This is your SolarWakeup for July 1st, 2024
The AI Propportunity. I don’t listen to many cleantech podcasts (tend to stick to my hometown sports pod…Go Panthers!). But in this week’s podcast with John Engel and Mike Casey the topic of AI came up and gave me a few thoughts. AI is going to use a lot of energy, even as AI chip usage will get more efficient, I’d assume that it will still be 10x as much per query and likely get queried more than a typical search does today. On the other hand, electrification in transportation and smart homes will increase demand so much that every utility and ISO is working through their demand projections that probably put the grid up 15-20% by 2030 (which is an insane growth curve). Last year solar made up 75% of new generation (on a capacity basis) which probably doesn’t even keep up with retirements and reduction in availability from aging power plants, let alone load growth. This is definitely a megatrend in my mind, just how much more solar will have to be built to keep up with the economic growth in the US and abroad, and what can I do about it?
News
1 Renewable Energy World:
AI could strain the grid, or make it a lot smarter — This Week in Cleantech
2 Reuters:
Right-wing shift may slow, not reverse climate action
3 Axios:
Biden-Trump debate lacked energy ... literally
4 PV-Magazine:
Iron flow battery manufacturer secures $50 million investment
5 Bloomberg:
Silver Spikes as Solar Sucks Supply-BNEF
6 PV-Tech:
More energy storage to alleviate solar PV curtailment issues in Greece
7 Canary Media:
Huge, controversial LNG export terminal gets green light from FERC
Opinions:
8 Energy Storage News:
Navigating the IRA landscape
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 28th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
America will need 500 TWh more power in 2028. This simple solution could help.
2 Bloomberg:
American Support for EVs, Solar and Wind Energy Wanes, Pew Says
3 New York Times:
Biden vs. Trump on Climate Policy
4 Reuters:
UK power sector cuts fossil fuel use to new lows
5 PV-Tech:
Focusing manufacturing, implementing legislation and tackling a fractured market – takeaways from Intersolar Europe 2024
6 Renewable Energy World:
How the Inflation Reduction Act is playing out in one of the ‘most biased’ states for renewables
7 Solar Power World:
Generac Power Systems acquires North American energy storage EPC
8 Energy Storage News:
Trina Storage launches cell-to-AC BESS solution in US, signs first Germany project deal
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Recurrent Energy transfers $103 million in tax credits for Oklahoma project
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 27th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Recheck launches residential solar verification platform with partners SEIA, Sunrun
2 Axios:
VW-Rivian deal holds benefits for both automakers
3 Reuters:
California drives US battery storage growth in power systems
4 PV-Tech:
Doral Renewables bags US$400 million for US pipeline
5 Renewable Energy World:
DOE is doling out $63M to commercialize these four energy technologies
6 Solar Power World:
Trina to unveil 10-MWh ESS to North American market this summer
7 Energy Storage News:
California utility SCE seeks approval for 750MW of energy storage resource adequacy contracts
8 Canary Media:
Missed deadlines pile up as New York’s climate law turns five
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar ingot and wafer manufacturing coming to Oklahoma
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Trump’s War on Clean Energy Would Benefit China, Economists Say
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 26th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Data centers, EVs to significantly boost US power load by 2030, consultancy says
2 Solar Power World:
Solar panel production begins at Meyer Burger plant in Arizona
3 PV-Tech:
US ranks first again in EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index
4 Energy Storage News:
SRP inaugurates 340MW/1,360MWh BESS assets ahead of Arizona summer peak challenges
5 Bloomberg:
IT Glitch Sends German Power Price Soaring to 22-Month High
6 Canary Media:
How Massachusetts is helping fleets of cars and trucks go electric
7 Renewable Energy World:
The ‘Wild West’ of hooking up large solar projects in New Hampshire
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
‘We expect solar panel prices to stabilize in the second half of the year’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 24th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
The heat day is the new snow day
2 Utility Dive:
Aging coal plants are increasingly unreliable due to cycling increases and deferred maintenance - NERC
3 Bloomberg:
Ferrari Unveils Factory to Make Its First Electric Supercars
4 PV_Tech:
Maxeon CEO talks financial difficulties, module prices and AD/CVD – part 1
5 Renewable Energy World:
New York approves plan to add six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030
6 Energy Storage News:
Nevada utility NV Energy seeks approval for 1GW+ of battery storage PPAs in 2024 resource plan
7 Canary Media:
Chart - Electric vehicle growth is slowly eating into global oil demand
8 PV-Magazine:
Data-driven electricity demand to double from 2022 levels by 2026
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Puerto Rico Will Not Go Quietly Into the Dark
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 20th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Wall Street Journal:
Solar Energy Faces Cloudy Prospects on Warehouse Rooftops
2 PV-Tech:
Warning of ‘crazy’ price pressures in European PV as Intersolar 2024 gets underway
3 Renewable Energy World:
Duke Energy to power five military bases with clean energy
