This is your SolarWakeup for November 9th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Canary Media:
Solar power is a huge success story. A longtime solar champion explains how it happened
2 Axios:
Kimmeridge demands oil companies do more for carbon neutrality
3 Utility Dive:
'Imagine the unimaginable' - How the Pacific Northwest is trying to build a reliable grid in a changing climate
4 Bloomberg:
Australia Extends Solar Dominance With Panel Every 44 Seconds
5 PV-Tech:
Hawaiian Electric to deploy 50,000 rooftop PV systems in bid to reach 2030 target
6 Energy Storage News:
UK developer Harmony Energy’s IPO raises US$251 million for Tesla Megapack rollout
7 PV-Magazine:
Community Choice Aggregation provides leverage for better electricity prices, access to solar
Opinions:
8 GreenBiz:
The business of COP is business
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 8th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 CNN:
Here's what's in the bipartisan infrastructure bill
2 Los Angeles Times:
Newsletter - The future of rooftop solar is up for grabs in California
3 Reuters:
Factbox - What's in Biden's $1.75 trillion 'Build Back Better' package?
4 Canary Media:
Chart - Almost all new power plants being built in the US are renewable
5 RMI:
One Simple Tax Change Could Unlock Critical Clean Energy Infrastructure
6 PV-Magazine:
OpenSolar updates 3D design and sales software
7 Utility Dive:
Officials urge flexibility, transmission upgrades to accommodate storage and DER buildout
8 PV-Tech:
Sunrun sees installs smash through 200MW landmark as it builds inventory ahead of 2022
9 Solar Power World:
Los Angeles solar + storage microgrid to power chargers for city’s 100+
Opinions:
10 Axios:
COP26 first week done, looks pretty good so far — on paper
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 5th, 2021
Electrification, Not Generation Transition. This is becoming increasingly obvious to me, the energy transition is not primarily driven by the change of fuel creating electricity but by the fact that the end use of energy is in the form of electricity. Said differently, gas stations are becoming charging stations and stoves are going induction. Once you think about the energy system in this form, end use versus production type, you can see the change in business models that are ahead and allow you to build your solar business beyond the installation into the long term, what will the homeowner do with this self production?
Oil Major Pivot. I’ve said this before but oil companies are getting into electricity markets beyond where they’ve been for decades. This will represent the first time that oil majors and utilities will compete for consumers having stayed on their side of consumer spending for a century without getting in each other’s way. In deregulated markets, oil companies are far more advanced in energy trading than utilities, but within regulated environments, competition will be hard to come by. Bill Gates made the point that some oil companies could fail, which is possible but unlikely in my opinion. The truth in that statement is that electricity could be considered far easier to commoditize than oil or gas.
Your Voice In Solar. We need to make it easier for people to get solar, not harder. Rooftop solar gives everyday Californians the power to control their energy bills and keep the lights on. The Public Utilities Commission will make a decision on net metering on December 10, we must ensure that they see that California supports rooftop solar! It’s easy and only takes 30 seconds to sign here: https://bit.ly/SaveCASolarFriend
A Global Launch. Congrats to the team at OpenSolar for hosting their global launch event and creating version 2.0 of this incredible (and free) design, proposal and project management tool for installers. Check out the recorded event if you missed it.
News
1 Utility Dive:
Build Back Better, FERC actions on infrastructure could trigger 'monumental' renewable energy deployments
2 Axios:
Bill Gates - Some oil giants won't make it
3 Reuters:
California, again, leans on natural gas to shore up energy supplies
5 Energy Storage News:
Alberta government offers financial support for energy storage projects alongside oil and gas
6 Canary Media:
COP26 players pledge funding to shut down coal plants
7 PV-Magazine:
Energy efficiency is a good substitute for long-term storage, NREL study says
8 New York Times:
Resources for Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times
Opinions:
9 RMI:
RMI Reality Check - Proposed Clean Energy Incentives Would Save Electricity Customers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 4th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Unlocking the Transition - As Tesla, Ford and others invest billions in EVs, will the power system be ready?
2 New York Times:
Poland and 17 other countries to announce a major deal to end coal.
