With unanimous support in both South Carolina’s House and Senate, the state has passed the Energy Freedom Act, a bill that will greatly expand solar use throughout the state at all levels. The bill will remove net-metering caps on home solar as well as allows fair market access for developers of utility-scale solar projects. 

Last week the US surpassed 2 million solar installations, it’s a significant achievement for the country—especially since it reached the milestone so quickly after reaching the first 1 million solar installations. Meanwhile Washington state became the latest to commit to 100% clean energy and solar at schools could generate $4 billion in benefits. 

Washington state is the next state to pass a law that will move it to 100% clean energy by 2045. Washington Gov. and Democratic Presidential candidate Jay Inslee signed a package of climate and clean energy bills into law this week that will ensure the state moves to clean energy and emissions reductions faster than almost every other state. 

If you want to have an idea of how popular solar is becoming, look at the numbers. The US surpassed 2 million solar installations, just three years ago it surpassed 1 million, that’s according to the latest figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables out today (May 9).

Solar at schools is a great idea, it helps educate students about renewable energy and how such systems work, further reduces air pollution and helps schools cut energy costs. But now a new report from Stanford University quantified that the benefits of installing solar at schools across the nation could reach $4 billion. 

Yesterday (May 6) The Solar Foundation and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) introduced the U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study 2019 their latest effort to understand diversity in the solar workplace and to promote more diversity. While the report found that overall work environments in the industry are positive, diversity still lacks.

Things are looking better for renewables than ever. For the first time renewable energy provided more of the US’s electric generation than coal in April of 2019 and may again in May. At the same time the House passed a new bill to keep the US in the Paris Climate Agreement.

After a year-long investigation Environmental Working Group (EWG) named Duke Energy public energy enemy No. 1. The environmental advocacy organization cited Duke Energy’s efforts in multiple states to slow the growth of renewable energy as well as penalizing those customers who want to go solar and and its previous environmental record as reasons for the label.

The US House of Representatives passed HR 9, the Climate Action Now Act, to keep the US in the Paris Climate Agreement with bipartisan support on a vote of 231 to 190. The landmark legislation pushes back against the Trump Administration’s controversial efforts to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement by defunding the withdrawal effort. 

In what’s being called a first, in the latest short-term energy outlook, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) anticipated that renewable energy sources will provide more of the US’s electricity than coal will in April and May of 2019. It’s the latest death-knell for coal, which increasingly costs more than renewable energy to produce, while also producing pollution.