This is your SolarWakeup for September 20th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Silfab Solar announces U.S. cell manufacturing, new line of TOPCon panels
2 Axios:
Lowercarbon raises $550 million, blasts VC rivals for taking "blood money"
3 Reuters:
US Treasury - Financiers' 'net zero' pledges must align with temperature limits
4 PV-Tech:
“A deeply precarious situation” - SolarPower Europe calls for reversal in falling European solar prices
5 Energy Storage News:
Kore Power, Nidec in multi-year agreement for up to 2.2GWh battery cells, racks and modules
6 Renew Economy:
Rooftop solar smashes records, sends coal and demand to new lows as it reshapes the grid
7 Bloomberg:
What Is COP28 and Why Is It Important?
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
What do EVs have to do with the autoworker strike? A lot, it turns out
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 19th, 2023
SPI Was Big, Really Big. Over 40,000 people ended up walking through the doors at RE+ and even more crowded the halls outside. You walked many steps, I’ve heard over 100,000 for some, less for those of us that booked our hotels earlier. Hats off to the organizers and everyone that made the trip to move our industries forward. Thank you to many of you that stopped by to say hello.
One, Two Or More Trillions. Why was RE+ a record? It’s the money. The investments going into the businesses to grow them, the money being made at record levels and the capital flowing into the infrastructure that is shaping the growing need for electricity around the world. Trillions of dollars will be deployed into our ecosystems for the improvement of society and an overall energy transition that will both enhance how electricity is used and how clean the ultimate product is.
News
1 Solar Power World:
Solar contractors among first to respond to Lahaina wildfire recovery
2 Bloomberg:
Inside the Trillion-Dollar Climate Solutions Industry
3 Utility Dive:
Xcel to supply United Power with excess energy after co-op’s exit from Tri-State
4 Axios:
Climate Week NYC
5 Reuters:
Germany likely to pass 50% mark for renewable power this year - minister
6 Solar Builder:
Record-setting RE+ 2023 shows how U.S. solar industry is going mainstream
7 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge unveils new C&I energy optimisation software at RE+
8 Renewable Energy World:
DOE launches $10M program to speed up large-scale renewables permitting
9 Energy Storage News:
Volvo Group and Connected Energy to develop second life BESS
10 PV-Magazine:
“The times of supply shortage are over,” solar giants bet big on U.S. manufacturing
Opinions:
11 Canary Media:
The US is building power lines faster, but not fast enough
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 18th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 NPR:
Puerto Rico hopes solar project will secure electric grid for future hurricanes
2 Politico:
Newsom says he’ll sign major corporate climate disclosure bill
3 Bloomberg:
Texas Monitor Says New Grid Rules Raised Costs by $8 Billion
4 Axios:
How EV worries are helping fuel the historic UAW strike
5 Reuters:
Exclusive - EU may become as hooked on China batteries as it was on Russian energy
6 PV-Tech:
US$2.7 trillion annual investment required for global net-zero by 2050
7 Energy Storage News:
IRA tax equity benefits ‘not yet fully captured’ by US energy storage industry one year on
8 Renew Economy:
Rooftop solar sends coal to record low, and peaks at nearly half of all grid demand
9 Canary Media:
Florida is now adding more solar power than any other state
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
How long do residential solar batteries last?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 15th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Hurricane Lee churns north, prompts warnings in New England
2 Utility Dive:
Moody’s warns of potential power price volatility from renewables oversupply
3 Bloomberg:
Home Power Devices Are Key to Solving US Power Woes, US Energy Official Says
4 New York Times:
Biden’s Climate Law Is Reshaping Private Investment in the United States
5 Reuters:
Global climate protests demand world leaders phase out fossil fuels
6 PV-Tech:
Array Technologies signs two new deals to strengthen domestic supply chain
7 Energy Storage News:
Germany
8 San Diego Union Tribune:
California appeals court will hear lawsuit seeking to overturn rooftop solar decision
9 Canary Media:
Utilities in New Hampshire unexpectedly back solar net metering
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
Unraveling the IRA’s domestic content rules
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 13th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
IRA tax equity benefits ‘not yet fully captured’ by US energy storage industry one year on
2 Axios:
Global climate ambition gets fresh boost, as world lags on Paris Agreement goals
3 Reuters:
EU Parliament passes bill hiking renewable energy targets
4 PV-Tech:
Igneo acquires majority stake in Soltage, aims to grow solar portfolio to 1.9GW
5 Utility Dive:
Taking Charge
6 PV-Magazine:
Storage, inverters, design tools and more at RE+ 2023
7 Renewable Energy World:
Nextracker opens new Las Vegas facility for steel solar components
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
Chevron Buys Into World’s Biggest Hydrogen-Storage Plant in Utah
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 11th, 2023
Welcome To Vegas. Like many of you will today, I have arrived in Las Vegas. Beyond the expo and the parties, it’s all about the people and the relationships you get to expand on while we’re in the same room. Congrats to everyone launching new ideas and products this week, these are fun moments.
