Henry Harrell"s Blog: March 7 Green Energy News

Headline News:

On March 4, the California Independent System Operator saw a record percentage of demand served by solar, at 49.95%. The previous record was 47.2 %, set in May, 2017. On March 5, CAISO set another solar record, hitting a new peak for solar production of 10,411 MW. The previous record was 9,913 MW set in June, 2017. [Greentech Media]

Solar in the Golden State (Photo: Shutterstock)

“Michigan farmers, residents praise wind power” • Research from the University of Michigan found that farmers with wind turbines on their property are more likely to pass their farm lands on to their children and twice as likely to continue investing in their homes and property as farmers lacking wind energy resources. [Yale Climate Connections]
A federal judge in San Francisco ordered parties in a landmark global warming lawsuit to hold what may be the first-ever US court hearing on the climate science. The preceding, scheduled for March 21, will feature lawyers for Exxon, BP, Chevron, and other oil companies pitted against those for San Francisco and Oakland. [McClatchy Washington Bureau]
The South Australian government announced plans to help renewable energy developer Neoen build a 50-MW hydrogen “electrolyser.” It is to be powered by a new complex combining 300 MW of wind and solar with battery storage, enabling the manufacture of large quantities of “renewable hydrogen,” a green alternative to LNG. [RenewEconomy]
The Supreme Court for New Mexico affirmed a final order by state regulators to allow Public Service Company of New Mexico to replace lost generation from two shuttered units at its 1,800-MW coal-fired San Juan Regional Generation Station with coal and nuclear resources. The replacement is planned to be from existing plants. [POWER magazine]

Henry Harrell"s Blog