In its latest monthly "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data through January 31, 2024), EIA says the combination of utility-scale and small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar increased by 20.5% compared to the first month of last year. As a result, solar’s share of total U.S. electrical generation in January 2024 rose to 3.8% compared to 3.4% a year earlier.

With a $32,000,000 federal cost share, the Yakama Tribal Solar Canal & Hydro Project on the Yakama Indian Reservation will convert inefficient, open-water irrigation canals into a solar and micro-hydropower irrigation system. This cutting-edge system could conserve up to 20% more water and help energy-burdened residents save up to 15% on their utility bills. Additionally, the project team plans to build solar panels on land that the Tribe knows does not risk disturbing cultural resources, providing a replicable solution for responsible solar siting. It is anticipated that deploying solar technologies will increase the Yakama Nation’s renewable power supply, while improving its energy resilience and reliability. Improvements in irrigation efficiency could also benefit grazing and irrigated agriculture, the area’s key economic drivers.

In a 2/29/2024 News Release, the Washington State Department of Commerce today announced 14 grants awarded through the Clean Energy Fund (CEF) that will expand the use of renewable energy in the state’s electrical grid. These projects are for numerous innovative clean energy technologies, including battery energy storage systems and microgrids, including projects that will increase energy resilience, opportunities to implement new technologies to replace aging infrastructure, and deployment of innovative clean technologies in communities facing climate change impacts. Tribes, retail electric utilities, local governments and community organizations were eligible for grants in this funding round that prioritized projects that serve vulnerable populations. 

In a 6/6/23 press release, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which regulates private, investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities in Washington, announced today that it approved with conditions Puget Sound Energy (PSE)’s first Clean Energy Implementation Plan (CEIP) required under the Clean Energy Transformation Act.  The approved plan proposes that PSE will serve 63% of its sales of electricity with clean energy by 2025. In its decision, the commission ordered PSE to update its specific target for demand response technology, increase its support for community solar instead of leasing solar resources to customers, and update its evaluation of utility scale batteries as a resource to meet demand.

According to a press release from Puget Sound Energy, $753,620 was awarded through its Green Power and Solar Choice programs in grant funding to 10 organizations and tribes across its electric service area to install new solar projects.

Recipients range from local non-profits and tribal entities serving low-income and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community members. In addition to saving recipients money on their utilities, the projects will serve to further clean energy in the region.

A fractured grid that was built for coal- and fuel-based energy generation does not meet the decentralized needs of a clean energy economy. Extreme weather conditions that are likely to become more common in the future have caused the electrical grids to fail when most needed to sustain life. Attacks on power substations in Washington, Oregon and North Carolina late last year showed just how vulnerable our electrical grid is. Improving the infrastructure and resolving risks is critical for the future of solar energy in America.

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