This is your SolarWakeup for October 2nd, 2023
Win The Win And +. Not everyone is aware that SEIA is heading into board of directors elections and unfortunately, the current chair, George Hershman, is termed out. After 4 years at the helm alongside Abby Hopper, George helped guide the association through unique times to say the least. Having spent the last year and a half serving as the chair of the energy storage division, I can see how the prioritization of the association has put us in a position to lead on many issues as the issues never really stop. From Covid times to the IRA passage, SEIA has been in the middle of the discussion in and around DC.
Hardware Needs Good Software. Yesterday’s announcement from Apple hits close to my daily business life. The iPhone 15 was getting hot, the kinds that makes it physically unable to be touched. The reason for the iPhone malfunction wasn’t the processor or battery but the software that enables the hardware to do what it was supposed to do. Unlike solar panels, that are activated by sunlight, the entirety of a battery storage system is enabled by the software that runs it. Whether it works, and how well it works, is determined by the operating system specified by the asset owner. So just like Apple, don’t overlook this step in your next storage project.
Managing Installer Cash Flow. Interest rates are the highest in 22 years, increasing solar financing costs and softening consumer demand for loan products. Businesses are feeling the pain of strained cash flows, labor costs and profitability pressures. Palmetto, a B2B technology company accelerating the adoption of clean energy, has announced a new partnership offering for solar installers to help stabilize cash flows and grow faster in today’s market. Built on top of Palmetto’s Clean Energy Operating Platform, this is a comprehensive suite of tools and services enabling installers to streamline operations, optimize performance, and increase profitability. Visit https://www.palmetto.com/partners or contact capital@palmetto.com for more.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Teeing up the “Solar + Decade”
2 CNBC:
Apple will issue a software update to address iPhone 15 overheating complaints
3 Utility Dive:
Climate models underestimate renewables progress, overstate net zero costs
4 Bloomberg:
US Weighing Record $1 Billion Loan for Massive Lithium Mine in Nevada
5 Axios:
Get ready for winter
6 Reuters:
Europe's solar industry warns against tariffs on imports
7 PV-Tech:
US DOE provides US$3.3 billion loan to Sunnova for data collection and analysis
8 Canary Media:
These 25 utilities are united by one big goal
9 Energy Storage News:
Energy storage can make community solar more financially resilient in wake of bank failures
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
The Climate Fight Will Be Won in the Appliance Aisle
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 29th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
PJM board calls for capacity market changes to bolster grid reliability, resource adequacy
2 Axios:
Extreme weather could cause insurance rates across the country to spike
3 Reuters:
Brookfield enters second renewable energy joint venture with Axis Energy
4 PV-Tech:
North America has US$12 trillion on the table for renewables generation and grids – DNV
5 Renewable Energy World:
Rural cooperatives seek $93B for IRA clean energy projects
6 Solar Power World:
Sunnova signs $3 billion loan agreement with DOE for virtual power plants
7 Canary Media:
These 25 utilities are united by one big goal - 80% less CO2 by 2030
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
The win-win of agrivoltaics
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 28th, 2023
My World’s Collide. Some ten years ago a friend of mine took me to a boat auction, where dealers were buying repossessed boats and I was hooked. Living in South Florida, it’s hard to separate water from everyday life so I made a small investment that built one of the largest boat dealers in Fort Lauderdale. As a side effect, I tend to go to the boat show every year and while most of it is about the newest (read bigger) model that the same manufacturers put out, there’s always some new thing including some boats that had an electric/solar component. Mostly those were gondolas, or a solar powered dinghy with a 5hp trolling motor. But reading this article about an electric wakeboarding boat makes me long for the quieter lake days, wakesurfing until the sun goes down. We’re not going to electrify the marine industry but this thing could actually work and I love to see it. My electrification/battery/boat worlds colliding in 2023, that’s pretty damn cool. P.S. don’t worry about charging infrastructure for boats, shore power has been a thing for a very long time.
