SC Takeaway. SC isn’t the likeliest candidate for taking strong solar steps forward, on the face of it. SC is very conservative and does not require bipartisan agreement to move legislation forward. When you compare SC to other nearby States, the main difference is the recent trouble by the utilities charging for and not building the nuclear power plants. I don’t know if legislative success would have been different without the nuclear blunder but I would say that advanced cost recovery for nuclear development is not isolated to South Carolina and it’s not going well in other places either. The desire to build new power plants is universal amongst utilities with rate base, that may be the trend that Vote Solar sees an opportunity in just as they did in Michigan.
The RPS Year? We’ve already seen the ballot initiative trend about moving the RPS up in a few places under the Steyer banner. We also know that Nevada and California will be working on this in the legislative avenues after last year’s attempts that fell short. New Jersey is also into the game now that the Governor’s office is a bit more receptive that under Christie. Phil Murphy has been a vocal supporter of our industry and has advisors that are also on our side. On a personal note, US Ambassador to Germany is definitely a gig I would sign up for.
The Storage Industry. I’d be surprised if the solar jobs census next year doesn’t include data for energy storage. This is a market segment growing very rapidly and generating value on economic development and grid infrastructure.
Montana NEM Report. Montana may be the first state to figure out how to value distributed solar lower than the avoided cost used for PURPA contracts. (Maybe not really but it can’t be far off) Reports like this have been seen in other states as well and it’s a troubling distortion of facts. Net metering at its best form is a simple way for consumers to produce their own energy. It creates a benefit for the party making the investment and more importantly a benefit to the system.
Send Tips. You can reach Frank and me by replying to this email or sending an email to frank@solarwakeup.com. If you have data that you want to send confidentially, you can use the tips or contact form on solarwakeup.com
- SolarWakeup: South Carolina Sends Solar Soaring With Cap Removal
- SolarWakeup: New Jersey Solar Industry Receives Much-Needed Win
- Greentech Media: In Germany, Storage Now Has More Than Half the Number of Jobs of the Lignite Sector
- Billings Gazette: Montana’s largest utility overpays for rooftop solar energy, study suggests
- Rocky Mountain Institute: Can Massachusetts Correct a Market Failure by Making Home Energy Use More Transparent?
- Renew Economy: Consumers are sick of Coalition’s coal fantasy – They are going solar
- Axios: Renewables grow and China leads the way
- Energy Storage News: National Grid guidance on co-locating storage with generation
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann