Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 BloomBerg:
Senate Begins Putting Its Stamp on Giant Trump Tax, Debt Limit Bill
2 Financial Times:
Chinese battery glut plugs into solar boom to power Pakistan
3 PV-Magazine:
Leading threat to farmland is real estate development, not solar, agricultural analysts say
4 Reuters:
Azerbaijan, BP sign agreements on solar power plant in Karabakh
5 PV-Tech:
National Grid Renewables rebrands to Geronimo Power
6 Energy Storage News:
Powin could cease operations by end of July if ‘present business circumstances do not improve’
7 Canary Media:
In N.C., all eyes on Senator Tillis as IRA tax credits hang in balance
8 Utility Dive:
Why better monitoring of US transformers is a national security imperative
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Save Us, Senators, From a Very Expensive Mistake
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Republican Senator praises energy tax credits during visit to Fluence factory in Utah
2 Canary Media:
The quiet demise of Texas’ anti-renewables legislation
3 Utility Dive:
California’s solar, wind curtailment jumped 29% in 2024
4 PV-Magazine:
Residential loan provider Mosaic issues pause on operations
5 Reuters:
Swiss solar panel maker Meyer Burger files for insolvency for German subsidiaries
6 Axios:
Supreme Court narrows key environmental law's scope in 8-0 ruling
7 PV-Tech:
Waaree Energies secures 586MW US solar module supply deal
Opinions:
8 Washington Post:
Trump is forcing this dirty, costly coal plant to stay open
Have a great day!
Yann
Back To The Basics. Solar has grown so much and the costs are down, why does it still need subsidies? Is literally the oldest, and most idiotic, argument in the playbook. My first solar project that I sold got an ITC worth nearly $3 per watt. Today, the taxpayer provides a tax credit for projects that is far below that. Meanwhile, oil and gas wells get credits and depreciation that has increased over time since the price of the commodity has increased. Oil and gas also get to offset active income which solar does not get to benefit from.
Good For Consumers. Solar will still get built but the costs will hurt businesses and consumers, driving up the cost of electricity for the overall economy to operate. If the government were concerned about lowering the cost of the credit it could look at how to lower the input capex costs burdened by duties and tariffs or even increase domestic manufacturing credits so that manufacturers produced goods with lower costs to the projects claiming the ITC.
DOGE Chimes In. On his last day at DOGE, Elon Musk agrees with me and his view from the past decade, which is if we want a level playing field for energy, it isn’t just about cutting solar credits but all energy tax benefits that far outweigh the cost of solar and underwhelm the comparable value given solar’s position to generate the energy needed for American Energy Dominance.
Smarter Power Electronics. Whether it’s the grid in the US or more recently in Spain, we have to make our power electronics smarter. Inverters can be a more valuable tool to grid operators with ride through capabilities and energy storage with advanced energy management systems (EMS) are a critical damper to grids that need that additional operational intelligence. As a market, especially asset owners, I would urge all you to investigate the reality of enhancing your capabilities with an EMS swap for your storage assets to increase availability and grid value.
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Musk, Tesla blast GOP plans to end clean energy tax credits in megabill
2 Utility Dive:
Transformer, breaker backlogs persist, despite reshoring progress
3 Bloomberg:
Spain Blackout Blame Game Heats Up as Iberdrola Points to Grid
4 Axios:
More climate tech projects are dying on the vine
5 Reuters:
Record US clean power run rolls on through May
6 PV-Tech:
The hidden digital highways threatening critical solar PV infrastructure
7 Energy Storage News:
Republican Senator praises energy tax credits during visit to Fluence factory in Utah
8 PV-Magazine:
Why Pennsylvania’s efforts to legalize community solar might make a breakthrough
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Why the solar industry is counting Ohio’s newest energy law as a win
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Federal court strikes down Trump’s tariffs on countries around the world
2 India Times:
Chinese 'kill switches' found in equipment at US solar firms trigger national security fears. What are they?
3 Solar Power World:
Meyer Burger lays off workforce at Arizona solar panel factory
4 Reuters:
Trump administration cancels Sunnova's $2.92 billion government loan guarantee
5 Utility Dive:
Vistra solar, battery projects in MISO face supply chain delays
6 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge opens Indian R&D hub, plans 200 hires by 2027
7 Energy Storage News:
Massachusetts moves toward goal of procuring 5,000MW of BESS by 2030
8 Canary Media:
Li-Cycle’s quest to recycle lithium-ion batteries ends in bankruptcy
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Texas legislature passes bill to expedite solar, energy storage permitting
Have a great day!
Yann
