This is your SolarWakeup for January 13th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Utility Dive:
DOE launches updated mapping tool to optimize renewable energy siting decisions
2 Bloomberg:
Renewable Power Is Thriving in Europe Amid Looming Energy Crisis
3 Axios:
Exxon's climate research accurately projected global warming, study finds
4 Reuters:
North America aims to make 25% of what it imports from Asia, Mexico says
5 PV-Tech:
PV Price Watch - Polysilicon price slump expected to stabilise at US$10-15/kg in 2023
6 Solar Power World:
JA Solar plans to open 2-GW solar panel factory in Phoenix
7 Energy Storage News:
Dominion Energy South Carolina signs PPA for 108MWdc/198MWh solar-plus-storage project
8 PV-Magazine:
Trina Solar’s new 6.5 GW Vietnam wafer plant to exclusively supply U.S. market
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Can clean-energy advocates stop new gas plants in North Carolina?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 12th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Bloomberg:
The Jump in Energy Prices Drove More Money to Climate Tech Last Year
2 HuffPost:
Democrats’ Climate Law Is About To Give A Big Boost To U.S. Solar Manufacturing
3 Politico:
Georgia becomes test bed for climate law
4 Utility Dive:
FERC approves PacifiCorp’s proposed interconnection process for replacing retired generation
5 Energy Storage News:
Leeward closes US$260 million financing for 352MWh solar-plus-storage project in California
6 Reuters:
S. Korea's Hanwha Qcells to invest $2.5 bln in U.S. solar supply chain
7 Solar Builder:
Seminole, Blackstone Finance 55 MW Revity Energy Solar Project in Rhode Island
8 PV-Tech:
NovaSource using data-led tech to draw asset owners away from in-house O&M
9 PV-Magazine:
South Carolina 108 MW solar, 198 MWh battery project finds offtaker
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
We need a lot more electricians if we’re going to electrify everything
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 11th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Reuters:
Goldman Sachs raises $1.6 bln private capital for climate fund
2 Bloomberg:
Round-the-Clock Clean Power Doesn’t Cost a Fortune, Study Shows
3 Politico:
Biden - North America should be ‘clean energy powerhouse of the world’
4 PV-Magazine:
RMI launches virtual power plant partnership with Google Nest and GM
5 Utility Dive:
FERC approves Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric membership in Southeast Energy Exchange Market
6 Axios:
Federal Reserve's Powell says central bank will not be a "climate policymaker"
7 Solar Builder:
Meet Panasonic’s top solar and storage installers from 2022
8 PV-Tech:
France awards 173MW of solar in oversubscribed PV auction
9 Energy Storage News:
Germany - RWE 117MW hydro-coupled battery storage to begin commercial operations imminently
Opinions:
10 Renew Economy:
Big solar smashes Australian generation record, crunches coal, to close out 2022
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 10th, 2023
Innovation Economy. The tech sector would tell you that it’s when the ride looks like it came to an end that the best new ideas come to the forefront. VCs look at smart, hungry entrepreneurs that may have been faced with layoffs from their cozy job and find ideas to invest in. We’re in an era in renewable energy where cheap money isn’t so cheap anymore, developing takes big bucks and finding square farm land is so 2010. On the other hand, you have a 10 year ITC runway, energy inflation has increased electricity rates and technology maturity is the best it’s been (ever). Now is the time to figure out where the innovation is and if it’s in your blood, take the leap to build something new. I’m excited to see what great ideas come to fruition and who builds the next…
Trackers For All. The top article today is about one of those innovations. The tracker that eliminates the need for grading, i.e. civil costs, for utility scale solar projects. The all terrain tracker was pioneered by an amazing startup called Nevados, I’ve highlighted them a few times in the past. Now Nextracker and Array Technologies have seen and realized the potential of this tech but it starts with the near decade of head start that the Nevados team has. It’s an interesting concept that also has challenges on how to build it so installers don’t waste a ton of time putting it together, think very steep slopes and uneven pilings. While also withstanding the ever growing wind, snow, rain loads that may undermine a project’s lifespan. Nevados talks about the direct impact from a hurricane in some of their experience set so it’s definitely worth looking int.