News
1 Axios:
UN - Countries need dramatic course correction to meet Paris climate goals
2 Utility Dive:
As Google, Meta eye clean energy buys, researchers find widely used strategy has scant carbon benefits
3 PV-Magazine:
How developers can capitalize on IRA support for community solar financing
4 Tampa Bay Times:
Florida tops all US states for solar installations so far in 2023
5 Solar Power World:
Silfab Solar agrees to buy silicon wafers from NorSun’s planned U.S. factory
6 New York Times:
No Bidders in British Offshore Wind Auction
7 Reuters:
India makes clean energy push at G20 with global biofuel alliance
8 Energy Storage News:
Enervenue to mass produce newest ‘30,000 cycle’ metal-hydrogen batteries in Kentucky
Opinions:
9 Bloomberg:
Climate Hacks Are What the World Needs Now
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 8th, 2023
Nice RE+ Lead. Heading into SPI (sorry, but I had to get it out of my system), I mean RE+, the solar industry shows where it can go this year with a projection of 28 GW for the year. That includes a soft start to the year with IRA implementation efforts and guidance slowing down what will be a sprint for the foreseeable future. See you all in Vegas! Stop by the FlexGen booth to say hi and of course learn about the leading operating system software for your battery projects.
News
1 Utility Dive:
US solar installations expected to jump 52% to nearly 32 GW in 2023 - SEIA
2 Bloomberg:
Triple Threat to Texas Power Grid Will Keep It Vulnerable
3 Axios:
How Biden's climate law is fueling the U.S. battery boom
4 Reuters:
Repsol enters U.S. onshore wind market with $768 mln ConnectGen buy
5 PV-Tech:
Enfinity Global secures US$428 million to fund 17GW portfolio
6 Energy Storage News:
Shell putting residential storage and VPP firm sonnen up for sale – reports
7 Canary Media:
Boston Metal gets big funding boost to make green steel
Opinions:
8 PV-magazine:
EnerVenue launches new metal-hydrogen battery variant
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 7th, 2023
Ensuring Generation Growth. The language coming from the US offshore development companies is concerning as many of them are seeing no path to start of construction. The issue at hand is that the proforma is upside down, costs from interest rates, supply chain and inflation causing revenues to miss the mark on the capex that it will take to build GW of offshore wind. The problem is the need for generation is expanding faster than expected to we need to build all of the generation possible. That leaves a couple options for these wind projects, let utilities ratebase it or force the markets to renegotiate the offtake agreements. In the meantime, it’s important to accelerate the interconnection bottleneck and get more solar/storage projects financed and built.
News
1 Reuters:
Orsted CEO says abandoning US wind projects a 'real option', Bloomberg reports
2 Energy News US:
In unexpected move, New Hampshire utilities voice support for solar net metering
3 Utility Dive:
Ninth Circuit largely upholds FERC PURPA reform decision affecting small solar, wind
4 PV-Magazine:
Qcells to enter into $3 billion supply agreement for U.S.-made polysilicon
5 Bloomberg:
Texas Teeters on Edge of Blackouts as Demand Squeezes Grid
6 New York Times:
At Africa’s First Climate Summit, a Clear Call to the World - Invest in Us
7 Canary Media:
Another US EV-battery recycler just raised a massive funding round
Opinions:
8 Energy Storage News:
BESS operators oppose ERCOT’s NPRR 1186 changes
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 6th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Eversource, National Grid file draft plans to meet expected demand surge from electrification
2 New York Times:
Want to Understand Clean Energy Anxiety? Look at the Jersey Shore.
3 Reuters:
BP's Looney holding his nerve over energy transition plan
4 Solar Builder:
Ohm Analytics reports DG solar market grew 6% in Q2
5 PV-Tech:
Pattern Energy begins 3GW transmission project in US
6 Energy Storage News:
India requires 74GW/411GWh of energy storage by 2032, according to National Electricity Plan
7 PV-Magazine:
Bringing ERCOT’s speedy interconnection process to the rest of the U.S.
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
The fight over California community solar- ‘It’s everyone vs. utilities’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 5th, 2023
Investing In Ecosystems. American politics mandates that you have to accomplish big things in your first two years if you can, because the election cycle eats you up in the second half of your first term and you likely lost Congressional seats in the mid-terms. Biden had the Chips Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act find his signature in that first half and the administration has been busy since then. The interesting part of that is not the politics for the point I want to make today, it’s how the administration is working on all angles of the trillions of private dollars that will follow these markets. Invest in the infrastructure that enables roads, charging, and wires that will allow electrification to be resilient. Fund training for construction, factories and maintenance of a new portfolio of assets. Expand the markets that will demand the production of everything: cars, batteries, renewable energy and more. For example, most people love their EVs but some will complain about charging infrastructure that could limit their recommendation. Some want more solar, but the interconnection queue is clogged from outdated wires. All of this is wonky and early but in order to see trillions in economic growth trickle through the system, it has to get done.
News
1 Axios:
White House launches billion-dollar effort to speed EV production
2 New York Times:
Clean Energy Projects Are Booming Everywhere. Except in Poor Nations.
3 Bloomberg:
China Leaves Everyone Behind in Race for Renewables Income
4 Energy storage News:
EU Batteries Regulation introduces ‘ground-breaking reform’ to to meet Green Deal aims
5 Reuters:
India steps up coal use to stop outages triggered by unusually dry weather
6 PV-Magazine:
U.S. and India launch joint renewable energy tech platform
7 PV-Tech:
TrinaTracker opens 2.5GW tracker manufacturing plant in Brazil
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
Add these climate books to your end-of-summer reading list
Have a great day!
Yann
