This is your SolarWakeup for December 20th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
White House lights up Manchin after he crushes Biden's megabill
2 Utility Dive:
FERC orders utilities to fine-tune line ratings to boost transmission efficiency
3 Reuters:
U.S. to face increasing power reliability issues over next 10 years - NERC
4 Axios:
U.S. to face increasing power reliability issues over next 10 years - NERC
5 NY.Gov:
Governor Hochul Announces New Framework to Achieve at Least 10 Gigawatts of Distributed Solar By 2030
6 Canary Media:
Rounding up the year in climate politics
7 PV-Magazine:
GameChange Solar receives $150 million investment by Koch Strategic Platforms
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
In Hamburg, Surviving Climate Change Means Living With Water
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 17th, 2021
BBB Right Back. BBB is hitting some barriers with Manchin on issues like child tax credits, family leave and offshore drilling. While Lindsey Graham things that the bill is dead, we’ll have to wait for the new year to see if the Senate can get it done.
Making Markets Drive Behavior. PJM has one of the lowest penetration rates of energy storage and that’s because the power markets aren’t creating the revenue opportunity that align with the technical grid operation needs. That will change, whether through PJM directly or FERC orders 2222 and 841. Homeowners, businesses and grid scale storage will be matched to generation connections.
ClimateTech Boom. The energy transition is a change of how energy is used, moved and generated. The transition infrastructure will move trillions of dollars in the US alone over the next decades but it will require the build up of companies and platforms that make the electrons move a success. There will also be hundreds of billions invested in the creation of these businesses and as the article portrays, climate tech investment is surging.
All About The Interconnect. Homes have grid connections, substations relay through a connection and generators have land and grid interconnects to deliver energy. That’s the 20th century version of a skyscraper with load/force control only happening at either end of the chain, otherwise known as dispatching and demand side management. Looking forward, just like New York’s newest skyscrapers which have blow out floors half way up, the grid is going to add dampers, or load management within transmission and distribution networks. Homeowners will not only lower their demand, they have the ability to store energy, produce energy or shift their demand to other times. This is no longer a top down/bottom up grid, it’s all about the inside out serving the outside in.
News
1 Politico:
Senate that 'sucks' gets a dose of reality from Biden
2 Utility Dive:
Energy transition likely requires market changes, transmission growth, PJM finds
3 Solar Power World:
Biden expected to sign Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which could further affect solar supply chain
4 Axios:
"Untapped potential" in climate tech investments
5 PV-Tech:
Annual EU solar PV deployment reaches new high of 25.9GW
6 RMI:
Report Release - Headwinds for US Gas Power
7 Energy Storage News:
Europe’s biggest battery project announced by UK subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp
8 Canary Media:
The avoided-cost calculator - The controversial metric at the center of California’s solar net-metering fight
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
California first state to require solar power and batteries in commercial structures
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 16th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Shell, KKR invest in solar + storage as renewable market booms
2 Politico:
'Going very poorly' - Biden can't nail Manchin down on Dems' bill
3 Axios:
Carbon capture firm nabs $30M in VC funds
4 PV-Tech:
US developer Geenex Solar bags funding to advance PV and energy storage pipeline
5 Energy Storage News:
LG Chem, LG Energy Solutions sign recycled nickel deal, invest US$50m in recycling specialist Li-Cycle
6 Renew Economy:
The solar farm where inverters operate all night, doing voltage control for the grid
7 PV-Magazine:
Three solar installations to feed Meta data centers completed in Georgia
Opinions:
8 Solar Power World:
Solar Power World’s Top 10 stories of 2021
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 15th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
FlexGen CEO - 2.1GWh California BESS contract shows the grid transition is here today
2 Canary Media:
California net-metering proposal would decimate rooftop solar market, industry says
3 Utility Dive:
White House unveils EV charging action plan, prepares network rollout guidance for cities, states
4 PV-Tech:
Shell acquiring US solar and energy storage developer Savion
5 Axios:
John Kerry hints at plans for post-COP26 summit
6 Solar Power World:
Illinois can expect solar boom as Adjustable Block Program reopens
7 PV-Magazine:
U.S. residential solar trends, 2021
Opinions:
8 RMI:
A Discussion with Author Bill Nussey on RMI, His Latest Book, and Disrupting the Global Energy Industry
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 14th, 2021
Build Back Better Draft. Looks like a toss-up on the Senate being able to pass BBBA before the end of the year and Manchin isn’t showing his cards. Reality is that BBBA is going to be needed based on what’s going on at the State level in CA and FL.
California’s Drafting Error. Much like Formula 1 taking the title from Hamilton and giving it to the whiny driver by changing the rules, California is picking winners and losers with their draft of the NEM 3.0 policy. It’s hard to imagine that the road to 100% clean energy includes $60 per month charges to homeowners that install solar on their homes. The fight will continue and the Governor should be getting involved because the fight against climate change and a resilient grid includes robust inclusion of DERs financed by homeowners across the State.
Talking Cyber. This is an undiscovered topic and one we will dig into more and more. Cybersecurity and the overlap with the hardware that controls the smart homes, especially in aggregate, through virtual power plants or at the grid level will need to be a focus for many of our companies that are seeking to get smarter about the FERC and NERC policies that overlap with State requirements.
Holiday Season. The team behind the scenes at SolarWakeup are working hard to bring a newer version of the buyer’s group back in play, saving residential solar installers more money than ever before. Also, heading into 2022, if you’re budgeting for digital advertising, SolarWakeup has spaces to get your word out, reach out to our team to reserve marketing opportunities going into the new year.
