This is your SolarWakeup for August 29th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Podesta Heads to Beijing for New Round of US-China Climate Talks
2 Energy Storage News:
California PUC authorises centralised procurement for long-duration energy storage
3 Utility Dive:
Better grid edge visibility is key for load forecasting, cost control - Heatmap Labs panel
4 Reuters:
Robust US power & electricity use likely peaked in July for 2024
5 Renewable Energy World:
Clean energy jobs grew at double the rate of overall US employment in 2023 - report
6 Solar Power World:
VPPs are transforming energy markets in the U.S.
7 Canary Media:
Solar and batteries are helping Texas weather heat waves. Here’s how
8 PV-Magazine:
Grid Strategies and The Brattle Group propose “urgent” interconnection fixes
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
What Will We Do With Our Free Power?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 28th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Canary Media:
Midwest grid operators submit $1.7B plan to build cross-border power lines
2 Reuters:
Indian solar panels face US scrutiny for possible links to China forced labor
3 Utility Dive:
DOT awards $521M in EV charging grants amid slowing sales growth
4 Renewable Energy World:
Virtual power plant company Swell is reportedly closing its doors
5 Solar Power World:
Enphase begins accepting pre-orders for U.S.-made batteries
6 Energy Storage News:
UK BESS investor Harmony Energy Income Trust ‘close to receiving offers’ in portfolio sale
7 PV-Magazine:
Clearway closes $550 million financing for solar-plus-storage project in Kern County
Opinions:
8 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge CEO steps down to aid company’s ‘full recovery’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 27th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
ERCOT successfully navigates heat wave, new peak demand record
2 Bloomberg:
Norway’s Wealth Fund Marks €900 Million for CIP Renewables Fund
3 Axios:
Energy Department's advisers call for agency's own AI data center testbed
4 Yahoo:
Meyer Burger halts solar plant in Colorado, plans restructuring
5 PV-Magazine:
Existing California solar customers may get blindsided with net metering cuts
6 Reuters:
SPP issues Energy Emergency Alert 1 due to high temperatures
7 Renewable Energy World:
In Minnesota, Xcel Energy looks to mimic power plant with solar and storage networks
8 Solar Power World:
BlueWave announces nearly-20-MW agrivoltaic portfolio across Massachusetts
Opinions:
9 Heatmap News:
School Is Back in Session, But Summer’s Not Over Yet
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 26th, 2024
Your IRA Talking Points. Every single one of us is asked about the political risk around the IRA and the election so let me give you my two cents, which is a consolidation of some of the ideas that I’ve heard. The IRA serves two purposes for the republican majority, assuming that remains post election. The first is political, meaning the IRA is a great argument to make that democrats are on a spending frenzy while killing oil and gas or forcing EVs through a mandate. (Neither of which is actually the case but you get the point). The second is more nuanced and important for you to use in a discussion. The IRA is incredibly popular in parts, tax credits for solar, wind and energy storage etc. But there are many sections of the IRA that have not gotten the pull through, which happens with tax credits. With the Trump tax credits expiring next year, Congress will look for areas to ‘pay for’ those tax credits and pulling from the IRA, in parts, will be the argument.
The Bottom Line. It is politically unlikely that the republican majority would gut the IRA, just look at where the hundreds of billions of factories are located. They will argue against it publicly and then pull some unused sections as pay fors in the attempt to extend tax cuts. Ultimately this assumption will be tested based on how November plays out.
Thank You. It’s been a great first week at FTC Solar, I appreciate all of your support and notes. With RE+ coming up, I hope to see you there and of course I look forward to touching base with those of you that are in the market for trackers. It’s amazing to be back on the solar coaster!
News
1 Politico:
Republican fight over green subsidies heads toward a boiling point
2 Utility Dive:
CAISO interconnection reform plan draws support from SoCal Ed, PG&E, PUC
3 Bloomberg:
China’s Top Solar Firm Reports Profit Jump on Clean Energy Boom
4 Axios:
Exclusive - Harris target of swing-state EV attack
5 PV-Tech:
Generate and KeyState close investment fund for 53.5MW of New York community solar
6 Renewable Energy World:
Blackouts in extreme weather drive demand for cleaner backup power
7 Energy Storage News:
TCC ups valuation of NHOA shares ahead of takeover
9 PV-Magazine:
TMEIC announces 9 GW utility-scale solar inverter factory in Texas
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Harris’s New Strategy - Equate Fighting Climate Change With ‘Freedom’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 23rd, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
IRA’s labor standard requirements could create 3.9M ‘high-quality’ jobs
2 Bloomberg:
Energy Prices Turn Negative in Europe as Renewables Abound
3 Reuters:
California rooftop solar subsidy to cost $8.5 billion a year, says ratepayer advocate
4 Axios:
The dangers of "overshooting" the Paris climate targets
6 Renewable Energy World:
Aussie plan to build ‘world’s largest’ solar farm moves forward
7 Energy Storage News:
Political uncertainty over tariffs prompts renegotiation for REV Renewables long-duration BESS
8 PV-Magazine:
Report shows U.S. states and utilities easing into EVs
Opinions:
9 Heatmap News:
What Happened When I Asked Maryland’s Larry Hogan About Climate Change
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 22nd, 2024
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Harris Goes Light on Climate Policy. Green Leaders Are OK With That.
