain Power (GMP) formed an agreement that allows the College to purchase credits for the energy created from the solar array in support of its goal to use 100 percent renewable energy. The energy produced comprises about 40 percent of the College’s needs for electricity. The other 60 percent comes from its biomass plant, other local solar energy sites, and Green Mountain Power’s grid, which is 100 percent carbon-free and 68 percent renewable.
Chad Farrell, founder and co-chief executive officer of Encore, said the project is the first of its kind in Vermont, “bringing a new model of customer-driven, low-cost clean energy without negative economic impact to other ratepayers.”
Located about two miles from the Middlebury campus at 1342 South Street Extension, the solar array was developed and constructed by Encore and is now owned and operated by Greenbacker—an independent power producer and energy transition-focused investment manager.
“This solar powerplant is one of the first in Vermont that actually tracks the sun from east to west allowing us to generate between 15 and 20 percent more energy, which provides a cheaper cost of electricity for Middlebury,” said Matt Murphy, chief operations officer of Greenbacker.
Also part of the project, South Street Storage—a battery energy storage system constructed next to the solar array—will provide the ability to store excess energy that might otherwise be lost in the middle of the day when electricity demand is lower and the sun is brightest.
Encore | https://encorerenewableenergy.com/
Greenbacker | https://greenbackercapital.com/
Green Mountain Power | https://greenmountainpower.com/
Solis, a global leader in advanced solar energy solutions, proudly announces that its S6 Home Hybrid Energy Storage String Inverter and 25-100K 1000V Commercial String Inverters have achieved LUMA certification in Puerto Rico. This significant milestone underscores a strong commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable, and efficient solar energy solutions to the Puerto Rican market.
LUMA Energy, a pivotal player in Puerto Rico’s energy sector, ensures that all energy equipment meets rigorous standards for performance and safety. The LUMA certification is a mark of excellence that guarantees products meet the highest industry standards and are well-suited for the unique demands of the Puerto Rican energy landscape.
Key highlights of the certified products include:
“Achieving LUMA certification for both our home and commercial string inverters is a testament to our dedication to excellence and our commitment to the Puerto Rican market,” said James Qiao at Solis. “We are excited to provide our advanced solar technology to support Puerto Rico’s energy goals and contribute to a more sustainable future.”
The LUMA certification process involves a thorough evaluation of equipment performance, safety, and compliance with local regulations. By meeting these stringent criteria, Solis’s inverters are now officially recognized as top-tier solutions for Puerto Rico’s diverse energy needs.
Solis | solisinverters.com
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $428 million for 14 projects to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in 15 coal communities across the United States. The projects, led by small-and medium-businesses in communities with de-commissioned coal facilities, were selected by DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to address critical energy supply chain vulnerabilities. Five of the projects will be in, or adjacent to, disadvantaged communities, and every project will include a community benefits plan developed to maximize economic, health, and environmental benefits in the coal communities that power our nation for generations. Each project further positions the United States to win the competition for the 21st century and strengthen our national security by building supply chains for existing and emerging technologies in America, built by American workers with American materials. The projects will leverage over $500 million in private sector investment into small- and medium-manufacturers and create over 1,900 good-paying, high quality jobs.
“The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”
“Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we are leading an unprecedented expansion of American energy production, a manufacturing renaissance, and the essential work of rebuilding our middle class. This is especially true in former coal communities, which are mounting a clean energy comeback by harnessing the urgent climate challenge in front of us and the clean energy solutions we invented here in America,” said White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “These investments from the Biden-Harris Administration – catalyzing even more in private sector investment – will lift up these energy communities by creating good-paying union jobs, enhancing our supply chains, and ensuring that the next generation of clean energy technologies are made here in America.”
The global market for clean energy and carbon reduction technologies is anticipated to reach a minimum of $23 trillion by 2030. Investing directly in the domestic manufacturing sector’s small and medium businesses, which contribute to $1 trillion in gross revenue to the U.S. economy and provide more than five million jobs, rapidly builds capacity for clean energy production and maximizes the benefit to communities across the U.S. Swiftly increasing U.S. manufacturing output and deployment of clean energy technology is critical to meet our climate, jobs, and industrial competitiveness goals. By manufacturing clean energy technology domestically, the U.S. will strengthen national security and energy independence, revitalize industrial and energy communities, and mitigate the climate crisis.
As demand grows for clean energy technology, the projects will help prepare the manufacturing industry for what lies ahead. The fourteen projects selected for negotiation of award focus on manufacturing products and materials that address multiple needs in the domestic clean energy supply chain. The selections will address five key supply chains – grid components, batteries, low-carbon materials, clean power generation, and energy efficiency products. The lead organizations are listed below along with their proposed project locations:
Learn more about the projects selected for award negotiations here.
DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) leads several of DOE’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments, including the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Program. Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.
DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains | www.energy.gov
Trinasolar, a global leader in smart solar products and solutions, announced it filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Delaware and a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to protect its TOPCon technology patents from infringement by Canadian Solar, Inc. and related entities.
U.S. District Court of Delaware
To protect its intellectual property, Trinasolar filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Delaware that concerns Canadian Solar products sold in the U.S. that infringe on Trina’s intellectual property (IP). The action underscores Trina’s commitment to defending its TOPCon technology and holds accountable any entities that compromise its patented technology.
International Trade Commission (ITC)
Trina’s complaint with the ITC requests a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order against Canadian Solar, Inc. and related entities. The limited exclusion order will bar Canadian Solar’s importation into the United States of certain solar cells, modules, panels, components thereof, and products containing the same that infringe Trina’s patents. The cease-and-desist order will prevent the sale of inventoried products within the U.S.