News
1 Politico:
Manchin keeps Dems guessing on their megabill
2 PV-Tech:
Manufacturing tax credits for inverters, trackers included in updated Build Back Better draft
3 Utility Dive:
ISO New England can meet winter power demand 'if the weather is mild,' grid operator warns
4 Solar Builder:
California NEM 3.0 Proposal - CPUC set to impose highest solar tax in the country
5 Reuters:
California proposes cutting major rooftop solar incentive after years of debate
6 PV-Magazine:
Shoring up the solar industry’s resilience to cyberattack
7 Electrive:
ABB spins off electric mobility division
8 Axios:
Russia blocks UN effort to treat climate as security threat
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
Repowering project at 40-year old California wind farm will add 200MWh of battery storage
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 13th, 2021
Devastation By Tornado. Tornadoes have this terrible ability of destruction with very little notice that scares me whenever I see it happen. It’s so powerful that from an infrastructure point, as an engineer, I don’t even know if you can design to prevent the damage or outright destruction especially from an energy perspective. Our thoughts go out to the communities affected by the storms this weekend, if there is a rebuilding effort you are aware of, please pass it along.
Will It, When? What will happen with Build Back Better going into the holidays? Lindsey Graham seems to be ramping up his defense against it which means that there could be some traction on the Senate side to get it through, a cheery holiday advantage for the solar industry that could use the stability of a ten year ITC extension under the supply chain challenges poised by layers of tariffs and complicated logistics. So will it pass? If so, when? This is the last week of the year…
Forecasting Is Hard, And Conservative. Solar forecasts have always been wrong, sometimes by factors but when it comes to energy storage, the forecasts will be shown to be off by multiples of that. The reality is that there is a business case to make for storage from every angle, at every level. But in so many ways, it’s hard to come out with forecasts given that storage is like 2010 solar in many ways, more to come…
Freeing Energy. Bill Nussey, host of the Freeing Energy Podcast has released his latest book centered around why distributed resources will play a major role in the grid and grow much faster than anyone predicts. You can get his book on Amazon and learn more about it here.
News
1 CNBC:
Wall Street economists are confident Biden’s Build Back Better bill will become law – and boost infrastructure firms
2 Utility Dive:
US storage market breaks records with 3.5 GWh of new deployments in Q3
3 Reuters:
Volkswagen ramps up e-mobility spending to $59 bln by 2026
4 Canary Media:
The controversies at the heart of California’s solar net-metering fight
5 Axios:
Fatalities, property destruction and power outages in six states slammed by tornadoes
6 Solar Power World:
Kentucky is turning former coal mine into 200-MW solar project
7 PV-Magazine:
Solar-powered EV car charging manufacturer receives $2.5 million in tax credits
8 Bloomberg:
Rise of Solar Rooftops to Accelerate Coal’s Exit in Australia
Opinions:
9 PV-Tech:
PV 2030 - The solar decade
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 10th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Solar Builder:
Five critical questions to ask when California’s net metering 3.0 policy is announced next week
2 Utility Dive:
Major US utilities plan nationwide charging network, anticipating 22M EVs by 2030
3 Axios:
Major US utilities plan nationwide charging network, anticipating 22M EVs by 2030
4 CE Pro:
ADT Finalizes Sunpro Solar Acquisition - Debuts ADT Solar
5 PV-Tech:
Investor KKR targets utility-scale solar, energy storage acquisitions after new platform launch
6 Energy Storage News:
US battery storage developer Key Capture Energy’s takeover by SK E&S complete
7 PV-Magzine:
GE enters U.S. residential solar inverter market
Opinions:
8 Grist:
EV chargers are coming to a highway near you
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 9th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Solar Power World:
President Biden orders 100% carbon-free electricity purchases across federal operations by 2030
2 Canary Media:
BP is buying Amply, a startup that helps bus and truck fleets go electric
3 Bloomberg:
U.S. Trade Agency Urges Biden to Extend Trump’s Solar Tariffs
4 Axios:
A new warning on oil investment
5 PV-Tech:
RWE to invest US$17bn in German renewables portfolio, looking to hire 200 new staff
6 Energy Storage News:
Equinor makes equity investment into UK battery storage developer Noriker Power
7 PV-Magazine:
KKR enters solar with launch of Stellar Renewable Power
Opinions:
8 RMI:
We Read a 130-Page Report on Climate Regulation So You Don’t Have To
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 8th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
FlexGen wins 2.1GWh California battery integration deal to mitigate state’s grid disruptions
2 Utility Dive:
California nonprofits issue $2 billion in bonds to buy 30 years of renewable energy upfront
3 Axios:
Red and purple state growth of green car factories
4 PV-Magazine:
SolarAPP+ expands into energy storage permitting
5 Politico:
Germany’s new climate minister aims for green economic miracle
6 Solar Power World:
CPUC decision essentially requires PG&E, SCE and SDG&E to establish residential virtual power plants
7 Canary Media:
Grid operator MISO’s transmission plan would split its region in two
Opinions:
8 New York Times:
Seeking Space for Solar Farms, Cities Find Room at Their Airports
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 7th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 The Hill:
Schumer steps on the gas to move Biden agenda
2 Utility Dive:
Texas lowers electricity price cap to $5,000/MWh ahead of winter season
3 Reuters:
Extreme weather, project delays may challenge NY power grid in 2021-2030- operator
4 Axios:
A fraught and rocky energy transition pathway
5 PV-Tech:
India solar deployment slows as module prices bite
6 Solar Power World:
IREC announces new educational resource to improve solar permitting, inspection
7 Canary Media:
Energy storage is booming — and flexing its political muscle
8 PV-Magazine:
California Community Choice Financing Authority issues first municipal clean energy bonds
Opinions:
9 Los Angeles Times:
Editorial - Don’t slash incentives for California rooftop solar
Have a great day!
Yann
