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by Nicolas Rinaldi
December 16, 2016

Below are the key takeaways from the week in solar, grid edge, storageenergy and politics, and other energy news.

Solar News

2 Megawatts Installed per Hour
The rate at which the U.S. installed solar PV in Q3 2016. In total, the market installed 4.1 gigawatts last quarter, its largest ever, according to GTM Research and SEIA. (story)

30%
The percentage of residential solar in the U.S. that is supposedly owned by third-party developers, according to a new report from the EIA. That number doesn't look quite right to GTM Research's MJ Shiao, who argues in an editorial that EIA's data is incomplete and misleading the industry. (story)

3,007 Counties
The number of counties in the continental U.S. This week, a new report from researchers at UT-Austin showed us the counties in which residential solar and nuclear generation are cheaper than natural gas. (story)

Grid Edge News

$1 Billion
The investment that GE made in its energy management "startup" Current last year. Stephen Lacey uncovers that GE is now restructuring Current in order to focus on core competencies. (story)

625 Units
The number of apartment units at the Marcus Garvey housing development in Brooklyn, NY. This week, Julian Spector details a solar-plus-storage-plus-fuel-cell project that Con Ed is installing at the housing development as part of the Brooklyn-Queens Neighborhood Program. (story)

For more on Con Ed's Brooklyn-Queens Neighborhood Program (formerly known as the Brooklyn-Queens Demand Management program), go here.

35% Energy Savings
The amount of energy that LED Christmas lights are saving the New York state grid this year over 2010 numbers, according to NYISO. (story)

100%
The percentage of its energy from renewables that Luxembourg is targeting by 2050. (story)

Energy Storage News

7 Slides
The number of slides that Eric Wesoff highlights from Shayle Kann's lauded keynote presentation at last week's U.S. Energy Storage Summit. (story)

ICYMI: All of the event's sessions are available to you as a Squared member here.

4 Megawatts
The storage capacity being deployed by APS as part of a study on how to manage rooftop solar production in congested areas of the electrical grid. (story)

1 Gigawatt
The size of the U.S. behind-the-meter storage market by 2021, according to a new report from GTM Research. (story)

7,500 EV Charging Stations
The number of stations that PG&E will deploy as part of the utility's Charge Smart and Save plan. The state's utility commission approved the plan this week. (story)

300 Snake Bites
The approximate number of snake bites that kill people in Myanmar each year. The country is looking to solar-plus-storage to house antivenin at below 25 degrees Celsius in areas of the country with no electricity. (story)

Energy & Politics News

74 Questions
The number of questions -- some more authoritarian than others -- that Trump's transition team sent to DOE leadership asking how different organizations within the department operate. (story)

3 Federal Agencies
The number of agencies that former Texas governor Rick Perry promised to cut in 2011 during the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. This week, Perry was selected by Donald Trump to head the Department of Energy, one of the three agencies he vowed to eliminate. (story)

Although Perry's nomination may sound bad for the energy industry, Katie Fehrenbacher argues that Trump’s cabinet picks aren't a total disaster for cleantech and innovation. (story)

$27.2 Million
The annual salary of Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson. Donald Trump nominated Tillerson this week to be the next U.S. Secretary of State. Eric Wesoff sounds off. (story)

19 Tech Leaders
The number of tech industry titans selected by Donald Trump to sit on his his Strategic and Policy Forum, including Elon Musk. This week, Julia Pyper asks whether Musk will be the champion cleantech needs at the White House. (story)

300 Companies
The number that penned an open letter to Donald Trump to express support for the Paris climate accord and the continuation of low-carbon policies. GTM Research's Shayle Kann argues that the private sector will drive cleantech growth regardless of any regressive action by the Trump administration. (story)

Other Energy News

$170 Billion
The total net worth of the investors that are part of Bill Gates' billion-dollar Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund. This week, the fund released more details on its investment plans. (story)

2 More Years
The amount of time the Ohio legislature wants to allow the state's utilities to ignore renewables mandates. (story)

12 Miles
The distance off the Long Island, NY shore that a planned wind farm will operate. NYSERDA, New York's energy R&D agency, is positioning to bid on the project, mimicking a model in Europe where governmental agencies are more active in offshore wind. (story)

220 Kilos of Hydrogen per Day
The amount of hydrogen that will be generated by a £1.79 million electrolyzer being installed in the Orkney Islands. The Scottish archipelago is moving toward a hydrogen-based energy system. (story)