In a positive move for the solar industry in Colorado the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA), the national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Xcel Energy and more than 20 parties signed an agreement that supports solar power in the state. The agreement preserves net-metering and allows the utility to pilot time-of-use charges for its customers and a grid-use charge for solar customers which it had proposed.

Today (Aug. 15) the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. (IFC) announced the launch of a web portal to speed development of mini electric grids in Tanzania, which could help up to 9.1 million people in the nation gain access to electricity. 

George Washington University (GWU) has partnered with Semprius to help bring the next generation of multi-junction photovoltaic cells to light. The university will work to develop PV devices that can convert 50 percent of the sun’s light into electricity as part of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E’s) MOSAIC program. 

Now that SolarCity’s board members approved the buyout proposal from Tesla, the latter’s CEO, Elon Musk, already is announcing lofty plans for the residential and commercial solar installing giant, specifically solar roofs. Musk, already SolarCity’s chairman, raised the roof with the new information when he joined in on SolarCity’s second quarter earnings call. The news almost out-shined the overall earnings report.

Solar services company OneRoof Energy just refinanced a portfolio of its residential solar rooftops on 1,611 homes to the tune of $19.8 million. Under the refinancing Greenbacker Renewable Energy is purchasing the majority stake in the 12.1 megawatt portfolio, allowing OneRoof Energy to reinvest in expanding its ability to finance more solar rooftops. 

NRG Energy has submitted a bid to purchase up to 2.1 gigawatts of wind and solar projects in the US owned by bankrupt SunEdison. Under the filing by SunEdison NRG would pay $144 million for 2.1 gigawatts of projects throughout the country. If SunEdison makes certain development milestones NRG could pay up to $44 million more. 
 
The news comes after NRG last year changed some of its focus away from renewable energy. However, with this and some other recent moves, including the positive quarterly report from NRG Yield, its yieldco to invest in renewable energy projects, it shows that NRG remains interested renewable energy.
 
Still, NRG would be paying pennies on the dollar for the projects. “Under NRG's agreement, the company would purchase more than 2 GW of SunEdison renewable energy projects for $188 million—or less than 10 cents a watt,” according to Utility Dive.
 
NRG’s bid for the projects is considered a stalking horse (or basement floor) bid for SunEdison’s assets. The auction for the assets is set for Sept. 9 and could be approved as soon as Sept. 15.
 
Meanwhile NRG’s Yieldco, NRG Yield, announced that it is purchasing NRG’s remaining stake in the 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch project. NRG Yield announced the purchase during its second quarter 2016 earnings report on Aug. 9.
 
SunEdison filed for bankruptcy in April 2016, after going on a purchasing spree. This included a deal to purchase Vivint Solar that deteriorated before SunEdison declared bankruptcy. 

New Mexico’s Southwestern Public Service Company (SPS) had proposed a rate hike on its solar customers to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. However, Earthjustice,Vote Solar and New Mexico attorney Jason Marks, successfully fought the proposal. Now many New Mexico solar customers will actually see a reduction in charges. 

Earlier this week Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed An Act Relative to Energy Diversity (H. 4568) into law, which, among other things supports renewables and energy storage as well as creates a commercial PACE program. The legislation will help increase the amount of clean and renewable energy in the state while helping to stabilize and reduce energy costs in the state.

In what’s pretty much a win-win-win scenario, MIT has published a new study showing that the impact of more renewable energy on the world will be reduced emissions, improved renewable energy technologies and lowered costs. 

Apple continues to become more ubiquitous. The tech giant, which sells everything from smartphones to computers and all forms of media and more may soon enter people’s lives in the US in a much less public way but more widespread way—by selling its excess renewable energy. Perhaps they’ll call it iPower!