End of Power Plants. In an exclusive interview with SolarWakeup, Engie’s EVP of Innovation sat down with me and told me that coal, gas and nuclear plants are going away – This is a given. Engie is a global company with $78billion in revenue and Thierry Lepercq is a member of the executive committee that drives strategy for the entire business. In some ways, Engie has executed on the vision David Crane had for NRG and sold all of their coal and gas plants in the US. Engie also invested in several efficiency and storage companies. When a company like Engie says that the end of power plants is near, the pieces start to align with the capital and views from the investment community. Our industry should listen and think of how solar plays in that new future. These are big news – so big we even wrote an article about it.
Engie’s Future. In our discussion about the future, the intersection of mobility and energy. I asked him if power companies would get into transportation the same way that transportation companies have gotten into the energy business. We also discuss how the business future of energy storage plays into the power markets and how regulators should align themselves with the right policies. The full interview will be released on solarwakeup.com this week.
Alabama Politics On Energy. Interesting reporting on Senator Doug Jones’s positions on clean air and clean energy. I get that he’s aligned with our industry when it comes to those policies but not a single vote came to him because of that.
Fixing The Tax Bill. News out of DC appear to be aligning with the conversation we had at SolarWakeup Live! DC. The corporate AMT is out and the rate is going up to 21%. BEAT is still in but John Cornyn is on the record saying they want to figure out a way to fix it. The rate is really the biggest impact to the solar industry. Lower rates means less demand for tax credits and less value for depreciation and interest deductions. On the other hand it increases after tax returns which could drive more foreign money into the market. We will see what capital stack looks like at the 21% rate.
Power Of Gas. Normally, companies have to pay big bucks to have their VPs fly to another country and sell their products to a ministerial audience. In the case of the LNG industry, they send over the EPA administrator who should probably have gone to Germany instead of Morocco. Regardless, it’s strange and abnormal for this to happen but I guess nobody is surprised.
- SolarWakeup: Engie Executive Sees The End Of Coal, Gas and Nuclear Power Plants
- Think Progress: Alabama’s newest senator isn’t afraid to take a strong stance on science and clean energy
- Vox: Some Republicans are reconsidering the tax bill’s attack on renewable energy
- Washington Post: Scott Pruitt and a crew of EPA aides just spent four days in Morocco promoting natural gas
- Rocky Mountain Institute: Rebuilding America and the “New Normal” of Resilience
- Midwest Energy News: Illinois governor to nuclear plant employees – ‘Your success is Illinois’ success’
- Utility Dive: Join or die – How utilities are coping with 100% renewable energy goals
- Solar Industry: Dozens Of U.S. Mayors Declare Support For Solar
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann