Capital Dynamics and 8minutenergy Renewables announced that Capital Dynamics has purchased the third, 328 megawatt stage of the Mount Signal Farm, in Caleixco, CA. At a total of 800 MWs, it’s one of the largest solar farms in the US and world. Mortenson Construction will create between 300 and 400 jobs to install 2.8 million First Solar photovoltaic panels, bringing the massive project online by the end of 2018. 

Earlier this year, US-based solar panel manufacturer Suniva filed for bankruptcy protection, but then it also filed—on behalf of an investor—for tariffs on imported solar. Since then industry advocates have spoken out against the tariffs and only SolarWorld supported the actions. But now, US-based SunPower CEO, Tom Werner, is speaking out against the tariffs as well. 

Tomorrow’s agricultural systems could look vastly different than today’s farms as food demand goes up and agricultural land becomes more scarce. That’s forcing companies to look to growing food more quickly and less expensively. A new, $17 million, photovoltaic-powered 5-acre greenhouse project in Ohio for GH Farms Group might be a good example of what’s possible. 

Bold Nebraska is teaming with farmers and a coalition of organizations to block the controversial Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline with solar power. They plan to raise $50,000 to install solar power across the pipeline’s path on land owned by farmers that have opposed the pipeline. 

Despite the fireworks across the US last week, the solar and renewable energy news kept coming. Last week California announced that it would host the Global Climate Action Summit in 2018 supporting international climate change reductions. A university has created a cell phone that can run only on solar power. Meanwhile a former nuclear plant site in Tennessee found new life as a solar farm.

Yesterday (July 6) California Gov. Edmund Brown (D) announced that the state would host the Global Climate Action Summit in September 2018. The summit will support the Paris Climate Agreement and efforts to reduce climate change across the world, despite President Donald Trump’s (R) controversial announcement that US would pull out of the agreement. 

Albemarle County, VA, is the latest community to achieve a SolSmart Designation for making it easier to go solar in the community by reducing the soft costs of solar, like permitting costs and wait times. The county, which achieved SolSmart Bronze, is one of the first in the state to earn the designation and did so after receiving a SolSmart Advisor.  

Engineers at the University of Washington have designed a battery-free cellphone powered by either ambient radio signals solar power. The new device sends and receives calls with only a few microwatts of power and demonstrated its capabilities with Skype calls.

Construction on the Phipps Bend Nuclear Power plant kicked off in 1978, the plant was expected to revitalize the economy and bring more power to the the entire Tennessee Valley Authority. However, as the project being built energy demand and electric prices fell and the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island was the final nail in the coffin of the project. But now, thanks to solar power, the abandoned site once again is providing energy for the region. 

Late last month Shell Energy North America (SENA) announced it planned to acquire MP2 Energy. MP2 is a diversified energy company, managing assets and offering services, including retail electricity in a number of states and has more than 550 megawatts of wind and 30 megawatts of large-scale solar and 40 megawatts of distributed solar power in its portfolio, according to GTM Research.