Posts by West Coast Solar

We consistently report on the latest trends in the field of solar energy and how more home and business owners are turning to solar power to lower their burden on the power grid. This is especially true in California, where residents throughout the state have been lining up in droves to have photovoltaic installations completed…

The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) has received a grant of $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to launch a major effort at reducing the soft costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. The grant, which was funded by the DOE’s SunShot Initiative, will be used to create a program aimed at…

While we’re personally big fans of Bay Area solar power, the fact is that utilities are not. The accelerating growth of the solar energy industry has left them in a position that could eventually become unsustainable. The problem lies with the fact that photovoltaics (PV) create a feedback loop in which customers convert to solar…

Solar panels could have a positive effect on the value of your home, according to a new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that homeowners who decide to switch to solar power could eventually earn a premium on the sale price of their house from buyers looking to go solar themselves. The specific…

One of the issues that limits the growth of Bay Area solar at a utility scale, particularly for photovoltaics (PV), is the fact that current energy storage solutions are not capable of handling the massive amounts of power that would be needed during hours when the sun isn’t shining and the panels aren’t producing electricity. This…

Senator Ed Markey has introduced a bill in Congress that would require utilities across the country to derive at least 25 percent of their electrical production from renewable sources by 2025. The bill is similar to laws that have been enacted in California, Colorado and other states that aim to promote the growth of alternative energy…

A new report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) and the California Independent System Operator (ISO) predicts that wind and solar power generation in California will double by 2020. This is exciting news for anyone who follows the solar energy solutions industry. But buried in the NERC’s recommendations is a surprising argument for the importance…

Anyone who has driven down the Interstate 5 from Orange County to San Diego is likely familiar with the bizarre looking domes of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The owner of the plant, Edison International, announced on June 7 that the 2,150 megawatt (MW) capacity plant will be permanently shut down. This is a troubling sign…

A major obstacle to wider adoption of renewable energy, such as Bay Area solar and wind power, for utility companies is the fact that these technologies produced major fluctuations in output that are difficult for grids to handle on a large scale. Solar only creates electricity during the day, and wind turbines generate lots of power when…

The California Solar Energy Industry Association, an organization that advocates on behalf of solar power in the Golden State, has announced the appointment of Bernadette Del Chiaro as the new executive director of the group. Del Chiaro has been involved in the communications and policy areas of the renewable energy industry for over a decade. She was formerly…

In an effort to expand access to solar energy among California residents, lawmakers are attempting to establish a “shared renewables” program that would enable thousands of Golden State home and business owners to go solar without requiring them to install their own panels. Rather than generating their own power on-site, individuals would have the opportunity to…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on October 31 that the California Valley Solar Ranch, the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power generation facility, has begun commercial operation, adding 250 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity to the state’s electrical grid. The Ranch will sell electricity to Pacific Gas & Electric. The plant, located in San Luis…