Happy New Year! I hope you have a great start of the year and ready for what is shaping up to be an enormous step forward in the energy transition. Solar is big business and getting things done right is more important than ever, we’re no longer the next big thing. Energy storage is creating the glue that allows all of the interconnection points to transition or becoming more resilient in the grid transformation.
What We’re Looking At
Manchin and BBB. Manchin pulled the plug on build back better but there is likely to be a version that he finds acceptable in the coming weeks, what’s in it? That’s to be determined.
Big Resi Solar. Resi solar isn’t just the cute family business anymore, look for more consolidation and vertical integration. A solar installer making their own mounts and extruding their own rail? Already happening and they should all be doing it.
State Solar Fights. NEM 3.0 isn’t abnormal, get re-engaged with your state solar policy units and get involved.
The Electrification. That is the real transition, look for oil companies to look more like electric utilities by the end of this year.
Bankability And Digitization of Storage. Energy storage is hardware installed with software and that software needs to be bankable enough for your investment dollars. You may not know it but that’s exactly what you should focus on when you order your 2023 and 2024 energy storage assets this year.
SolarWakeup Partnerships. We’re setting up a few things all to make your life simpler and more profitable, while I will still be sourcing the stories and writing as much as possible, the SolarWakeup team will lead the front end as I focus on my day job. More to come on this front!
- New York Times: Coming Soon to This Coal County – Solar, in a Big Way
- Bloomberg: SunPower in Advanced Talks on Sale of Commercial Business
- US News: TVA Fights Proposed Solar Cooperative in West Tennessee
- CNBC: Tesla asks employees to fight policy proposal that would make rooftop solar more expensive in California
- Utility Dive: ‘Anecdotal evidence’ points to price gouging during winter storm Uri, NERC official says
- Axios: Study – 10 biggest climate disasters of 2021 cost $170 billion
- Reuters: Germany to pull the plug on three of its last six nuclear plants
- PV-Magazine: CPIA pushes back against U.S. ban on solar imports from Xinjiang
- Politico: A Georgia solar factory shows the promise — and peril — of Biden’s new industrial policy
Opinion
Best, Yann