Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Reuters:
Yellen won't rule out more protections for US clean energy sector amid Chinese excess capacity
2 Axios:
America's solar and wind energy hotspots, mapped
3 Grist:
US experienced staggering growth in solar and wind power over the last decade
4 Politico:
Electric grid woes foretell risk of blackouts
5 Utility Dive:
Goldman renewables spinoff MN8 Energy secures $325M investment
6 Bloomberg:
India Coal Miner Plans $720 Million Sale of Renewables Unit
7 Solar Builder:
Federal funding for clean energy projects to strengthen U.S. farms
8 PV-Tech:
Malaysia launches 2GW large-scale solar tender
9 Energy Storage News:
California regulator approves export regime for PV, energy storage to avoid costly grid upgrades
10 Canary Media:
US Steel plant in Indiana to host a $150M carbon capture experiment
11 PV-Magazine:
Microsoft signs two large solar power purchase agreements
Opinions:
12 New York Times:
What Tesla’s Troubles Signal for the E.V. Revolution
Have a great day!
Yann
What If. What if we permitted solar plus storage with the caveat that it only charged and discharged to the grid at the times that make the most sense as opposed to the worst-case scenario? How much of the interconnection queue could go through right away? Think of it like a flight plan that an airline would file to get in and out of an airport in orderly fashion. Then asset managers would get charge and discharge clearances with the words “operator, hold for a phone number for an asset deviation” whenever something happens outside of the plan.
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
DOE to invest $22M to improve planning, permitting of renewable energy, storage projects
2 Bloomberg:
Swing States Net Half of $114 Billion in Inflation Reduction Act Factory Investment
3 Axios:
Why Biden's climate law needs a permitting boost
4 Reuters:
US climate law has boosted solar, batteries; hydrogen, other initiatives lag
5 PV-Tech:
China calls for WTO to investigate IRA, alleging ‘discrimination against goods of Chinese origin’
6 Solar Power World:
First round of 48C Advanced Energy ITC dollars distributed by DOE
7 Renewable Energy World:
Interior approves two wind farms offshore Massachusetts
8 Canary Media:
California’s new rules allow solar and batteries to help out the grid
Opinions:
9 PV-magazine:
Portuguese utility says renewables covered 91% of demand in March
Have a great day!
Yann
Farewell AEE Solar. Installers got a brief email yesterday stating that the distributor AEE Solar would be closing their doors in just over a month. With a slowing market and higher cost of capital, it ultimately got to be less than profitable. There’s also been an increase of competition from electric supply houses that leave the specialized company in a bind.
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
IRS direct pay framework opens doors for tax-exempt entities to access clean energy credits
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar equipment distributor announces business close, inventory clearance
3 Axios:
Granholm eyes talks with Big Tech on AI power needs
4 Reuters:
Virginia regulators approve Dominion Energy solar projects
5 PV-Tech:
Nordcell plans 1.2GW module plant in Sweden
6 Renewable Energy World:
Feds announce $4B in tax credits for supply chain, decarbonization
7 Canary Media:
New DOE-backed projects tackle factory emissions with heat pumps and more
Opinions:
8 Energy Storage News:
Friday Briefing
Have a great day!
Yann
Problems With Blame. I am on the more concerned side of many when it comes to the ever-present energy crunch that I see on the horizon. Both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal wrote about it over the weekend and in similar points of view brought in the climate goals as part of the equation which is this. The WSJ says the energy crunch is partly to blame on our climate goals whereas the NYT says the energy crunch hurts the climate goals. Both are mostly wrong and I’ll give you two concrete examples. First is a conversation I had with an ER doctor in 2008, who also happened to Chair the Energy Committee in the Florida State House at the time. (I point out that he’s a doctor so that you know his career wasn’t spent analyzing energy markets) He told me when we wanted to create an RPS (renewable portfolio standard) that it wasn’t the Government’s job to pick winners and losers but solar would have to compete in the free market. My other example is Texas, one of the largest users of solar and storage in the Country today, which I assure you have nothing to do with climate goals. Ultimately the energy crunch is caused by an overlap of two versions of the energy transition; solar and wind are cheaper than alternatives and electrification of everything (EVs, homes, and data) is massively increasing consumption. Climate goals aside, we simply are not doing enough to keep our grid reliable into the future.
A Thank You. Over the last few weeks there have been some big corporate offtake agreements which are always important for the market expansion and I’m glad those are happening. We’ve also seen a major expansion of the energy communities which is a major win by our policy teams, I know SEIA staff played a major role alongside other association and corporate teams. Thank you!
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
America’s Energy Needs and Climate Goals
2 Wall Street Journal:
The Coming Electricity Crisis
4 Reuters:
Canadian Solar denies patent infringement claims filed by Maxeon
5 PV-Tech:
Walmart inks solar PV PPA in Texas, invests in community solar across US
6 Renewable Energy World:
New England’s last coal plants to be shut down, replaced with renewables
7 Energy Storage News:
German mayor allocates land for 280MWh BESS after nuclear waste storage plan rejected
9 PV-Magazine:
California pivots to propose $24 average fixed fee to electric bills
10 Utility Dive:
MISO seeks FERC approval for new capacity accreditation process to
11 bolster grid reliability:
Opinions:
12 Bloomberg:
A Historic British Chapel Is Powering Easter Service With Solar Energy
Have a great day!
Yann
