Bernie, Obama and Biden. Within the last week Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign and endorsed Joe Biden. Obama joined with his endorsement yesterday as well. Part of the Sanders endorsement comes with moving the Biden campaign into a more progressive platform including on climate. I look forward to seeing policies like Jay Inslee’s climate plan make an appearance but it is important to remember that the election between Biden and Trump will probably not have much policy depth.
Steyer Weighs In. The former presidential candidate writes in an op-ed that DC shouldn’t keep throwing good money after bad when it comes to oil infrastructure (my summary). I assume he is referring to a possible deal around infrastructure that bails out bankrupt oil companies. Reality in this scenario is not whether one gets the other, its whether both or neither happen.
Solar Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania solar development is the next frontier, like Texas before it was. Yesterday we saw an announcement from UPenn that it signed a 220MW solar deal. The School District of Philadelphia is hiring a new Solar Energy Teacher for Pennsylvania’s first Solar Energy Career and Technical Education program. The Bright Solar Futures vocational training program is the first of its kind in the nation and will kick off at Frankford High School this fall. The job post can be found here.
Talking Solar. This Friday at 2pm EST you can join in on a discussion I’ll be attending with other clean tech news outlets, register here. And on April 22nd at 10am EST, I will be speaking with Phil Shen from Roth Capital to update on the current trends in residential solar. You can register for that call here and you should join Phil’s mailing list by emailing him at pshen@roth.com.
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.
- Axios: Biden and Sanders vow joint climate work as part of endorsement
- Greentech Media: Tom Steyer – A Pandemic Is No Time to Pander to the Fossil Fuel Industry
- PV-Magazine: University of Pennsylvania signs 220 MW PPA with Community Energy for state’s largest PV project
- PV-Tech: Spanish solar back in play as temporary construction freeze is lifted
- GreenBiz: How COVID-19 will redesign urban mobility
- Energy News Network: N.C. regulators – no public hearing on Duke Energy solar rebate problems
- Utility Dive: Post-coronavirus economic recovery requires EV adoption
- Renew Economy: “Shovel-ready” Wangaratta solar farm kicks off quest for investors
Opinion
Best, Yann