I am on my way to New York for the third edition of SolarWakeup Live! 6 years ago, this newsletter went to about 40 people and it’s unbelievable where it has gone since. On Wednesday there will be almost 150 people in a room to join in a conversation about solar. The hope is that this becomes a monthly get together because our industry is constantly moving forward, deploying well over $20 billion every year. See you Wednesday!
Energy Progression. A few years ago there was a massive coal to natural gas replacement cycle. In Florida, there was also a oil to gas replacement. The replacement cycle is supposed to revolve every 30+ years or so. As we’ve seen in Michigan, it may be the end of gas as a replacement source given where the cost curves of renewables and storage are and where they’re going. At the very least, ratepayers should be given the choice to invest in a future that prices in the cost of fuel price volatility and the source of the energy. Time to look up after a century of looking down.
NJ Back To The Top. State races matter as New Jersey is showing us. NJ will be fixing the solar market shortly after a Christie veto and is now going back into RGGI and backing the Paris climate accord. I’m excited to see where NJ goes from here, it has a great market that can reestablish the area as a solar powerhouse.
Tax Shell Game. Ever since the tax reform came through, some regulators have pushed for utilities to pass the additional profits back to ratepayers. This sounds like recouping fuel savings when the prices drop which never seem to go back to where they came from when rates went up. For solar, this is a catch 22 since our unspoken secret is that we do better when rates go up and never down. I don’t see many of you rushing to advocate at the commissions to bring this money back to the ratepayers.
Coming To America. Jinko has confirmed that it’s coming to Florida with a secret procurement deal. I’ve gotta say something that seems obvious to me. There are only a few buyers in the US marketplace that would sign a 1.75GW module deal, especially somewhat tied to the intention of opening a factory in Florida Moreover, navigating the Florida economic development council takes work on top of the legwork you need to engage the Jacksonville Mayor’s office at the same time. Leaving the procurement announcement nameless seems ridiculous to me, there is a well over 75% chance that Florida Power & Light/NextEra is the counterparty. This wouldn’t be the first time that NextEra has tried to do this, they’ve been looking for a manufacturing win for almost a decade.
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- The Guardian: Natural gas killed coal – now renewables and batteries are taking over
- Renewable Energy World: New Jersey Rejoins “RGGI,” the U.S. Northeast Carbon Cap and Trade Program
- EDF: New federal tax law is a boon for electric utilities – another reason not to bail out Ohio’s coal and nuclear plants
- PV-Magazine: BREAKING – JinkoSolar confirms plans to invest $410 million in Jacksonville, Florida
- Post and Courier: As Trump’s tariffs wound solar industry, South Carolina advocates call for state’s help
- GreenBiz: 5 reasons why the clean energy future is unstoppable
- Electric: Mercedes-Benz unveils aggressive electric vehicle production plan, 6 factories, and a ‘global battery network’
- Utility Dive: S&C Electric to exit storage business
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann