The President is looking to raise $32Billion per year from new revenues. Not everyone is a fan of this new idea, namely Congressman Paul Ryan who called this an “out of touch climate agenda.” The idea is very simple, add a $10 fee to every barrel of oil sold in the US. At today’s prices you are talking about a ~30% tax to oil. This would accomplish two things, first it would increase the price of gas so that people look for more efficient options and second it would provide the financial resource to invest in cleaner infrastructure or mass transportation.
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Obama to Propose a $10-a-Barrel Fee on Oil
2 Greentech Media:
Does Nevada’s Controversial Net Metering Decision Set a Precedent for the Nation?
3 CleanTechnica:
The Looming Electricity Storage Threat Our Utilities Face
4 Solar Industry:
Massachusetts Backs Early-Stage Clean Energy Companies
5 PV-Magazine:
US - Cumulative solar installs top 28 GW, 16 GW of renewables installed in 2015
6 Los Angeles Timess:
Revamping the electric grid could yield huge cost savings, SolarCity report says
7 Grist:
The world’s biggest solar plant takes important step forward
8 Utility Dive:
Kauai co-op integrates over 70% solar, 90% renewables four times in January
Opinions:
9 Seeking Alpha:
Politically, SolarCity Trumps Utilities
Have a great day!
Yann
Japan is innovating the art of solar brokers. Instead of the introduction, non-circumvent, game of hide and seek; Yahoo will be taking the solar project to a 3-day auction. The project is 500kW and pre-construction which will make it more interesting but this could also be a FIT phenomenon. The standard regulatory process makes diligence of documentation a bit easier but there is no reason that a good developer could get a US project through an auction. I can see it already, ebay for solar…
Opinion
News
1 Financial Times:
Yahoo Japan to host online auction of solar power plant
2 Rocky Mountain Institute:
New York Just Proposed Its Plan to Reach 50% Renewables
3 Greentech Media:
A Solar Installer in Hawaii on Storage Hype and Getting to 100% Renewables
4 PV-Tech:
On the ground - How Nevada’s net metering fiasco has left solar installers reeling
5 Renewable Energy World:
Kansas Tax Authority Confirms Only a Utility May Sell Power in Kansas
6 PV-Magazine:
UK solar firms challenge government subsidy cuts in appeal court
7 Utility Dive:
NARUC opposes King-Reid solar net metering amendment to federal energy bill
8 Lowell Sun:
Gov. Baker unveils $15M solar, renewable energy plan
Opinions:
9 EDF:
3 Ways Texas’ Grid is Getting Smarter Thanks to DOE’s SunShot Initiative
Have a great day!
Yann
Interestingly (and under the radar), energy has been making its way through the Senate. But when it comes to energy in the US, it is still very much the shale gas revolution. I really can’t fault the system for this but if you do, I would understand that too. It’s an election year, energy has been beat up and gas is spending the dollars in D.C. which solar is not. Everyone is raising money like crazy and in a decade long lobbying effort, the long money can make progress like this so it is not surprising. If solar wants to win these long battles, we have to look in the mirror on how we spend money in policy beyond individual companies.
Opinion
News
1 Think Progress:
In The Biggest Energy Bill The Senate Has Debated In 8 Years, They Forgot Coal
2 PV-Magazine:
Tesla’s Musk confirms Powerwall 2.0 is on the way
3 Forbes:
This Software Reduces Soft Costs For Solar Installations
4 PV-Tech:
Global clean energy R&D push on course after Paris boost
5 Renewable Energy World:
California Bridges the Green Divide with Nation’s Biggest Solar Program
6 NRDC:
Polluters' Last-Ditch Bid to Stay Clean Power Plan Faces Long Odds at Supreme Court
7 Greentech Media:
Cleantech Funding Train Keeps On Rolling
8 Utility Dive:
Indiana utility requests 80% fixed charge increase
Opinions:
9 Reno Gazette Journal:
NV Energy files ideas to soften solar rate hike
Have a great day!
Yann
I spent some time managing PR and obviously watch story trends on a daily basis. A normal story has a daylong trend, a good story can last a few days while a great story gets articles about the original story written about it. But scandals have a unique ability to boil over from one media outlet to a bigger one for weeks on end. Typically the antagonist will first try to ignore a scandal, then try to make it seem less than what it is but once papers like the New York Times write the original story covering it, you can contain it no longer. Welcome to Nevada, home of a PR scandal.
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Nevada’s Solar Bait-and-Switch
2 Seeking Alpha:
Why Solar Stocks Have Immense Upside Despite Current Pessimism
3 Rocky Mountain Institute:
As Oil Prices Gyrate, Underlying Trends Are Shifting To Oil's Disadvantage
4 Think Progress:
Why The Renewables Revolution Is Now Unstoppable
5 PV-Tech:
Warning that Japan’s auctions could cap new PV at 2GW a year and signal end of FiT
6 PV-Magazine:
Germany - Solar installs just 1.37 GW in 2015
7 Utility Dive:
17% of Hawaiian Electric customers now have rooftop solar
8 Newsweek:
GOOGLE TESTS SOLAR-POWERED '5G' INTERNET DRONES
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
Was the renewables industry better off under Abbott than Turnbull?
Have a great day!
Yann
