Department of Housing and Urban Development Issues Community Solar Guidance
August 5, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 5, 2022
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued new guidance that for the first time will help enable families in HUD-assisted rental housing to subscribe to local community solar where available.
In some programs, such as the Washington, DC Solar for All program, savings to households from subscribing to local community solar can reach up to 50% per year, the White House noted in a fact sheet.
The national guidance builds on recent state-specific guidance that HUD has provided to Illinois, Washington, DC and New York, that determined community-net-metering credits would be excluded from household income and utility allowance calculations and therefore not increase housing costs for residents in properties participating in HUD Multifamily, Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance programs, the fact sheet said.
HUD also announced that HUD regional offices will convene stakeholders in their regions over the next 90 days to highlight federal funding sources — including funding streams from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and HUD programs such as the HOME Investment Partnerships program and the Community Development Block Grant — that can be used to support public facilities and increase affordable housing supply that improves energy efficiency.
Building on guidance from last year, HUD will also launch a new initiative to help small rural housing authorities make money-saving energy efficiency upgrades and retain the savings from those projects to reinvest in improvements to rural HUD supported rental housing.
Other Agencies Also Take Action Related To Solar Energy
In addition, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Washington, D.C. have signed up to pilot the Community Solar Subscription Platform which is designed to connect community solar electric bill savings projects to households participating in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
DOE estimates that families in the pilot states and Washington, DC will see over $1 billion annually in combined electric bill savings.
DOE is announcing the Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, a new awards program to recognize communities that are implementing best-in class community solar programs and projects that lower costs and increase access for families.
New York Issues Solicitation To Purchase At Least 2,000 MW Of Offshore RECs
August 3, 2022
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
August 3, 2022
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced the issuance of the third in a series of solicitations aimed increasing offshore wind production in the state.
The solicitation, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), seeks to purchase a minimum of 2,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs).
If the responses to the solicitation justify procurement of a larger quantity of ORECs, NYSERDA said it may procure through the solicitation up to the remaining capacity authorized by the state’s Offshore Wind Orders.
New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act sets a goal of developing 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035. New York has a pipeline of five offshore wind projects totaling over 4,300 MW under active development.
Offshore wind projects under way in New York include the 924-MW Sunrise Wind project, the 816-MW Empire Wind project, the 1,260-MW Empire Wind 2 project, the 1,230-MW Beacon Wind project, and the 130-MW South Fork Wind Farm being developed by Long Island Power Authority (LIPA).
New York State is aiming to become a hub of offshore wind energy by establishing ecosystems for workforce development, manufacturing, and operations and maintenance to support the offshore wind projects in the region.
Proposals in response to the solicitation are due on Dec. 22. A webinar will be held on Aug. 23. Solicitation award announcements are expected in early 2023.
Repowered Wind Project Providing Energy To California CCAs Comes Online
July 23, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 23, 2022
California community choice aggregators Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) on July 21 announced the start of commercial operation for the Mountain View Wind Repowering Project, developed by the AES Corporation.
The facility will provide 33.33 megawatts (MW) to CCCE and 33.33 MW to SVCE under a 20- year power purchase agreement (PPA).
The PPA is the result of the third joint SVCE-CCCE solicitation issued in 2020. The PPA was board-approved and executed in April 2021.
Wind repowering is the combined activity of dismantling or refurbishing existing wind turbines and commissioning new ones.
AES removed more than 100 old turbines and replaced them with 16 new Vestas turbines. The repowered 67-MW facility will deliver 257 gigawatt hours per year.
CCCE is a public agency that serves 436,000 customers throughout the Central Coast, including residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in communities located within Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz counties.
SVCE provides electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources to more than 270,000 residential and commercial customers in 13 Santa Clara County jurisdictions.
Arizona’s Southwest Public Power Agency Signs Solar And Storage Power Purchase Agreement
July 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 22, 2022
Arizona’s Southwest Public Power Agency Inc. (SPPA) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a BrightNight joint venture (JV) for the delivery of 300 megawatts of solar energy and 600 megawatt-hours of battery storage.
This is the largest renewable power purchase in SPPA’s operational history and will supply 21 of SPPA’s constituent members who are working to meet growing demand and carbon reduction goals.
Power will be supplied from BrightNight’s Box Canyon project located in Pinal County, Arizona, held jointly with BrightNight’s JV partner, Cordelio Power.
The project recently completed its final major permitting milestones and is expected to begin operation in 2025. It will provide approximately one-third of SPPA’s peak capacity needs and 19-21% of SPPA’s energy needs.
The PPA is the result of a competitive solicitation.
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Enters Into Solar Plus Storage Agreement
July 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 22, 2022
Convergent Energy + Power on July 18 announced that its Puerto Rico subsidiary has entered into a power purchase and operating agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) for a 100-megawatt (MW) solar generation project paired with a 55-MW battery to be located in Coamo, Puerto Rico.
The solar-plus-storage system will be owned and operated by Convergent’s Puerto Rico subsidiary, Convergent Coamo.
Subject to satisfaction of customary conditions, the system is currently expected to come online in 2024 and is part of a larger plan to accelerate Puerto Rico’s strategic clean energy transition.
Puerto Rico has set a goal of achieving 40% renewable energy by 2025 and 100% renewable energy by 2050.
Convergent’s large-scale solar-plus-storage system is among the first awarded by PREPA in response to its multi-tranche solicitation effort to modernize Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
Company Announces U.S. Solar Roof Manufacturing Facility In Georgetown, Texas
July 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 22, 2022
GAF Energy has signed a lease and begun construction on a 450,000 square-foot facility in Georgetown, Texas, a public power community. Construction is expected to be completed in June 2023.
Once improvements are complete, the new facility will serve as the company’s second U.S. manufacturing center for its solar roof, Timberline Solar, the only roof system to directly integrate solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials.
GAF Energy plans to hire 265 employees in high tech jobs over the next 10 years at the Georgetown facility. The total capital investment for the project is estimated to be over $100 million in that time.
GAF Energy will receive a total combined incentive package worth more than $3.24 million from local jurisdictions, including:
- A City of Georgetown property tax abatement for 10 years of 75 percent for business personal property and 50 percent for real property, valued at $2.35 million;
- A five-year job creation grant with a total value of $395,000, paid by the Georgetown Economic Development Corporation;
- The retirement of renewable energy credits to offset the company’s electric usage for five years to certify the facility as using 100 percent renewable energy, valued at $500,000.
The net 10-year economic impact to Georgetown is estimated to be $3.75 million.
TVA Seeks Up To 5,000 Megawatts Of Carbon-Free Energy
July 12, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 12, 2022
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on July 12 issued a request for up to 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free energy that must be operational before 2029.
Any transaction resulting from the request for proposals (RFP) will be in the form of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
TVA said that the procurement is one of the largest clean energy procurement requests in the nation.
TVA is interested in procuring carbon-free energy resources with commercial operation dates from 2023 through 2029 including: solar, wind (offshore or land based), hydro, geothermal, biomass, nuclear, green gas, battery energy storage systems (BESS) paired with the above resources, standalone BESS, “and hybrid combinations of the aforementioned resources,” the RFP said.
TVA said it reserves the right to vary from the above stated energy quantity target. The PPA will also require the transfer to TVA of all the applicable associated environmental attributes (renewable energy credits/certificates, etc.).
All resources must be located in the TVA service territory or delivered to TVA’s interface with neighboring transmission systems. If any proposal is delivered to the TVA interface, it must have all cost components included for an all-in energy price.
TVA noted that it is executing a defined strategy to reduce carbon from 2005 levels by 70% by 2030, 80% by 2035, and aspire to be net-zero by 2050.
To support its carbon-reduction efforts, the agency is exploring and accelerating carbon-free technologies and moving to bring an additional 10,000 MW of solar energy capacity online by 2035.
Proposals must be submitted by October 19, 2022, and TVA will announce selected projects in Spring 2023.
The RFP is available here.
DOE Announces RFI For Program To Site Clean Energy At Mines
July 1, 2022
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
July 1, 2022
The Department of Energy (DOE) on June 29 issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a program to fund clean energy projects on mine lands.
The Clean Energy Demonstrations on Current and Former Mine Land Program is funded with $500 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The aim of the program is to place clean energy demonstration projects on current or former mine lands across the United States.
Operated through DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the program will fund clean energy projects that demonstrate one or more of the following clean energy technologies: solar; microgrid; geothermal energy; direct air capture; fossil-fueled generation with carbon capture, utilization and sequestration; energy storage, including pumped storage hydropower and compressed air; and advanced nuclear.