News
1 Canary Media:
Electric boat builder Arc raises $70M for cleaner, quieter vessels
2 Utility Dive:
Hickenlooper touts interregional transmission as new report tackles US grid risks
3 Bloomberg:
US Government Shutdown Poised to Delay Billions From Biden’s Climate Law
4 Axios:
Paris Agreement's most ambitious target still within reach - report
5 PV-Tech:
Solar leads the pack as renewables keep global net zero hopes alive – IEA
6 Energy Storage News:
Tesla Megapack on fire in ‘minor incident’ at battery storage site in Australia
7 PV-Magazine:
Solar is reliably and predictably supporting the Texas grid
Opinions:
8 Reuters:
RPT-COLUMN-Beaten down US solar sector may be primed for a rebound - Maguire
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 27th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Mexico eyes US energy exports from solar farm, chip supply chain role
2 Axios:
Climate change made Houston's summer hotter
3 New York Times:
Can the U.S. Make Solar Panels? This Company Thinks So.
4 Renewable Energy World:
Dominion completes environmental review for Virginia offshore wind farm
5 Utility Dive:
Xcel Colorado proposes $15B plan to double renewables, add gas and energy storage capacity
6 Bloomberg:
France Targets Faster Solar and Biogas Growth to Cut Emissions
7 PV-Tech:
SolarPower Europe
8 Energy Storage News:
Central & Eastern Europe’s energy storage market has huge potential but ‘needs a kickstart’
9 Canary Media:
This company is at the cutting edge of solar panel efficiency
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
Producing solar energy, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers in one place
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 26th, 2023
Hot And Cold Cause Problems. Heat waves spike demand but it’s the cold that is showing stressers on generation that the grid withstood on the heat opposite this summer. FERC is concerned about the resilience of generation in multiple ISOs, with the latest PJM report from Winter Storm Elliot sparking new questions. 90GW of generation failed to deliver its dispatches which has a ripple effect on the rest of the stability. Speaking of stability, ERCOT underestimated the grid demand by 4GW this weekend, which almost sparked another emergency as that operator has been running a rather lean reserve.
News
1 Utility Dive:
Record 13% of Eastern Interconnect capacity failed in Winter Storm Elliott - FERC, NERC
2 Bloomberg:
US Says It Can’t Cut China Out of Critical-Minerals Supply Chain
3 Washington Post:
As disasters spike, superpowers face mounting calls to forge climate deal
4 Renew Economy:
Rooftop solar meets all of South Australia demand in major new milestone
5 PV-Tech:
Maxeon buys shingled solar cell IP from Complete Solaria for US production
6 Energy Storage News:
Record growth for US BESS industry, but ‘2GW impacted by supply chain, interconnection challenges’
7 Canary Media:
Long-duration storage gets big boost with $325M from DOE
8 PV-Magazine:
U.S. and Canada to spend $12 trillion on renewables and grid by 2050
Opinions:
9 Axios:
Feds urged by Biden to widen use of "social cost" on climate change
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 22nd, 2023
Climate Week Thoughts. It’s climate week in NYC, an event I’ve never attended but it’s always full of news for those of us interested in the headlines. The arguments have changed a bit, early days centered around what’s possible, what technology is ready for primetime and how much subsidy would be available. Today, we’re arguing what date of impact we should target, i.e. shifting the EV requirement from 2030 to 2035 in the UK. Without much debate, I would say that progress has manifested a real transition to electrification. Now, the collective we, need to focus on making it all work within the grid and keep the grid operational. We’ll talk about how NERC feels about some of that next week.