Controls And Software. I had a quick chat with the Nevados CEO yesterday and something he said struck me given my experience at FlexGen, helping EPCs, developers and IPPs get started with storage. All terrain trackers have more complexity and need more sophisticated controls and software. Shading analysis isn’t one sized fits all for example and the tracking algorithm requires a meaningful topographical analysis. It’s like storage in that way, you can buy the same battery from different vendors or different chemistries but until you put an operating system and controls configured to your project in place, you have a desktop without windows. Something has the turn the lights on, or your asset in this case.
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Solar Power World:
Single-axis trackers upgrade to handle uneven land sites
2 Bloomberg:
Here’s 10 Things to Watch in Energy Markets in 2023
3 Utility Dive:
White House guidance on GHG analysis will ease renewable energy permitting, trade groups say
4 Axios:
Major atmospheric river lashes California
5 Reuters:
German renewables firm Enpal hits $2.4 bln valuation with new funding round
6 Solar Builder:
OpenSolar donating 1 percent of annual revenue to power vulnerable communities with Empowered By Light
7 Energy Storage News:
Spanish state providing €150 million in grants for co-located energy storage projects
8 PV-Magazine:
New York approves siting for upstate solar projects with 309 MW output
Opinions:
9 PV-Tech:
PV Price Watch - Downward solar pricing trend continues amid lower cell quotes
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 9th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Bloomberg:
Putin’s Energy Gambit Fizzles as Warm Winter Saves Europe
2 PV-Magazine:
Revamped rooftop solar enterprise sales platform reduced install times by 37 days
3 Axios:
Next in parade of atmospheric rivers set to slam storm-hit California
4 Energy Storage News:
US’ tax credit incentives for standalone energy storage begin new era
5 Reuters:
Explainer - Why the U.S.-Mexico energy spat is a tough nut to crack
6 PV-Tech:
Sunrun bags US$835 million in financing to back portfolio of leases and PPAs
7 Canary Media:
Charts - Tesla stock tanks even as it sets EV delivery record
Opinions:
8 GreenBiz:
The end of energy-as-usual
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 6th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Four global trends in solar and storage
2 New York Times:
Mercedes-Benz Plans to Build U.S. Electric Car Charging Network
3 Solar Industry:
SEIA Expands Solar Leadership and Committee Member Panel
4 Bloomberg:
Big Solar Panel Manufacturers Boost Production as Costs Fall
5 Reuters:
Even in crisis, Germany extends power exports to neighbours
6 The Verge:
Coming soon - smart homes where the electricity isn’t so dumb
7 Axios:
Exclusive - DOE official warns of solar supply chain risks
8 PV-Tech:
Silicon Ranch secures US$600 million equity raise
9 Canary Media:
New York Is Transitioning to a Clean Energy Future
Opinions:
10 Utility Dive:
Clean energy tax credit transferability - Hero of the Inflation Reduction Act?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 5th, 2023
FERC Moves. President Biden has named FERC commissioner Phillips as the acting chair of the commission and the task to review the recent outages across the country kicks off at the same time. Within days of unscheduled outages, plant operators must notify FERC of the outage. ERCOT and other utilities had high profile reductions in available capacity during the recent winter storm.
Executive Moves In Tracking. Friend of SolarWakeup and former guest on our podcast, Jenya Meydbray, makes a leap from a company he founded and sold to join the innovative tracking company Nevados Engineering. Nevados is best known for the leading all-terrain tracker that eliminates grading on utility scale solar projects. The move by Jenya, announced on his Linkedin, follows former SunPower executive, Jack Bennett, joining the company as President and COO.
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Utility Dive:
Duke Energy apologizes for winter storm outages as FERC, NERC open investigation into grid failures
2 New York Times:
Why Are Energy Prices So High? Some Experts Blame Deregulation.
