#ICYMI Cleantech News 4/29/16

Welcome again to our series of regular In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) cleantech news blog posts. These blog posts feature some of the most interesting, compelling and/or impactful cleantech news of the week.

This week’s highlights include Ikea’s decision to start selling solar panels in several of its UK locations, Duke Energy’s plans for a commercial energy storage project to be fully operational in a regulated market and a Greentech Media roundup article on the flurry of recent cleantech investing.

Here are some of the top stories in cleantech this week:

• FUNDING: Eric Wesoff of Greentech Media rounded up all the big news in cleantech investing, including Peter Thiel investing $100M in Viviant Smart Homes and Tado raising $23M for its smart thermostats and AC controls.
• JOB GROWTH: According to a new survey by Advanced Energy Economy, California job growth in the Advanced Energy sector is explosive: up 18 percent in 2015, more than six times faster than the state’s overall payroll expansion of 2.8 percent.
• CITIES: The Wall Street Journal featured an opinion piece by Kate Gordon of the Paulson Institute on why cities are well suited for renewable energy growth, highlighting programs like shared solar where communities are allowed to jointly own or lease solar systems.
• ENERGY STORAGE: After completing several pilot projects, Duke Energy said it is ready for a commercial energy storage project to be fully operational in a regulated market, reported Utility Dive’s Robert Walton.
• SOLAR: Ikea has begun selling solar panels at “Solar Shops” within several of its stores in the UK and is slated to start selling solar panels in all of its UK stores by the end of summer 2016, reported CNBC’s Sarah Whitten.

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