US DOE to release RFQ for solar plant on NNSA land; TBA signs up for RECs from Clearway Energy’s 252 MW solar plant; SolAmerica to purchase 205 MW DC First Solar modules; Sunworks files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Solar for nuclear power site: The US Department of Energy (DOE) plans to issue a request for qualification (RFQ) to identify developers who can build a commercial-scale solar energy project on land administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The initiative is part of the DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy that aims to repurpose parts of its lands used previously in the nuclear weapons program in the country, for clean energy generation. The NNSA has identified approximately 2,000 acres of contiguous land in Nye County, Nevada to lease for the proposed project.
In response to a request for information (RFI) announced in December 2023, the DOE said it is in receipt of 6 responses from interested developers. The RFQ round is scheduled to be released in March 2024.
Solar RECs for TBA: Global automotive interior systems supplier Toyota Boshoku America (TBA) has signed its 1st renewable energy procurement at scale. It has agreed to offtake a portion of renewable energy credits (REC) from a solar farm for 12 years. These will come from Clearway Energy Group’s Texas Solar Nova 1 Solar Farm in Kent County, Texas, US whose phase 1 with 252 MW capacity came online in December 2023. The solar project is part of a 2-phased 452 MW solar complex, it informed.
TBA will offtake the RECs from the solar plant, starting from 2026. It will help TBA offset 100% of its annual electricity consumption in the US and Canada facilities with renewable energy. The US subsidiary of Japan’s Toyota Boshoku Corporation, TBA said its contract and commitments as an offtaker ensured the project to meet its financing targets to bring the entire complex online. The RECs generated from the solar farm will be listed with the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) to enable these to meet all necessary requirements for certification for the Green-e Renewable Energy Standard for US and Canada.
205 MW DC solar module deal: Solar systems installer SolAmerica Energy, LLC will buy 205 MW DC solar modules from First Solar in a deal announced last week. The delivery will comprise Series 6 and 7 thin-film solar modules of First Solar. The latter, having locked in the deal before the release of its Q3/2023 earnings, will deliver the modules in 2024 and 2025. SolAmerica will deploy the panels for its community solar projects along with 3 commercial and industrial (C&I) facilities and a portfolio of projects that will supply municipal utilities and electric cooperatives in the Midwest.
Sunworks files for bankruptcy: US solar systems installer for agricultural, C&I, and other public entities Sunworks has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the US Code in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. According to a Securities and Exchange (SEC) filing, the company and 3 of its subsidiaries ceased operations on February 5, 2024, after considering all strategic alternatives. Its CEO Mark Trout has resigned immediately along with the company’s board of directors. A trustee appointed by the court will assume control over its assets and liabilities. The assets will be liquidated.
The company had suffered a 29.5% YoY decline in its Q3/2023 revenues. The residential solar segment registered drops of 44.5% YoY and 25.2% sequentially. On the other hand, the commercial solar energy segment delivered a 105.9% increase in revenue. The management back then had pointed to the drop in residential solar demand following an increase in interest rates and lower activity levels in California following the NEM 3.0 transition. In November 2023, it had lowered headcount and exited several underperforming markets.
Source from Taiyang News
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