May 23, 2008—A report from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) outlines developments at utility companies in three different states in recent weeks regarding solar initiatives.
According to EERE, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) released a request for proposals that calls for 50 megawatts (MW) of solar power to be installed on Long Island. The solar energy could be produced by one or more developers of solar photovoltaic systems and will be fed into the electrical grid and purchased by LIPA.
New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is now offering up to $105 million in loan for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approved the loan package in early April to support the development of 30 megawatts of solar power installations throughout the utility’s service area, helping the utility to meet about half of its solar energy requirement for 2009 and 2010.
California’s Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is taking another approach to providing its customers with solar power: the utility is paying enXco, Inc. to install a 1-megawatt solar power system, and SMUD’s customers can sign up to buy a share of that system. Through the utility’s new SolarShares program, customers will pay roughly $5-$30 per month to receive 10%-50% of their power from the solar power system (the utility hasn’t released exact cost details yet).