“Trinasolar takes patent infringement very seriously and we will always take the necessary action to protect our intellectual property,” said Steven Zhu, president of Trinasolar US. “We have significantly invested in our company’s TOPCon technology and need to make sure we protect our patents accordingly.” Trina is confident that it will prevail, reinforcing its determination to protect its intellectual property rights.
Trina owns more than 2,000 patents, including a significant number of core TOPCon technology patents, that protect the company’s intellectual property (IP) rights to critical N-type TOPCon technology used in solar module production.
Patent rights grant legal protection, and any entity that attempts to replicate, use, or sell without authorization may face patent infringement, and/or monetary damages. Patent infringement can result in lawsuits, as in the cases filed by Trinasolar. Trina’s legal actions against Canadian Solar, Inc. and related entities, are the most recent of other patent infringement actions pending against the company.
For more information on Trinasolar’s cell and module patents, visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website.
Trinasolar | www.trinasolar.com
SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEDG), a global leader in smart energy technology, welcomes the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s release of final rules for the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. Section 45X supports the Company’s rapid expansion of U.S. manufacturing capabilities, with two facilities now operational and producing inverters and power optimizers.
An Important Milestone for Both SolarEdge Residential and Commercial Offerings: The rule positively impacts SolarEdge’s U.S. operations, with the Company now manufacturing from two U.S. based facilities. The facility in Austin, Texas reached a quarterly manufacturing run rate of 50,000 residential Home Hub Inverters in Q2 2024 and has continued to ramp up production throughout the year. The Tampa, Florida facility began shipping Domestic Content Power Optimizers in Q2 2024 and is expected to reach a production capacity of approximately 2 million per quarter in Q1 2025. The facility is adding commercial inverter and Power Optimizer production starting in Q1 2025.
Ronen Faier, Interim Chief Executive Officer of SolarEdge, said: “We commend the U.S. Department of the Treasury for releasing the final rule for these important production credits. These manufacturing credits are helping drive the clean energy transformation across the country and the onshoring of clean energy technology manufacturing in the United States. In addition to creating thousands of jobs, these initiatives are playing a vital role in enhancing American energy independence and security. Our role in that mission is to provide best-in-class technology that increases solar energy production with the utmost safety and reliability for our installers, developers and their customers.”
Bertrand Vandewiele, General Manager of SolarEdge in North America, said: “SolarEdge's commitment to meeting the needs of the U.S. market through domestic manufacturing is a strategic move aligned with the needs of our installers, commercial developers, and their customers. As a leading supplier of residential and commercial smart energy technology, it is vitally important that we provide our installer network with dependable, fast access to domestically produced technology. This final rule plays an important role in our ability to deliver on that promise.”
SolarEdge | solaredge.com
Syncarpha Capital, a New York-based developer, owner, and operator of solar and storage projects, announces that its Belfast Solar I community solar project has received Permission to Operate (PTO) as of October 16, 2024. The project is located adjacent to the Belfast Municipal Airport and two miles from the Belfast Fire Station, delivering clean energy directly to Central Maine Power (CMP) and benefiting CMP customers through the state's Net Energy Billing (NEB) Program.
Spanning over 13 acres of a 52-acre site, Belfast Solar I consists of three fixed-tilt, ground-mounted arrays with a total capacity of 4.6 MW DC / 3.5 MW AC. It is estimated to generate 4.6 million kWh annually, offsetting over 3,600 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year. This project will help power hundreds of local homes and businesses, offering subscribers a guaranteed discount on the solar credits they receive, ultimately lowering their electricity bills.
With a focus on environmental sustainability, Belfast Solar I was developed to avoid wetlands and comply with Maine's Stormwater Management Chapter 500. It marks Syncarpha's 6th operating community solar project in Maine, increasing the company's statewide capacity to 35.4 MW DC.
"The completion of this project is a significant milestone in expanding our community solar footprint in Maine and across the country. It exemplifies Syncarpha's commitment to provide clean, affordable energy to communities by breaking down barriers to widespread solar adoption." — Cliff Chapman, CEO, Syncarpha Capital
To learn more about community solar, visit Syncarpha's community solar website: https://joinsolargardens.com/
Syncarpha Capital | https://syncarpha.com/
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final regulations on the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit for solar, wind, and qualifying battery components, inverters, and applicable critical minerals. Following is a statement from Ray Long, President and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), on the final rule:
“Thanks to smart industrial policies, like the Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit, America is in the middle of a true clean energy manufacturing renaissance. Over $75 billion has been invested in clean energy manufacturing in the last two years in projects that are now fully operational, including 42 American factories that employ 20,000 U.S. workers. This clean energy manufacturing renaissance will ultimately support more than 100,000 new manufacturing jobs nationwide.
“ACORE deeply appreciates the work the Treasury Department and the IRS did to finalize the Section 45X credit. The final rule issued today retains the applicability of direct pay and transferability, and provides needed flexibility for a broad range of U.S. businesses to fully leverage the benefits and create American jobs.
“While we continue to analyze the market impacts of the final rule, we look forward to our continued partnership with the agencies on regulations that further accelerate America’s clean energy transition. With constructive regulations and balanced trade policies, the U.S. can rise to a place of global leadership in clean energy manufacturing that will create more good-paying jobs, lower costs for businesses, secure our grid, and maximize American competitiveness.”
ACORE | www.acore.org
Solar Nov 15, 2023
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