3 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge acquires UK IoT company Hark Systems
4 Energy Storage News:
Hawaii Island’s biggest solar-plus-storage plant will soon deliver power at 9 cents/kWh
5 Reuters:
Biden names Phillips acting head of energy regulator
6 Canary Media:
What’s next for grid storage after a booming but chaotic year?
7 PV-Magazine:
New York to add 25 GWh of energy storage for less than the cost of a slice of pizza
Opinions:
8 RMI:
Reality Check - Keeping the Lights on in Extreme Winter Weather
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 4th, 2023
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Canary Media:
What’s next for grid storage after a booming but chaotic year?
2 Utility Dive:
Federal cybersecurity focus grows as distributed resources expand grid risks
3 Vox:
How you can take advantage of tax breaks in the Inflation Reduction Act
4 PV-Tech:
Maxeon appoints new CEO to lead global manufacturing expansion
5 Energy Storage News:
New York proposes grid-scale energy storage tenders in roadmap to meet 6GW target by 2030
6 PV-Magazine:
Michigan utility doubles distributed generation cap
Opinions:
7 Bloomberg:
These Are the Climate Numbers to Watch in 2023
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 3rd, 2023
The Grid, Grid, Grid. Welcome back and welcome to 2023! It has been a busy week away and we slide ride into the top story from the holiday break. Winter Storm Elliot, struck across the Country with even my temperatures reaching the low 40s. While many people were handling it fine, the grid was strained across many power markets. PJM called a system wide emergency, first one since 2014 and ERCOT once again underestimated capacity need with several power plants going offline. The short duration of the weather event saved the day as 24 hours later, most everything went back to normal. Looking forward it shows that the grid is the central point of risk and opportunity for the energy transition, when the transition is defined by the electrification of everything. We’ll talk a lot about this going forward.
Year Of Batteries. Somewhat obvious given the above need for grid resilience and inertia but also with regulatory changes coming at the end of the year in residential solar like NEM 3.0 in California. Because batteries will be so important to everyone’s work, I’ll do my part to help you segment who is who and what is what. Battery companies are not all created alike and not all batteries are meant to do the same thing. I’ve said it before and will offer it again, part of our work at FlexGen is building out the most robust energy storage innovation lab and we will look to host many of you to learn more about what it takes to configure, control and analyze your batteries.
The Lender You Can Depend On. In a market that is full of uncertainty, you can rely on Dividend Finance to bring you white glove service to help you reach your long-term goals. Apply Here
News
1 Bloomberg:
Eastern US Power Grid Orders Cuts Amid System-Wide Emergency
2 Power Magazine:
Bulk Power System Deficiencies During Winter Storm Elliot Prompt Inquiries
3 Vox:
Winter storms put the US power grid to the test. It failed.
4 Solar Builder:
Will California NEM 3.0 boost home energy storage installations?
5 Utility Dive:
Energy Dept. to invest up to $72M to expand clean energy workforce efforts
6 Energy Storage News:
New York climate plan has ‘major role’ for energy storage across different sectors
7 PV-Magazine:
Global solar capacity additions hit 268 GW in 2022
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
Fixing the US power grid - A challenge for 2023 and beyond
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 22nd, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
CAISO adopts energy storage, imbalance market rules to improve grid reliability
2 Bloomberg:
High US Power Prices Risk Squeezing Coal in Grid Auction
3 New York Times:
Clean Energy Quest Pits Google Against Utilities
4 Washington Post:
This little-known bottleneck is blocking clean energy for millions
5 Axios:
"Life-threatening" cold, bomb cyclone blizzard to sweep U.S. this week
6 Reuters:
Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation, even if 1.5C goal out of reach
7 Solar Builder:
Georgia PSC approves Georgia Power’s $100 interconnection fee for new solar customers
8 Energy Storage News:
EU body - Action needed now ‘to prevent outflow of investment’ from Europe’s battery ecosystem
9 PV-Magazine:
The U.S. Postal Service to deploy over 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
With new tax credits, clean energy beats gas plants almost every time
Have a great day!
Yann