3 Axios:
PG&E agrees to pay $125 million for 2019 Kincade Fire
4 Bloomberg:
Top Solar Firm Longi Says U.S Customs Detained Products
5 Vox:
A new Supreme Court case could gut the government’s power to fight climate change
6 Reuters:
Exxon warns some assets may be at risk for impairment due to climate change
7 Solar Builder:
Navisun acquired by OMERS Infrastructure
8 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge navigates Vietnam factory shutdown to post record solar revenues in Q3 2021
9 RMI:
Good COP, Bad COP? The Hopeful News in COP26…and Beyond
10 Solar Power World:
Months after Texas grid blackouts, renewables await PUC electric market
Opinions:
11 Canary Media:
Small island nations suffer under broken and ‘cruel’ climate finance system
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 3rd, 2021
Rejoined. Biden and leaders from around the world make new pledges which for the first time in several years includes the United States once again.
Watch Your Methane. The byproduct of oil and gas production can be a powerful means to normalize the societal costs of fossil fuels, a methane reduction standard could be impactful.
A Better Place For A TukTuk. Oil giant, Vitol, is changing the tuktuk game in India. With their incredible (and global) renewables platform, they are electrifying buses in Bogota and investing in a battery swapping company that is targeting the 160 million 2 and 3 wheelers in India. It was a vision that Jeff Bezos had, but not becoming true.
Clean Your iPhone. Apple wants their suppliers to step up, using their purchasing strength to make sure their vendors are doing more to match the tech company’s stated goals.
Generac Into Your Home. Generac is acquiring Ecobee for $770million. From generators to batteries, the company is looking to create a whole home supply and demand market. I wonder if their new marketing will be, “Your home is a DER.”
Don’t Miss It. OpenSolar’s 2.0 launch is today, make sure you catch their incredible leap in technology that is used by installers around the world.
News
1 Politico:
US rejoins coalition pushing for 1.5 degrees Celsius goal at COP26
2 Economic Times:
Sun Mobility raises $50 million from Vitol
3 Reuters:
Apple adds suppliers to clean-energy pledge, including more chip firms
4 Energy Storage News:
National Grid invites local community to celebrate construction of Texas solar-plus-storage project
5 The Verge:
Ecobee acquired by generator company Generac for $770 million
6 Canary Media:
US and EU lead global pledge to cut methane pollution at COP26
7 PV-Magazine:
Alliant Energy outlines plans for solar expansion in Iowa
Opinions:
8 Axios:
What COP26 pledges could mean for investors
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 2nd, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
'Trust is a hard thing' - Manchin blows up Dem momentum
2 PV-Magazine:
SEIA calls for an end to Section 201 tariffs on solar imports
3 Utility Dive:
Xcel first utility to adopt net zero carbon target across gas and electric operations, CEO says
4 Bloomberg:
Bezos, Ikea and Rockefeller Promise Billions for Climate
5 Axios:
India's long road to "net zero"
6 New York Times:
PG&E says it faces a federal inquiry and $1.15 billion in losses over the Dixie fire.
7 Reuters:
Britain to fund $3 billion worth of green investments in developing economies
9 Solar Power World:
Here are all the expected testimonies for Wednesday’s ITC hearing on solar panel tariff extension
Opinions:
10 Solar Builder:
Assessing Massachusetts’ ConnectedSolutions Distributed Battery Program – what works, what could improve
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 1st, 2021
Creating Version 2. My friends at OpenSolar have decades of resi solar experience and now, after years of the free proposal tool for installers, are deploying Version 2.0. You can catch the release on November 3rd, I’ll definitely be tuning in.
News
1 Utility Dive:
Biden proposes $550B in 'historic' clean energy, climate spending with Build Back Better framework
2 Politico:
Buttigieg - ‘We’re the closest that we’ve ever been’ to passing infrastructure and spending bills
3 CNN:
G20 agrees on key climate goals around global warming limits and coal financing, but lacks firm commitments
4 Bloomberg:
Biden's Economic Plan Cuts U.S. Emissions By More Than a Gigaton
5 Axios:
Biden's climate leadership is on the line at COP26
6 PV-Magazine:
Arizona regulators axe grid access charge
7 Reuters:
Freezing wind turbines expansion in France would be 'mistake' - Engie CEO
8 PV-Tech:
China submits ‘disappointing’ NDC to the UN that commits to 1.2TW of renewables by 2030
9 Canary Media:
Leaders must set course for net-zero energy at COP26. What tech do we need to get there?
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Will Glasgow Be the Climate Breakthrough We Need?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 29th, 2021
Build Back Better, For Ten Years. The White House released the tax credits in the Build Back Better budget reconciliation. Climate related policies represent $555billion and clean energy tax credits are front and center. A ten year extension of the ITC remains with a plethora of support for the infrastructure improvements that we are all in the middle of creating.
A Storage IPO. Congrats to the team at Fluence for an incredibly successful IPO and first day of trading. It represents the future of the grid transition is with energy storage. Here’s to a rising tide for all in the sector.
Creating Version 2. My friends at OpenSolar have decades of resi solar experience and now, after years of the free proposal tool for installers, are deploying Version 2.0. You can catch the release on November 3rd, I’ll definitely be tuning in.
News
1 Washington Post:
New budget deal marks the biggest climate investment in U.S. history
2 Bloomberg:
Siemens Joint Venture Fluence Energy Climbs After IPO Exceeds Goals
3 New York Times:
Old Power Gear Is Slowing Use of Clean Energy and Electric Cars
4 Axios:
First look - Mike Bloomberg and the next climate summit
5 PV-Tech:
US solar asset underperformance worsened over last decade, prompting P50 estimate concerns
6 RMI:
Financing 1.5°C - In a Booming ESG market, the SEC Has Some Questions
7 Canary Media:
COP26 - Why this climate summit matters and what it can achieve
8 PV-Magazine:
New Jersey makes its community solar program permanent
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
More than half of global utility solar projects planned in 2022 threatened by supply chain issues
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 28th, 2021
Closing A Deal. As COP26 comes up quickly, Joe Biden is looking to close a deal as opposed to THE deal he may have been hoping for. In a game of whackamole, the President is having to negotiate 50 separate deals and can’t afford to lose a single vote, threatening one on the left for every notch he gives to the moderates.
Conservation Of Energy, The Delivery Can Change. The headlines, as oil and gas CEOs come to DC, is that fuel companies are in denial. That may not be false, but sometimes lost in the summary is what is really happening to the market. We all learned about conservation of energy in physics class so let’s translate that concept to the energy transition within transportation and homes. Energy will still be consumed to drive or cook you meal, the method of delivery is changing from fuel to electrons. The power availability will remain the same and possibly the only thing changing is the location of the fuel need, i.e. from a gas stove to a gas power plant. So take a step back and realize that while the fuel mix in generation is changing, it’s a unique change from the bigger transition happening in how that energy is being delivered. That’s the transition that is creating a new grid that is far more dynamic, complex and constantly expanding and contracting.
Getting To Glasgow. Not since Paris has a COP been this hyped up in importance. The outcome be could maintain the global focus on fighting climate change and how to adapt to the evolving market opportunity.
News
1 Politico:
Liberal frustration imperils quick Dem social spending deal
2 Reuters:
Investors on board as U.S. oil majors dismiss wind and solar projects
3 Utility Dive:
AEP to sell Kentucky operations to Liberty for $2.85B and use proceeds for renewables, transmission
4 New York Times:
Ahead of a U.N. climate summit, Democrats push to secure policies Biden can promote.
5 Axios:
Nor'easter slams East Coast with flooding rain and powerful winds
6 PV-Tech:
Enphase reports record revenue as price hikes offset ‘dynamic’ supply
7 Energy Storage News:
California’s ‘biggest hybrid renewable power plant’ under construction, Clearway says
8 PV-Magazine:
Solaria wins a round in its solar shingle patent case against Canadia
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Gigawatts of solar could be built in the open land around U.S. interstate highways
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 27th, 2021
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
White House sets climate spending at up to $555 billion
2 Axios:
GM's plan to end EV charging deserts
3 Canary Media:
Will Hertz’s big Tesla buy make EVs mainstream?
4 Bloomberg:
Solar Group Warns Expansion of Tariffs Could Damage U.S. Industry
5 CNBC:
Enphase Energy surges after record quarter despite supply chain woes
6 Reuters:
Major issues unresolved as Democrats in U.S. Congress seek deal on spending bill
7 PV-Tech:
Delaware judge dismisses direct claims against Elon Musk in SolarCity lawsuit
8 PV-Magazine:
Honeywell, Duke Energy partner on flow battery test project
Opinions:
9 RMI:
Clean Energy Has Won the Economic Race
Have a great day!
Yann
