This is your SolarWakeup for October 14th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Duke Energy, 3 other utilities to join Southeast Energy Exchange Market ahead of next month’s launch
2 Bloomberg:
Bitcoin Cowboys Are the Ultimate Stress Test for Texas’ Power Grid
3 Axios:
Startup investments remain steady in the Triangle
4 New York Times:
F.C.C. Readies Vote on Banning New Huawei and ZTE Devices
5 PV-Tech:
Solar PV to account for 38% of global electricity production by 2050, DNV says
6 Solar Power World:
An energy storage boom is coming thanks to the new storage ITC
7 Energy Storage News:
Trio of vehicle-to-X projects launch in California
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
A lot more than solar on the floor at RE+
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 13th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Westinghouse Electric to be acquired by Brookfield Renewable and Cameco
2 Energy Storage News:
European Commission vice president
3 Bloomberg:
Infrastructure Giant Macquarie Supercharges M&A Spending
4 Utility Dive:
Major utilities oppose Sunnova’s ‘micro-utility’ microgrid proposal at California PUC
5 Axios:
GM's electric future extends far beyond cars
6 Reuters:
Yellen warns of 'geopolitical coercion' by Russia, China
7 The Guardian:
Liz Truss on collision course with Jacob Rees-Mogg over solar power ban
8 PV-Tech:
Global Infrastructure Partners acquires Atlas Renewable Energy
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Electric utilities 101 - A breakdown of the basics on US power providers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 12th, 2022
The Opportunity And Need For Electrification. Electrification is the root impact of the energy transition. As a society we will always use more energy to drive the economy but the delivery of the energy is what is at the center of the discussion. At it’s core, delivery, storage and consumption of energy is moving from liquid/gas to electricity. You’ll find that to be a non-controversial statement because any form of energy can make electricity. So whether you shift from gas stove to induction cooktops or internal combustion to EV, the transition is very real. It is also very much needed, just look at the global diplomatic and economic impact of relying on the oil product of others for our economic futures. So next time you see a fuel tanker filling up a gas station, think of the truck holding a battery going around to fuel fleet vehicles as just a form of energy transport.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Goldman Analysts Say Markets Yet to Grasp Full IRA Impact
2 Utility Dive:
CAISO calls for near-term power procurement, even with possible Diablo Canyon extension
3 Reuters:
GM takes on Tesla in home and commercial energy storage, management
4 PV-Tech:
European Commission endorses Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance
5 Energy Storage News:
Long way to go before V2G scales in the consumer vehicle sector
6 PV-magazine:
Electric buses to be deployed at community centers as emergency backup power
Opinions:
7 Canary Media:
How neighbors are banding together to get cheaper rooftop solar
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 11th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 PV-magazine:
Secret solar stories revealed in new podcast
2 Business Journals:
Duke Energy says customers could save $100M with 10-year extensions on old solar contracts
3 Bloomberg:
UK’s Truss Doesn’t Want Solar Panels Built on Farmland
4 Reuters:
Greek renewables fully cover power demand for first time on record
5 PV-Tech:
US solar racking manufacturer Unirac secures investment
6 Energy Storage News:
Ontario targets 2,500MW energy storage procurements to help meet growing electricity demand
7 Canary Media:
5 big takeaways on the grassroots clean energy revolution
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
How an unlikely trio helped secure billions for rural electric cooperatives
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 10th, 2022
Behind The Scenes. When I started SolarWakeup, part of the reason was I wanted to share my thoughts with you and give you a sense of the things I was seeing from my seat as I ventured through the solar and now storage industry. That remains true as we share some of our professional views on the 10GWh supply deal we signed at SPI. As many of you look at storage projects for the first time, we want to make sure you see the incredible capability and opportunity that energy storage provides but also be aware of the overall market dynamics that may make a project difficult. Last year at this time, we heard from asset owners and investors that they were looking to do a project in 2022 but supply wasn’t going to make that possible. The same is true for 2023 and 2024, supply has a limited availability but we pushed the envelope with a supply deal to make sure some additional manufacturing allocation is coming this way.
The Demand Concern. Every battery is in high demand, auto OEMs and consumer electronics want the same batteries that you may want for your project. Solar plus storage has a demand as well, especially with the ITC for storage increasing that forecast curve. Like module availability, there is a concern that your demand is mismatched with manufacturing capacity. From 2023 to 2025, you see a three year demand curve where next year is possible but challenging, two years out is achievable with urgency and three years out creates recipe for planned execution.
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Inside FlexGen’s 10GWh CATL battery storage supply deal
2 Financial Times:
Storms and steep utility bills drive US rooftop solar boom
3 Solar Power World:
DOE calls for increased cybersecurity measures in preparation for rapid distributed energy growth
4 Axios:
Hurricane Ian may have caused $67 billion in damage, a top 5 U.S. storm
5 Reuters:
Australian tech billionaire to chair $20 billion solar power export project
6 Utility Dive:
Duke Energy ups 10-year capital spending plan to $145B to modernize grid, move to zero-carbon generation
7 PV-Tech:
Maxeon closes French solar module manufacturing plant
8 PV-Magazine:
Proposed FEMA building code may hamper solar deployment
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Big Steel starts prepping for a net-zero world
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 7th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
U.S. sets out oil and gas drilling auctions required under new law
2 Bloomberg:
Investment in Renewable Energy Needs to Quadruple by 2030
3 Axios:
Hurricane Ian is Florida's deadliest in nearly a century
4 PV-Tech:
Suncor Energy sells solar and wind assets to Canadian Utilities
5 Energy Storage News:
Chile energy storage bill passes Senate, moves to treasury and final vote
6 Canary Media:
Hawaii is paying home-battery owners to help the grid. How’s that going?
7 Utility Dive:
MISO energy users cannot leave system without paying their capacity fees
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
New York needs 20 GW of new renewables by 2030, plus transmission, says grid operator
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 6th, 2022
IRA Is Bigger Than First Thoughts. Yesterday’s rundown had a report from the World Economic Forum that showed that just this year, renewable energy saved Europeans $29billion in energy costs. This stems from the fact that assets without fuel costs have to only persist in a capex environment with opex largely fixed for the life. Batteries add to those savings because they provide the resiliency without fuel volatility like a peaker plant would. With savings like this, product is in high demand, from solar panels, inverters, transformers and batteries. Projects to be built in 2024 and 2025 have to contract now to get done on time.
Demand Soars, So Does Fly By Night. You’re seeing it already, the get rich quick schemes around the IRA opportunity. With trillions of dollars ready to deploy, getting the money invested is much harder than investment committees think. That also creates a rush towards poor quality and short term thinking, i.e. spend less on capex and hope for the best. In some ways, tax equity provides a level of bankability requirement and that should create a focus on track record, uptime, and financial stability. Cheaper isn’t better, especially as solar plus storage starts getting into power markets and resource adequacy contracts, the higher upside is match with downside if you can’t perform.
IRA Rules Implementation. The government is looking to get the rules set, if you have input, now is the time to get involved.
News
1 The Atlantic:
The Climate Economy Is About to Explode
2 Reuters:
U.S. seeks input on climate law's $270 billion in tax breaks
3 Utility Dive:
Biden pledges to transform Puerto Rico’s power system as thousands remain without power
4 Bloomberg:
Putin’s War Exposes Risks to Deploying Small Nuclear Reactors
5 Axios:
What OPEC's 2 million-barrel cut could mean for U.S. gas prices
6 New York Times:
Florida Leaders Rejected Major Climate Laws. Now They’re Seeking Storm Aid.
7 PV-Tech:
Renewables met rise in global electricity demand during H1 2022 – Ember
8 Energy Storage News:
New Jersey proposes energy storage incentives to reach 2GW deployment target
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Want faster, cheaper EV charger installations? Stop digging
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 5th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Utility Alliant Energy plans 700MWh BESS deployments in Wisconsin
2 World Economic Forum:
Here’s how solar energy saved Europeans $29 billion this summer
3 Bloomberg:
Solar Is Now 33% Cheaper Than Gas Power in US, Guggenheim Says
4 PV-Magazine:
Generac to bring EODev hydrogen fuel cell power generators to North America
5 Canary Media:
Form Energy wins $450M to rust iron for multiday energy storage
6 Reuters:
Complete Solaria to go public via $888 million SPAC deal
7 PV-Tech:
US residential PV systems continue to grow in size, fall in price and increasingly come with batteries, says LBNL report
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
Battery energy storage - the importance of energy management software
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 3rd, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Washington Post:
Throwing Shade Is Solar Energy’s New Superpower
2 Wall Street Journal:
ConEd Agrees to Sell Clean Energy Business for $6.8 Billion to RWE
3 Utility Dive:
‘It’s a good time to be a banker’ - RE+ panel reports massive growth in corporate investment in renewables
4 Axios:
Governor - North Carolina has "front-row seat" to impact of climate change
5 PV-Tech:
New wafer production method could double throughput to up to 20,000 per hour, rendering European manufacturing more competitive
6 Energy Storage News:
US$100 million financing raised by mobile battery storage manufacturer Moxion
7 CNN:
This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
How long do residential energy storage batteries last?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 30th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Standard Solar and Scout Clean Energy acquired by Brookfield Renewable
2 Reuters:
Canada's Enbridge buys U.S. green power firm Tri Global
3 Solar Builder:
CATL supplying FlexGen with 10 GWh of long-duration energy storage equipment
4 Bloomberg:
Bitcoin Could Be as Bad for the Planet as Beef
5 Axios:
Hurricane Ian's climate warning
6 PV-Tech:
US DOE’s SETO opens up on IRA impact, its five-year plan and barriers to the US’ energy transition
7 Energy Storage News:
Electric school buses to provide grid reliability services in PJM market in V2G scheme
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
The California energy problem is structural, not political
Have a great day!
Yann
