Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Axios:
Robotaxi infrastructure draws investor rush
2 Utility Dive:
US data center electricity use could more than double by 2030 - report
3 Solar Power World:
SEIA publishes report for increasing solar inverter cybersecurity
4 Energy Storage News:
FEOC compliance for BESS is a decade-long obligation
5 PV-Magazine:
Toyo says products made in Texas facility in 2025 expected be eligible for 45X tax credits
6 Bloomberg:
Germany to Slash Renewable Subsidies As Solar Surge Tests Grids
7 Reuters:
Morocco-Germany $30 billion power cable stalled by governance disagreements, sources say
8 Canary Media:
Balcony solar is sweeping the US, but who’s actually selling it?
9 Wall Street Journal:
Heineken Is Trying a Heat Battery to Generate Steam for Its Brewing
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Why States Are Making It Harder to Save Money With Solar Panels
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Axios:
Pawlenty's theory of the case for solar success
2 Utility Dive:
Renewables remain cheapest lcoe risinglazard
3 Bloomberg:
China to Impose Consumption Tax on Solar and Lithium Batteries
4 Reuters:
Trump cuts to clean energy linked to $83 billion in delayed or canceled projects
5 PV-Tech:
Navigating US solar cell supply
6 Solar Power World:
US will investigate solar cells from Ethiopia for potential tariff circumvention
7 Energy Storage News:
Eos to provide energy storage for US Department of Defense ‘Golden Dome,’ releases preliminary Q2 financials
8 Canary Media:
Google buys power from record-busting solar-battery site in Arkansas
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Rise in solar module prices comes to a halt
Have a great day!
Yann
The Slaughter Precedent. I made some of my viewpoints known about the impacts of the Slaughter decision a few weeks back but now you have the view of a particular expert, the former FERC chair that also happens to work in the solar industry. Worth a read.
Inverter Supply Chain. What happens if Chinese inverters get banned? What happens to how interconnection pipeline gets reviewed if unbuilt systems are being studied with banned inverters, do they go back into a study? Do you need to supply a new engineering report? What happens if an inverter on a site needs replacement, do you use what you have in inventory or do you need to use new options? Policy wise there is an interesting thing happening. It’s actually good policy in my opinion, but it’s also a lobbied position, likely by a newcomer that’s private equity backed and wants to sell and doesn’t have the ability to supply the gap in the market. The largest non-Chinese supplier doesn’t appear to really be involved in this and the second and third level ramifications haven’t fully been better in my opinion. My biggest concern is what happens if there is a different rule set up by each utility and RTO and even worse would be if some areas issue ‘rip and replace’ requirements, which would completely backlog the supply chain. Lots of thoughts, not a lot of answers at this point but worthy of your consideration.
News
1 Utility Dive:
Former FERC officials concerned about Supreme Court Slaughter decision impacts
2 PV-Tech:
EU’s Chinese inverter ban could affect 14% of future solar demand, Wood Mackenzie says
3 PV-Magazine:
Palmetto launches standalone residential battery subscription plan
4 Bloomberg:
China’s Top Solar Firm Makes Switch From Silver to Copper
5 Axios:
Microsoft's AI boom collides with its climate goals
6 Reuters:
From curiosity to cornerstone - how batteries went mainstream
7 Energy Storage News:
In the age of AI data centres and electrification, the grid is the real bottleneck
8 Canary Media:
Trump’s clean energy attacks are costing the US jobs
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Energy Abundance Is Here. Can the U.S. Catch Up?
Have a great day!
Yann
Inflationary Loss Of Tax Credits. The loss of the ITC causes the increase of off take cost by something like $20-$30 per MWh depending on where you are. One side will argue that that’s the market cost, i.e. a data center or utility pays for the energy that is produced without influence. On the other hand, if a solar deal goes up by $20, so will the pressure on the wholesale market because the value will levelize across the entire grid. The argument for the ITC extension is straightforward, it lowers the cost to consumers and businesses and spreads that cost, i.e. the cost of the tax credit, across the entire Federal balance sheet.
BYOP. Bring your own power, of course a concept that is helping data centers get connections faster. But I am more interested in the concept that the BYOP is all in DC, solar to the servers with every electron, including the grid (converted to DC), running through giant BESS systems. Batteries aren’t a backup, they are the supply chamber that regulates all of the needs and inputs that alleviates and warns the data center operator well in advance of any issues.
News
1 Reuters:
Killing wind and solar subsidies will make US electricity more expensive
2 Canary Media:
Data centers use more power in the US than in any other country
3 PV-Magazine:
Qualifying for solar tax credits beyond the July 4th deadline
4 PV-Tech:
US considers ban on Chinese solar inverters
5 New York Times:
Energy Dept. Orders Data Centers to Tap Backup Power
6 Utility Dive:
US wholesale power prices to decline 8% this summer - EIA
7 Axios:
A renewables playbook for the rest of Trump 2.0
8 Solar Power World:
Enphase debuts smart thermostat displaying home solar production
Opinions:
9 Bloomberg:
Renewables Hit Record Share of India Power Mix as Coal Flatlines
Have a great day!
Yann
