This is your SolarWakeup for October 11th, 2021

This Is The Climate Bill. The budget reconciliation bill was originally dubbed the societal benefits bill is taking on the mantle of a climate bill. Part of this is the push to get Arizona’s Senator Sinema to support the policy at a significant price tag and tease Senator Manchin with job training, reclamation and other energy related funding for West Virginia. Take me home, I say to this climate bill!

Community Solar’s Headline. Georgia’s Senator Ossoff has taken a focus to the solar industry, with Georgia taking leadership in solar manufacturing. Last week he hosted, Secretary Granholm as well as leaders from the solar space where the Secretary announced the plan to grow community solar to cover 5 million homes. For renters, lack of technical resource, or apartment dwellers, community solar does the good work of separating generation from offtaker. From a financing standpoint, it promotes a faster and more secure financing mechanism that doesn’t need a single mega off taker for a solar farm output.

A Pope’s Message. The Pope is canceling his attendance at COP26 in Glasgow but took time this week to speak to parliamentarians ahead of the UN climate conference. He emphasized that everyone has a role to play including political and government leaders and that society owes this commitment to young and future generations. He also met with Speaker Pelosi.

10 Years, Too Fast, Too Short. Senator King highlighted that the Biden goal for solar and clean energy production is fast and that utilities are rightfully calling it a tall order. That’s the Congressional issue with 10 year policies, that make it nearly impossible to push for legislation that outlines long term goals beyond that metric. So 10 years may be too fast, when it reality it’s the timeframe being too short for issues of climate’s magnitude. 

Opinion

Best, Yann