2 Utility Dive:
FERC rejects Basin Electric’s cryptocurrency mining rate proposal
3 Canary Media:
The power grid is hard to understand. This startup is trying to help.
4 PV-Tech:
Google finances Swift Current Energy 800MW solar PV project in Illinois
5 Texas Standard:
As dangerous heat grips Texas, solar power and batteries keep the power grid humming along
6 Bloomberg:
China Cuts Back on New Permits For Coal Power as Renewables Boom
7 Energy Storage News:
Jupiter Power puts Houston’s first large-scale BESS into action in Texas’ ERCOT market
8 PV-Magazine:
GM signs agreement to match assembly plant power demand with solar
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
There’s a flood (of variable generation) down in Texas helping ERCOT manage demand records
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 21st, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Renewable Energy World:
SunRun surpasses 1 million residential solar customers
2 Bloomberg:
Southeast Asia Solar Boom at Risk From US-China Trade Stress
3 Canary Media:
Georgia voters could make or break their state’s clean energy jobs boom
4 Utility Dive:
More efficient electric vehicles can reduce grid stress, cut charging costs by almost a third - ACEEE
5 Axios:
Why climate is missing from climate groups' ad splurge
6 Reuters:
Australia approves $13.5 bln project to export solar power to Singapore
8 PV-Magazine:
Natron Energy announces $1.4 billion sodium ion battery factory in North Carolina
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
Battery storage could meet Illinois resource adequacy need as fossil fuels retire, analysis finds
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 20th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Coal Power Defined This Minnesota Town. Can Solar Win It Over?
2 Bloomberg:
Texas Grid Faces Biggest Test of Summer With Extreme Heat
3 Energy Storage News:
PNNL opens US DOE energy storage research facility, long-duration LCOS analysis published
4 PV-Magazine:
12 GW of utility-scale solar deployed in first half of 2024, doubling 2023
5 UTility Dive:
Surging data center power demand risks subtracting clean energy from the grid
6 Renewable Energy World:
‘It is unacceptable’
7 Canary Media:
More money is flowing to charge electric trucks in California
Opinions:
8 Reuters:
Comment - Two years in, the Inflation Reduction Act is uniting America and driving clean energy growth
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 19th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Solar Panel Makers Seek Retroactive Duties, Citing Import Surge
2 PV-Magazine:
Global solar module prices fall amid weak demand
3 Axios:
Scoop - Biden marries Big Labor to Big Solar
4 Canary Media:
Chart - US clean energy investment is soaring thanks to climate law
5 Reuters:
Europe's savvy new clean energy champion
6 Utility Dive:
Adding 8.5 GW of energy storage could save Illinois ratepayers $3B
7 Renewable Energy World:
$1.4B battery giga-factory coming to North Carolina
8 PV-Tech:
Providing data and minimising risk - in conversation with Anza
9 The Hill:
The Solar Investment Tax Credit is safe from repeal even if Republicans win in 2024
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
The Electric Grid Is a Wildfire Hazard. It Doesn’t Have to Be.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 16th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Maryland electric customers face up to 24% bill hikes from PJM capacity auction
2 Bloomberg:
Solar-Parts Maker Opens US Plant as Biden Pushes Domestic Supply
3 Heatmap News:
The IRA’s Labor Provisions Look Like They’re Working
4 NPR:
Rooftop solar has a fraud problem. The industry is working to build back trust
5 Canary Media:
Form Energy set to build world’s biggest battery in Maine
6 New York Times:
Wind Beat Coal Two Months in a Row for U.S. Electricity Generation
7 Reuters:
Utilities give clean energy investors a boost over solar
8 Renewable Energy World:
Alaska gives community solar a shot; will IRA-led investment follow?
9 Energy Storage News:
AGL to acquire Firm Power, adding 5.8GW to development pipeline
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
A look at IRA successes and failures
Have a great day!
Yann
