This is your SolarWakeup for March 7th, 2023
50Billion. With 32GW installed last year spanning from utility scale to residential, I would presume we’re close to the $50billion mark especially with project finance giving a 2 for 1 in the construction to perm markets. Add on the storage growth, we’ll cross the $100billion market size soon and keep growing. It’s not just for fun either, we’ve talked about how the market is based on load growth and more energy needs across the board. This has to come from reliable and cheap sources like solar which made up 53% of the new capacity last year.
Premium? What’s your view on domestic versus not? Can you justify and get your investors, board and shareholders comfortable with committing to domestic supply chain or is it economics above all? Would love your thoughts on this.
Phoenix Infocast. I’m coming back! I’ll be in Phoenix on Monday and Tuesday for the Infocast Solar + Wind conference. Would love to see many of you again, if you’re going reach out and say hello.
News
1 Utility Dive:
U.S. deployed a record 32 GW of solar generating capacity in 2023 - SEIA
2 Renewable Energy World:
Wood Mackenzie - Solar accounted for 53% of new U.S. generation in 2023 and will keep growing
3 Bloomberg:
Sinking Solar Prices Seen as Threat to US Manufacturing
4 PV-Magazine:
California community solar market lies in limbo
5 Reuters:
Italy's green transition efforts held back by lack of big solar projects
6 Semafor:
After Big Oil’s waves of consolidations, Big Solar could be next
7 Solar Power World:
Import duties may soon be coming to aluminum solar racking
8 Energy Storage News:
EU launches energy storage investment platform Repono, targets 100GWh by 2030
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
One big downside of LNG exports
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 6th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
This Biden era law has spurred $240 billion in clean energy investment and 170,000 jobs
2 Solar Power World:
Final IRS rules released on IRA direct pay and transferability
3 Axios:
White House moves to stem wave of Chinese EVs
4 Reuters:
The Netherlands shines as key European energy transition driver
5 Heatmap:
Why the SEC’s New Climate Rules Matter
6 Canary Media:
A new Energy Department program aims to recycle wind turbine magnets
Opinions:
7 Utility Dive:
To expand EV charging, merge the gas station and electrify-everything models
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 5th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
NERC to file inverter-based resource rule revisions with federal regulators
2 PV-Tech:
EU to support solar manufacturing in face of “very fragile situation”
3 Axios:
Exclusive - New push to cut short-lived climate pollutant emissions
4 Reuters:
EU cannot close borders to solar imports, energy chief says
5 Energy Storage News:
US DOE allocates US$366 million to 17 projects in Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas programme
6 PV-Magazine:
The path beyond 5 TW of solar
7 Bloomberg:
John Kerry, the Forrest Gump of Climate, Bows Out
Opinions:
8 Heatmap:
A Carbon Tax Is Back on the Table
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 4th, 2023
Some Stats For You. Electricity demand in 2022 was up 0.5% and grids are estimating a growth rate of 2-5% over the next ten years. But did you know that data centers will use 6% of energy demand in two years? Did you know that your ChatGPT query uses 9 times more energy than your google search? The CCA in Silicon Valley estimates it’s load to double by 2035. All of this will put enormous pressure on planners to figure out a way to say yes to growth opportunities because no Governor wants to hear that a data center didn’t come to their State because no connection was available.
News
1 Utility Dive:
IRA implementation is still suffering from regulatory uncertainty, executives say
2 Heatmap News:
Electricity Demand Is Surging for the First Time Since the 1990s
3 Bloomberg:
Europe’s Unusually Mild Winter Is Set to Extend Into March
4 Politico:
EU presses countries to rescue drowning solar industry
5 Axios:
EPA tries the Goldilocks route on power plants
6 Solar Power World:
Senate Democrats ask Treasury to require American-made wafers for solar panel domestic content bonus
7 Energy Storage News:
UK’s Harmony Energy expects ‘attractive returns’ in 2024 as BESS trading conditions improve
8 PV-Magazine:
Alberta lifts moratorium on renewable energy projects
Opinions:
9 Reuters:
Yellen vows to work for closer ties, work on green energy in visit to Chile
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 1st, 2023
Happy Friday! Question for you, would you drive a Chinese car? Would your siblings, parents or kids?
