The US Manufacturer Money Grab. As I predicted, there is no surprise that SolarWorld is joining the 201 petition. Now that the ITC has decided to hear the case, there is a rush to be part of the subsidies that could be created for robots in US factories. If you think I am overreaching my robot comment, go to a module assembly plant in China built in the past year. It’s all robots, we are beyond the stage of people putting modules together. I see a settlement happening with some capital out of the tariff pool being distributed to keep US plants running. But how that capital actually creates sustainable jobs in the US is lost on me, I don’t see it working. One thing that will come out over the next few months are the names behind this petition that hurt the solar industry. Some you know and some you will be surprised about but never underestimate someone’s desire to make money on the backs of others.
Going to the next level. This week I visited the new O&M operations center that Swinerton has built. The subsidiary that handles O&M is SOLV and the facility is first class. With NERC level security and data processes, I had the takeaway that solar is at a level of impact to the grid that warrants more than an excel file. Asset owners have to be accessible and responsible to grid operators with their large interconnects. This seems like only the beginning but it was great to see solar assets being managed in this way. If you wonder what it looked like, think Homer Simpson meets the Jetsons in the power plant control room.
The Energy Storage Road Show is moving forward now scheduling the week of June 5th in Los Angeles!
Market Reforms Need to Happen. I’ve talked about this in the past and agree with the PSEG CEO on the needed market reforms. Deregulation went from monopolies to having three parties, generators, transmission and retailers. Next step of market participation takes the number to well over a dozen. Energy efficiency, frequency operators, etc will make ISOs think hard about how to create a consumer centric market with the right pricing signals.
- PV-Magazine: BREAKING – SolarWorld Americas joins Suniva’s trade petition
- PV-Tech: Swinerton Renewable Energy subsidiary open for business in San Diego
- Utility Dive: PSEG CEO wants regulatory reforms to boost efficiency, renewables in New Jersey
- Bloomberg: China Pushes Solar to the Roof as Bigger Plants Stay Idle
- Think Progress: Nuclear industry prices itself out of power market, demands taxpayers keep it afloat
- mLive: Ann Arbor wants to go solar in a big way to shrink carbon footprint
- New York Times: Looking for Trump’s Climate Policy? Try the Energy Department
- NRDC: Since 2005 the G7 Has Recognized Threat of Climate Change
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann