Duke Wants Acclaim For Ending Solar. “Duke Energy Carolinas achieved a major milestone last week in its support of solar energy, as more than 5,000 of the company’s South Carolina customers have installed solar panels on their homes and businesses, reaching a legislative goal for customer-owned solar capacity.” Those are the words from the Duke South Carolina President, morphing the net metering cap into a legislative goal. The ‘goal’ was put their by the utility so that they can control the solar market and cause thousands of jobs to go away for South Carolinians because putting solar on homes isn’t a job that can be outsourced. South Carolina deserves better than being pitched this kind of PR, legislators should quickly make sure that they aren’t blamed for this ‘success’.
Reversing Ontario’s Solar Market. As the politics in Ontario change to the conservatives, the end of the Green Energy Act is getting a new official end date. One that may have already past. The government announced last week that some 750 projects were being cancelled including many solar projects. The original years of the GEA had feed in tariffs at some pretty high rates, but I’m sure there are better ways, conservative ways, to keep solar in business in Ontario. It used to be the most vibrant place to work in solar, I spent many weeks there myself. I hope that the market can find a future and maybe even see the rest of Canada catch up.
Too Much Solar? The Vistra Energy CEO was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money show last week. If you remember from a few weeks ago, Vistra, which is a traditional IPP, won an RFP for a 1.2GWh battery to be installed at Moss Landing after announcing a 42MWh battery in Texas with our friends from FlexGen. So here is the CEO of Vistra making the quiet case for why there is a need for more energy storage, too much solar. IPP shareholders probably agree with that but as we all know, as power plants in places like California reach their end of life, more generation will be needed, especially at those sub $30/MWh rates.
Startup Solar Nation. Now that I am actively living in the Bay area, I am really interested in helping more startups get traction in the sector. Some founders have found how excited I get about the ecosystem and I want to do more including helping those companies spread their news like new funding. More on this in the near future.
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- SC Now: Duke Energy Carolinas customers lead SC in private solar adoption
- Greentech Media: Ontario’s Clean Energy Rollback Continues as It Cuts EV Program
- CNBC: California is so focused on solar, it has ‘too much power’ during the day…
- Impact Alpha: Solar startup Oolu secures Series B funding
- Utility Dive: Rising renewables, falling gas propel California past carbon reduction goal
- Bloomberg: Drones Across Spain Are Spotting Dodgy Solar Panels and Wind Turbines
- Omaha World-Herald: A modern Oregon Trail – 14 solar cars start 1,700-mile trek in Omaha
- New York Times: Trump’s Trade War With China Pierces the Heart of Michigan
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann