Making Virginia Official. Governor Northam has signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act into law. The 100% clean energy by 2050 bill also accomplishes several other clean energy goals between now and 2050. Just a few years ago this would have been hard to imagine but when a few elections ushered in new leadership, Virginia’s clean tech policy advocates had the ability to see their hard work pay off. Advocates had been working on this well before the politics seemed possible and there is a lesson learned. In politics, the education and advocacy never stops even when things seem unlikely. Same is true in your state and in DC, it may seem far fetched right now to see how we move our ball forward but we need to keep trying and working it.
Negotiating Package 4. Speaking of politics, it appears that while negotiations have broken down in the Senate they have reappeared elsewhere. Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin look to be negotiating the next package. Before you get too excited, most of the public discussion are said to be around economic issues like expansion of the PPP and more stimulus. And that is where my hope is, solar has the unique opportunity to create economic growth for the oil sector and others hurt by the pandemic.
Oil’s Postcard From The Future. Over the weekend, OPEC+ announced a major cut to product at almost 10million barrels per day. The pandemic has created a bigger problem than drilling though, nobody is using oil quite like they were before. Airplanes are grounded and cars are sitting in driveways which has reduced consumption by somewhere around 25million barrels per day. The Texas oil sector still needs support and will likely be looking for that help in DC in the coming weeks. With the House set to return on May 4th, expect dealmaking to happen between now and then.
How Are You Adapting? What are you doing different now that you expect to continue well past the current work restrictions? If you have a unique process that you care to share, I’m interested to see how the rest of you are adapting to the reality that meeting face to face will not be happening for the foreseeable future. I am still hopeful that things return to somewhat normal by this summer, meaning we all get to meet again at SPI but I know that hope is not a strategy.
Solar Stimulus $0 Year 1 PPA. My friends over at Sustainable Capital Finance are offering an extremely beneficial financing option for businesses & non-profits looking to adopt solar. Their Solar Stimulus PPA offers a $0 solar energy spend for the first year of operation, helping organizations redirect those dollars towards payroll and other critical operating expenses. If you are a solar installer or developer whose potential clients have voiced concerns over COVID-19 in relation to adopting solar, this is a great solution for you.
- Vox: Virginia becomes the first state in the South to target 100% clean power
- New York Post: Democrats and Republicans at a standoff over next coronavirus stimulus package
- Axios: A world locked down and drowning in oil
- PV-Magazine: Solar and storage advocates call for real-time pricing option in California
- Solar Industry: ENGIE North America Adds Solar to Renewables Portfolio
- Solar Power World: Suntuity Solar to sponsor free virtual training series for those interested in selling solar remotely
- Greentech Media: California Gets Another 100MW Battery Project as Competition With Gas Peakers Heats Up
- Utility Dive: Kansas ruling against Evergy’s rooftop solar demand charges could have wider impacts, advocates say
Opinion
Best, Yann