Two of the clean energy demonstration projects funded under the program must include solar energy. The DOE is seeking information from respondents about opportunities to use domestically manufactured solar for those projects.
The RFI seeks feedback from a variety of stakeholders, including industry, community organizations, environmental justice organizations, labor unions, and state and local governments.
Deadlines for submissions in response to the RFI have not yet been announced.
The DOE is also soliciting public input on how to design the program to best encourage private sector investment in similar projects leading to economic development for underserved communities near current and former mine land while advancing environmental justice.
The DOE said the selected projects should chart a course to navigate federal, state, and local rules and regulations for siting and grid interconnection, mine remediation, post mining land use, environmental safety and other processes to develop and operate clean energy projects on current or former mine land.
“Developing clean energy on mine lands is an opportunity for fossil fuel communities, which have powered our nation for a generation, to receive an economic boost and play a leadership role in our clean energy transition,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. “The investments in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help America’s mining workforce apply their skills to grow and deploy cheaper, cleaner energy across the country.”
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analysis found approximately 17,750 mine land sites in the United States. If all those sites were redeveloped with clean energy projects, they could provide up to 89 gigawatts of clean electricity, the EPA report said.
California Community Choice Aggregator Unveils Virtual Power Plant Program
June 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
June 22, 2022
California community choice aggregator (CCA) Marin Clean Energy (MCE) on June 21 unveiled a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program that is slated to launch in 2025.
MCE said the program will provide bill savings and increase local grid reliability, safety, and efficiency for low-income residents as part of Richmond, Calif.’s Advanced Energy Community project, which includes $3 million in funding from the California Energy Commission and will rehabilitate abandoned homes with energy efficiency retrofits and establish a VPP.
The Advanced Energy Community brings together a variety of partners including the project developer, ZNE Alliance, and ALCO Building Solutions, Ecoshift Consulting, Energy Solutions, mPrest, Richmond Community Foundation, THG Energy Solutions, TRC, and ZGlobal.
Similar to traditional power plants, VPPs provide electricity to the grid, but instead of coming from a single source, VPPs are made up of a network of digitally-connected technologies distributed across a community. VPPs help stabilize the power grid by quickly dispatching power to and from resources on the grid to shift energy consumption out of peak hours and take greater advantage of midday solar generation.
MCE’s VPP will include energy storage, smart thermostats, rooftop solar, heat pump space and water heating, and EV charging.
The VPP will initially be connected to up to 100 Zero Net Carbon Homes (ZNC Homes) and larger commercial and industrial sites. The ZNC Homes program will finance the acquisition, complete rehabilitation, and re-sale of homes as affordable properties. These ZNC homes will be built to be energy efficient and resilient, and each home will have a full complement of smart appliances and cost-saving equipment, including rooftop solar, battery energy storage, and heat pumps.
Local businesses will also have an opportunity to install batteries that provide resilience to grid outages, bill savings, and revenue generation potential, MCE said.
MCE will use the VPP in the statewide power markets – managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) – to demonstrate the aggregation of customer resources by a CCA, and the integration, scheduling, and settlement of these resources in the CAISO markets.
Participating residents “will be paid for their role in providing localized grid services through a dynamic value-sharing agreement,” MCE said.
MCE is a load-serving entity supporting a 1,200 megawatts peak load. MCE provides electricity service and programs to more than 540,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents and businesses in 37 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Google Unveil 24/7 Renewable Energy Service Agreement
June 16, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
June 16, 2022
California community choice aggregator (CCA) Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) and Google on June 15 unveiled a new 24/7 renewable energy service that features hourly renewable energy matching, integrated demand management, and a commitment to ongoing community investments in local building and transportation electrification.
Under the ten-year agreement, SVCE will serve Google’s offices in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, Calif., matching carbon-free electricity with Google’s local demand for at least 92% of all hours in the year.
The agreement utilizes a Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) measure – a 24/7 “CFE Score.” SVCE has incorporated this measure into a commercial energy service for Google, to build and manage an optimized portfolio of complementary clean resources designed to match Google’s local energy demand across all hours of the year, including wind, solar, geothermal, battery energy storage systems and other resources.
In addition, SVCE said that the service supports dynamic management of demand from Google’s growing all-electric building and transportation infrastructure.
SVCE said its new energy service with Google represents a model that can be replicated and scaled in other communities, by other energy providers, and commercial energy customers.
Click here for a case study related to SVCE’s energy service agreement with Google.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.