4 Heatmap News:
Crux Is Getting Some Powerful New Backers
5 Energy Storage News:
CATL provides more details on ‘zero-degradation’ Tener BESS product at ees Europe
6 Canary Media:
Mississippi just got its first utility-scale wind farm
7 PV-Magazine:
U.S. grid-scale storage grows 84%, residential storage 48%
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
FERC reconsiders Southeast Energy Exchange Market approval
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 19th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Economist:
Private firms are driving a revolution in solar power in Africa
2 Time:
Another Solar Company Goes Bust
3 Canary Media:
New startup aims to bring ‘solar-led electrification’ to California homes
4 PV-Magazine:
Final guidance released on IRA’s prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements
5 Axios:
Startup deploys generative AI to close "climate skills gap" at big companies
6 Reuters:
UK's Octopus Energy enters US renewables market with solar deal
7 PV-Tech:
Fraunhofer ISE uses digital twin model and deep learning for optimised tracking
8 Solar Power World:
GAF Energy to use DOE investment to build solar shingle testing site
9 Utility Dive:
California agency awards $26.7M for long-duration energy storage projects
Opinions:
10 Energy Storage News:
Ees Europe - Product launches from big players to startups, at Europe’s biggest cleantech industry expo
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 18th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Quartz:
Solar power is now bigger than oil — for the first time ever
2 Renewable Energy World:
Maryland Senate president takes job with solar energy company
3 Energy Storage News:
VIDEO - Energy-Storage.news meets… FlexGen
4 Reuters:
NextEra Energy to sell $2 bln of equity units
5 PV-Tech:
CAISO takes control of Arizona-California transmission link
6 Solar Power World:
Electriq Power files for bankruptcy, liquidates assets
7 Detroit Free Press:
DTE to raze more of 'Trenton Stacks' power plant in transition to battery energy storage
8 Canary Media:
UK’s Octopus Energy plans to ramp up Texas presence with new investment
9 PV-Magazine:
Bill seeks to establish community solar market in Michigan
Opinions:
10 Utility Dive:
Trump could roll back Inflation Reduction Act tax credits in a second term
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 17th, 2024
Opinion
News
1 Canary Media:
Chart - Clean energy set to attract double investment spent on fossil fuels
2 Utility Dive:
CAISO board approves ‘transformational’ grid interconnection reforms
3 PV-Magazine:
New York continues long duration energy storage investments with $5M funding initiative
4 Bloomberg:
French Power Slumps as Surging Renewables Push Out Atomic Plants
5 Axios:
Record-breaking, widespread and stubborn heat wave to blanket U.S. this week
6 Renewable Energy World:
Transmission utilities profiting from generator-paid network upgrades ‘may be unjust,’ FERC says
7 Solar Power World:
5-GW solar panel plant coming to Tennessee
8 Energy Storage News:
Austria making €18 million available for medium-scale energy storage projects
Opinions:
9 Reuters:
Carlyle explores sale of electric power producer Cogentrix, FT reports
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 14th, 2024
The 50 Years of Solar. Last night the solar industry filled the atrium of the National Portrait Gallery and celebrated via a Gala the 50-year anniversary of this industry. Some of the founders were there and we’ll include the almost founder Tony Clifford of Standard Solar. It’s always great to see him. I doubt that anyone in 1974 would have imagined 5 million solar installations, 200GW, and $60B of deployment per year in the half century that would follow. SEIA was founded 5 years before President Carter installed solar on the pool house at the White House (Reagan didn’t love them). Congrats and thank you to the 50+ tables at the event, I love seeing the progress.
Trip Down Memory Lane. Some (maybe many) of you have been following this newsletter long enough to know that in some ways we’re the unofficial chronicle of the solar market, both external and internal. In the early days, I recognized that SolarWakeup may have been a thorn in the sides of those who were running SEIA. Things were messy and it wasn’t clear which direction solar should go but like a strong family, we kind of figured it out. Yes, there was a time when we debated whether SEIA should advocate for the ITC or let it go, I was called a welfare queen when I (along with some support) launched the Solar Pledge. Those of you who remember me as a PIA, I’m sorry, I’m glad I consider you friends today. So here's the message for the next 50 years of SEIA leaders. Let’s take our rightful place to build a better grid, cleaner grid, more equitable and cheaper grid, and ultimately a grid where solar power shines at night. Here’s to the Solar Century!
News
1 Bloomberg:
Solar Power’s Giants Are Providing More Energy Than Big Oil
2 New York Times:
What to Know About Europe’s Extra Tariffs on Chinese Electric Cars
3 Axios:
Drenched South Florida faces fresh flood threats
4 Reuters:
Bound by rules and economics, EU trails U.S. on China tariffs
5 PV-Tech:
Swift Solar bags US$27 million for US perovskite development
6 Renewable Energy World:
Senate approves all three of Biden’s FERC nominees
7 Energy Storage News:
VIDEO - Energy-Storage.news meets… FlexGen
8 Canary Media:
This coal-heavy rural co-op utility is buying its first solar plants
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar represents over 80 % of U.S. electric capacity additions in 2024
Opinions:
10 Utility Dive:
How can more companies use 24/7 clean energy? Hourly matching is ‘not the hard part,’ analysts say
Have a great day!
Yann
