In Illinois utility Ameren Corp. and S&C Electric Co. recently proved that automated microgrids can successfully island and provide utility-scale power without help from the larger electric grid. In Champaign, IL, the companies used a 50 kilowatt (kW) microgrid to power an Ameren research facility for 24 hours. 

Lowe’s Canada partnered with Solar Brokers Canada and its affiliate Green Lion Group, to create Lowe’s Solar to provide rooftop solar power to Canadian homeowners starting in Ontario. The home improvement company has more than 600 stores across the country. 

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) chose to ignore calls from the solar industry to give its Green Power Providers (GPP) program a much needed improvement. The net-metering program allows homeowners, businesses, municipalities, and other property owners to go solar and get compensated for it, but the Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (TenneSEIA), Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and others contended that TVA has made the program too limiting. 

ComEd, a northern Illinois utility, wants to help at least 1 million of its customers get green with wind and solar. This week the company filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to filed to use community wind and solar farm-type projects to allow its customers to get some or all their energy from renewable energy sources. 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) introduced an updated factsheet on the US Climate Alliance, a group of states that have committed to uphold their emissions reduction targets under the Paris Climate Agreement, which will lead to increased deployment of solar and other renewable energy sources. Already 13 states have signed on to the agreement and 10 more have expressed interest in signing on to the alliance as well. 

Yesterday (Aug. 15) hundreds of solar workers attended as the International Trade Commission (ITC) held the first hearing in the Suniva trade petition case seeking relief via tariffs on imported solar panels and cells. Meanwhile the majority of the solar industry, solar workers, as well as elected officials and trading partners spoke out against the trade case saying Suniva’s failure was not brought about by lower priced imports.

One Tesla Model X is hauling most of Tesla’s solar tech in a new tour across Australia. The Tesla Tiny House includes a 2 kilowatt solar array and a Powerwall energy storage system. 

SunPower has created a new manufacturing facility in Silicon Valley, CA, where it will produce silicon solar panels that it said will reach 25 percent conversion efficiency levels, a new record. The new solar panels, will be based on SunPower’s X-Series technology. 

Last Friday (Aug. 11) 16 Senators and 53 Representatives—hailing from both parties—sent open letters to Rhonda Schmidtlein, chairman of US International Trade Commission urging the ITC to reject Suniva’s petition. The petition, which seeks to impose tariffs on imported solar panels and cells, could cost the US Solar industry tens of thousands of jobs.

As the North American solar eclipse approaches, the US’s largest solar market, California, is ready for the challenges it will pose to the grid. In Arizona, a utility chose to use energy storage rather than build more transmission infrastructure. While solar is booming in the US, the Suniva trade case is looming and could impact its continued growth.