Fact or Fiction – Shungfeng claims that it will install 10 GW of Solar Capacity by 2015
January 8, 2014Why does Solarworld not die Quietly
January 11, 2014Solar energy plants have notched up a big win in Minessota, with both the state electricity regulators and a US judge favoring solar power plants for expansion of power capacity over natural gas power plants. The state had put out a tender for buying electricity and had received multiple applications. Xcel Energy had submitted plans for building natural gas power plants, while solar developer Geronimo Energy put in a bid to build 20 solar power plants. The state electricity regulator found the solar power plant plan to be better than the natural gas power plants, which were bid by others. The judge said that Minnesota would get the greatest value from the solar power plants.
Solar energy is challenging the fossil fuel energy plants as costs have declined massively for solar power. Not only does solar power guarantee fixed costs for 25 years, but also contributes to energy independence. Geronimo, a renewable energy developer will develop and sell those plants to other entities such as Energy Green Power, which is one of the largest green utilities in the world.
Utilities are facing a huge threat from solar power and will have to radically change their business model as distributed and utility solar power becomes a bigger and bigger threat. They will have to focus more on transmission and distribution as generation is taken from their hands. Even in Georgia, Southern Power had to face a big threat from a solar upstart which wanted to build a large number of solar power plants. The company petitioned the electricity regulator to remove the monopoly power of Southern Power.