March Madness. Everyone’s dream is to write these words, I know. Now you have two different chances to do that. SolarWakeup is having the 1st annual March Madness bracket challenge and it’s free. Go to ESPN Tournament Challenge and search for SolarWakeup group. The password is GoSolar. The more folks we have, the more fun we will have. The winner gets to write the opening paragraph and promote their agenda, company or cause.
Playing The Headlines. Trump is playing the headline game and calling his solar tax a success. He did this a day after experienced R&D employees at SunPower were told of a cut in their departments. In a year of the solar coaster costing jobs across the market, Trump has the audacity to call his joke of a tax helpful in creating jobs. If he really wanted to create jobs there were ways to accomplish that more effectively.
Generation Outlook. There are a bunch of 2030 predictions about EVs and storage growth. I also agree that batteries alone will not help the change in the generation profile. What do you think the electric generation profile looks like in 12 years? Clearly for every GW of coal that gets shut down, new generation needs to take its place. I’m optimistic that renewables can make up all or most of the energy needs, even with the headwinds on the regulations like PURPA that are supposed to be helpful in accomplishing this.
1603 Problems. IRS Is One. NextEra is still fighting the IRS on 1603 valuations. Anyone else in solar still going through this or is this the last of them?
State Plays. One of the biggest State fights right now is around PURPA. And one of the most effective advocates on the issue is Vote Solar. In a few weeks you get to take part of their annual fundraiser to help them do more for you. Entire planes from North Carolina, Oregon, Utah and more should be heading to Equinox with giant checks payable to Vote Solar. If your company has the means to sponsor the event, please let me know and I will connect you. Also if you buy $1,000 worth of tickets and send me the receipt, you get to write a paragraph on this platform. Event details here.
Wakeup San Francisco. The first speaker confirmed for SolarWakeup Live! in San Francisco is Danny Kennedy of CalCEF. In a few days, they are closing their latest CalSEED program and helping clean tech startups get off the ground. Danny is always an amazing conversation with a great view of the sector from both sides the table. Get your tickets here.
- The Hill: Trump – ‘We make better solar panels than China’
- Greentech Media: Battery Storage Could Boost Coal Consumption
- PV-Tech: NextEra sues US treasury over ‘missing’ US$135 million in grants
- CleanTechnica: Solar Tariff? What Solar Tariff? State-Level Regs Have Greater Impact
- EDF: California’s disadvantaged communities could benefit from time-of-use electricity prices, but it won’t happen automatically.
- PV-Magazine: New Mexico senator creates sweeping solar toolkit for state
- Public News Service: Could Utility Company Put Damper on Solar Energy in Idaho?
- Reuters: China puts responsibility for battery recycling on makers of electric vehicles
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann