End Of An Era. You have probably already seen the news that SEIA CEO, Abby Hopper, will be stepping down at the end of January. I may have been the very first interview that her team put her on 9 years ago, and it wasn’t because I was going to be the easy, pleasant conversation. But that’s who Abby has been over her tenure, having the conversations with a membership and industry that has lots of competing ideas. SEIA is too much this or that and too vocal and too weak, not to mention growing the membership and market as a partner to many of us. She convinced me that I should join the board and help from the inside which I did a few years ago and it’s been a pleasure to do. SEIA will continue to thrive, the staff is strong and oriented on the mission to keep solar as the most cost effective, rapidly deployable energy source. But, we will miss Abby and her leadership.
Opinion
News
1 E&E News:
The solar industry’s top advocate stepping down
2 Energy Storage News:
Global energy storage deployments on track for record year in 2025, BNEF says
3 Reuters:
US grid investors focus on demand hotspots in planning shift
4 Bloomberg:
GE Vernova Agrees to Pay $5.3 Billion for 50% Prolec Stake
5 Axios:
Exclusive - Bill Gates vets launch group aiming to boost cleantech policy
6 Canary Media:
California has a new law to prevent big grid battery fires
7 PV-Tech:
Section 232 polysilicon tariffs could be clarified by ‘end of the month’
8 Utility Dive:
DOE cancels $700 million in battery and manufacturing project grants
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Batteries boost as Brookfield seals $20 billion energy transition warchest
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 New York Times:
Subsidizing Fossil Fuels, but Not Clean Energy
2 Axios:
Amazon provides vision of its new nuclear site
3 Reuters:
US clean power reversal comes with a hefty emissions price tag
4 Bloomberg:
Silicon Valley Bets on Solar Startup as US Sector Shrinks
5 PV-Tech:
US utility PV up 56% in 2024, accounting for 54% of all new capacity – LNBL
6 Solar Power World:
Alliant Energy adds 100-MW BESS next to 200-MW Wisconsin solar project
7 Energy Storage News:
Chile to reach 2050 energy storage target within next two years, says energy minister
8 Canary Media:
Trump admin approves $1.6B in financing for AEP transmission project
9 PV-Magazine:
Cadmium telluride vs. crystalline silicon in agrivoltaics
Opinions:
10 Utility Dive:
PJM customers will benefit from cooperation, not conflict, within the electric industry
Have a great day!
Yann
Nuclear Curiosity. I’m legitimately curious about SMRs (small modular nuclear reactors), not from a technical feasibility, cost or timing but something a bit more solar and storage related. The development process. Thinking through the questions a zoning board or County commission would have about an SMR being installed. How would they answer and fill out the forms? What about the training of the fire department? End of life cleanup? Fuel storage? Assessment for property taxes? That’s just what comes to the top of my mind and I can’t figure out how this is going to work but I’m sure there are some answers, which I would love to hear from you about.
Timelines Tighter. Having spent some time at the FTC training sandbox, I would love to invite you to check it out as well. As project timelines get squeezed, I know our team continues to push hard to make a quality tracker that’s also faster to install. You can see a 45 second Timelapse here, on how the FTC tracker is nearly 2x faster than other trackers. I know I’m biased, but you’ve known me long enough to at least be curious enough to come to see it for yourself. Training facility in Austin so you can also enjoy some BBQ while here.
News
1 Axios:
Energy chief Wright to outline fusion road map
2 BLoomberg:
JPMorgan Says US Risks Missing Energy Goals Without Wind, Solar
3 Energy Storage News:
PJM area faces urgent energy storage need, US Energy Storage Coalition reports
4 New York Times:
Renewable Energy Is Booming Despite Trump’s Efforts to Slow It
5 Solar Builder:
Details on Colorado’s push for dispatchable distributed energy
6 PV-Tech:
India adds 4.9GW residential rooftop solar in H1
7 Solar Power World:
Wärtsilä launches GEMS Pulse predictive analytics for BESS projects
8 Utility Dive:
Interior denies canceling largest solar project in U.S. after axing review
9 PV-Magazine:
China imposes new export controls on lithium ion battery technology
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Can farmland thrive with solar? This Virginia nonprofit is finding out.
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 New York Times:
Coal Miners With Black Lung Say They Are ‘Cast Aside to Die’ Under Trump
2 Bloomberg:
Battery Maker Fluence Sees US Accounting for Half of 2026 Demand
3 Politico:
Bessent says US in talks with China to prevent new trade war
4 Toledo Blade:
Employee dies at Perrysburg-area First Solar facility,company says
5 Reuters:
EDP to accelerate solar, battery projects in Australia after government awards
6 PV-Tech:
Solar power’s ‘meteoric’ rise, growth of distributed solar and battery co-location among key DNV energy trends
7 Solar Power World:
If community solar programs are successful, why not try community storage?
8 Energy Storage News:
UK BESS asset management has moved to ‘disciplined, systems-level approach’
9 PV-Magazine:
Court orders FEMA to consider distributed solar and storage for Puerto Rico hurricane recovery
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
How Trump gutted the team meant to build America’s energy future
Have a great day!
Yann