News
1 Heatmap News:
Biden Knows Tariffs Won’t Stop Chinese EVs
2 Reuters:
Biden nominates two Democrats, one Republican to federal energy regulator
3 New York Times:
Biden’s Energy Balancing Act
4 Canary Media:
Two major New York offshore wind projects are back on track
5 Utility Dive:
Crypto miners, Biden administration appear to reach agreement over energy data collection
6 PV-Tech:
Polysilicon exports to China lowest since 2011 due to US import laws – Bernreuter
7 Axios:
Six different countries facing same climate risks
8 PV-magazine:
Shell to sell 25% of its U.S. solar assets, said Reuters
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
The reasons why investors are busy buying BESS developers in the UK and Germany
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 29th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
DOE, NARUC publish cybersecurity ‘baselines’ for utilities, distributed energy resources
2 Axios:
Wildfire in Texas Panhandle explodes into state's second-largest blaze
3 PV-Tech:
Array Technologies reports US$1.58 billion in revenue in 2023
4 Reuters:
First Solar swings to quarterly profit, forecasts higher sales in 2024
5 Bloomberg:
NRG Targeting $900 Million From Texas for New Gas Plants
6 Energy Storage News:
Europe - Rising battery storage markets playing catch-up to the UK’s lead
7 Heatmap News:
The Next Big Climate Tool - Little Chunks of Rock
8 PV-Magazine:
U.S. solar up 52% in 2023 as nation deploys 35.3 GW of capacity
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
How Australia’s newest big battery has cashed in on market volatility
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 28th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 PV-Tech:
SunPower announces departure of CEO Peter Faricy
2 PV-Magazine:
Massachusetts lawmakers urged to adopt “million solar roofs” equivalent
3 Bridge Michigan:
$900M solar component factory to add 1,100 clean energy jobs in Michigan
4 Utility Dive:
Congressional action on energy permitting remains stuck, but states, developers are finding solutions
5 BLoomberg:
Trump's Green-Bashing and Europe's Right Put Climate Goals at Risk
6 Reuters:
US unveils $366 mln for clean energy in underserved, remote areas
7 Energy Storage News:
‘Battery developers were biggest winners’ in UK’s T-1 Capacity Market auction last week
8 Canary Media:
This report puts a price tag on the climate impacts of US LNG exports
Opinions:
9 Heatmap News:
Even Warren Buffett Thinks the Era of Private Utilities Is Over
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 27th, 2023
Let’s Do Some Quick Hits. Thank you to Standard Solar for the incredibly kind words about this newsletter. I know it shocks some of you when you find out that this isn’t my full time job but enough of you have been here long enough to know that I have a day job that is both fun and time consuming.
News
1 Axios:
There's a power struggle brewing over crypto and AI — literally
3 Canary Media:
Texas will add more grid batteries than any other state in 2024
4 Utility Dive:
ERCOT, CAISO offer best grid interconnection processes; PJM, ISO-NE the worst, report finds
5 Renewable Energy World:
Interconnection ‘report card’ shows an ongoing struggle to connect new generation
6 Energy Storage News:
Over 1.8GW of energy storage clears in ISO New England’s latest Forward Capacity Auction
7 PV-Magazine:
Arizona approves “discriminatory” charge on rooftop solar customers
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
Exelon CEO Warns Cleaning the Grid Needs Higher Power Bills
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 26th, 2023
Strong Auction In ISONE. The northeast has a strong need for updates in its infrastructure, shown by the latest capacity auction that highlights what it will take to get more capex into the system. I’ve seen developers go through the planning and interconnection process given my colleagues support of them with PSCAD and PSSE planning endeavors which are not small achievements. This deployment of capital will ultimately mean more resilient and reliable energy for the consumers as well the ability to grow the economy with energy access for new facilities.
News
1 Utility Dive:
New England capacity prices rise almost 40% in most recent auction
2 Bloomberg:
Apollo, Other Investors Commit $300 Million in Boost to SunPower
3 PV-Magazine:
U.S. residential solar prices drop, strong interest in storage
4 Renew Economy:
Europe’s largest solar module plant faces shutdown as company shifts focus to US
5 Axios:
What an SEC rule change says about the climate fight
6 PV-Tech:
Modernising grids and substantial investments key to ease connection queues
7 Solar Power World:
How grid-forming inverters will enable continuing growth of solar and grid reliability
8 Canary Media:
Chart - Nearly all new US power plants built in 2024 will be clean energy
Opinions:
9 GreenBiz:
How sustainability professionals can use their collective voice to speed climate progress
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 23rd, 2023
Too Early To Grade. The need to grade the IRA before the rules are barely written, unwritten and factories still under construction are missing the point. Solar and storage will be 81% of the grid additions this year. With energy demand scheduled to double in the next 25 years, that trend will continue which means the supply chain needs to keep up with hopes of that coming shoreside increasing, the IRA’s impact will have decades to show its impact. The transferring of tax credit is already clearly a winner, billions have already transacted. The 45x credits for domestic manufacturing is massive, primarily for trackers and inverters so far, even with the resi solar market having a moment of headwind. That’s just where we are today, so everyone knock it off with the grading on a generational policy.
News
1 New York Times:
Here’s Where Biden’s Climate Law Is Working, and Where It’s Falling Short
2 Energy Storage News:
‘UK project size sweet spot somewhere between 200-500MW’
3 Reuters:
Rush for data centers creates US solar hotspots
4 PV-Magazine:
Nearly 800 MW of solar bound for the Texas grid
5 Renewable Energy World:
NERC warns of bulk EV charging’s grid impact
6 Canary Media:
Smart tech could help fix the biggest barrier to building clean energy
7 Utility Dive:
Repowering will represent nearly half of all new wind capacity in 2024
Opinions:
8 Heatmap:
Why Clean Energy Projects Are Stalling Out on Native Lands
Have a great day!
Yann
