The expansion of the solar industry in sun-rich Colorado has reached a huge milestone. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved—without modification—a settlement fought for by two dozen organizations including major environmental advocacy groups and state and national solar power trade organizations.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) announced it is seeking bids from solar developers to design and construct a utility-scale community solar array in the Four Corners of Arizona, enabling it to purchase up to 100 megawatts of solar under a 20-year agreement. Expected to produce electricity for more than 21,000 homes and expand TEP’s community solar production by 40 percent, the solar array will tie into existing transmission infrastructure and become operational in early 2019.

Two sites in Wisconsin, one in La Crosse County and another at an abandoned landfill in Eau Claire, will host 1-megawatt community solar farms. The farms are being built by California’s Pristine Sun under an agreement with Xcel Energy for its Wisconsin customers. Construction of the two facilities is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

Arcadia Power announced that it will offer a “Solar Savings Subscription” service, a first of its kind, nationwide community solar platform. The service allows customers throughout the country to subscribe to specific community solar projects online. 

Known worldwide for its legacy of luxury cars, German auto manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is plugging into the North American residential and commercial energy storage market. Part of its “CASE” corporate strategy, Mercedes-Benz announced that it has founded Mercedes-Benz Energy Americas in conjunction with Daimler AG to release residential battery modules with a storage capacity of 2.5-kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2017. 

He isn’t as green in real life, but it doesn’t keep Hulk/Bruce Bannon portrayer Mark Ruffalo from being a greenie. Recently the activist actor partnered with Native Renewables founder Wahleah Johns to present the Standing Rock Sioux and supporters protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline with solar electric generating trailers. The trailers will provide electricity to medical tents and other critical facilities at the Oceti Sakowin Protest Camp at Standing Rock, N.D.

An energy community choice aggregator (CCA), MCE has announced a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy the initial 40 megawatts of electricity from the first phase of construction of First Solar’s Little Bear Solar Project in Fresno County, CA. At 40 megawatts the project amounts to what could be considered one of the largest community solar projects to date.

Con Edison proposed its “Shared Solar Pilot Program” to install up to 11 megawatts of solar power over 5 years on more than 40 of its buildings' rooftops in New York City and Westchester County. The solar arrays will provide electricity for 3,000 to 6,000 customers who are part of its low-income bill assistance program. Designed to help further New York state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), Con Edison’s solar integration plan could save low-income customers up to $60 per year on electricity costs. 

DTE Energy and General Motors have completed a 900-kilowatt solar array at GM’s Warren Transmission plant in Warren, MI, making it the largest solar installation at a GM facility in the state. The DTE owned, 2,862-panel array was installed on a 4.25-acre parking lot leased from GM, will generate 1.2-kilowatt million hours of electricity annually. That is the equivalent of powering 155 homes per year in southeast Michigan. 

Vivint Solar and NBA franchise Utah Jazz announced that they have teamed up to install more than 2,700 rooftop solar panels on the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 80,000 square foot, $125 million rooftop array will generate 700 kilowatts of power. That is equivalent to offsetting the of burning one million pounds of coal or providing enough electricity to power 100 homes annually.