News
1 Axios:
In a shift, fossil fuels take center stage at UN Climate Summit
2 New York Times:
Climate Forward Live Event -Discussing the Threats of a Rapidly Warming Planet
3 Bloomberg:
The US Wants a Piece of China’s Solar Business
4 Utility Dive:
NERC wants smaller renewables, batteries to register as bulk-power assets over reliability concerns
5 Reuters:
Exclusive - Tesla proposes building battery storage factory in India -sources
6 PV-Tech:
“More lines, more digitalisation, more climate resilience” - Grids must be priority for Europe’s net zero plans
7 Renewable Energy World:
Biden uses executive power to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps
8 Energy Storage News:
Lithium supply chain much improved but transformers and other components a headache for BESS industry
9 PV-Magazine:
HVDC transmission serves mostly wind and hydro power, not solar
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Four advocates share how to make electrification more equitable in cities
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 21st, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Europe's power industry warns ageing grids risk green goals
2 PV-Tech:
Utility says California needs US$370 billion for grids and generation to meet net zero
3 Axios:
Biden's new "American Climate Corps" aims to enlist 20,000 young people
4 Utility Dive:
Rising electrification requires a dramatic shift to integrated planning of DER, bulk resources
5 Renewable Energy World:
NEM 3.0 - What’s next for solar and storage in California?
6 Energy Storage News:
Texas utility CPS issues 500MW energy storage RFP
7 Canary Media:
Major steel users band together to place first big ‘green steel’ order
8 PV-Magazine:
The top 10 states for residential solar
9 Bloomberg:
Sunak Was Told Diluting Green Policies Would Risk Net Zero
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Climate Experts Weigh In on Obstacles, Priorities and Hope
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 20th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Silfab Solar announces U.S. cell manufacturing, new line of TOPCon panels
2 Axios:
Lowercarbon raises $550 million, blasts VC rivals for taking "blood money"
3 Reuters:
US Treasury - Financiers' 'net zero' pledges must align with temperature limits
4 PV-Tech:
“A deeply precarious situation” - SolarPower Europe calls for reversal in falling European solar prices
5 Energy Storage News:
Kore Power, Nidec in multi-year agreement for up to 2.2GWh battery cells, racks and modules
6 Renew Economy:
Rooftop solar smashes records, sends coal and demand to new lows as it reshapes the grid
7 Bloomberg:
What Is COP28 and Why Is It Important?
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
What do EVs have to do with the autoworker strike? A lot, it turns out
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 19th, 2023
SPI Was Big, Really Big. Over 40,000 people ended up walking through the doors at RE+ and even more crowded the halls outside. You walked many steps, I’ve heard over 100,000 for some, less for those of us that booked our hotels earlier. Hats off to the organizers and everyone that made the trip to move our industries forward. Thank you to many of you that stopped by to say hello.
One, Two Or More Trillions. Why was RE+ a record? It’s the money. The investments going into the businesses to grow them, the money being made at record levels and the capital flowing into the infrastructure that is shaping the growing need for electricity around the world. Trillions of dollars will be deployed into our ecosystems for the improvement of society and an overall energy transition that will both enhance how electricity is used and how clean the ultimate product is.
News
1 Solar Power World:
Solar contractors among first to respond to Lahaina wildfire recovery
2 Bloomberg:
Inside the Trillion-Dollar Climate Solutions Industry
3 Utility Dive:
Xcel to supply United Power with excess energy after co-op’s exit from Tri-State
4 Axios:
Climate Week NYC
5 Reuters:
Germany likely to pass 50% mark for renewable power this year - minister
6 Solar Builder:
Record-setting RE+ 2023 shows how U.S. solar industry is going mainstream
7 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge unveils new C&I energy optimisation software at RE+
8 Renewable Energy World:
DOE launches $10M program to speed up large-scale renewables permitting
9 Energy Storage News:
Volvo Group and Connected Energy to develop second life BESS
10 PV-Magazine:
“The times of supply shortage are over,” solar giants bet big on U.S. manufacturing
Opinions:
11 Canary Media:
The US is building power lines faster, but not fast enough
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 18th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 NPR:
Puerto Rico hopes solar project will secure electric grid for future hurricanes
2 Politico:
Newsom says he’ll sign major corporate climate disclosure bill
3 Bloomberg:
Texas Monitor Says New Grid Rules Raised Costs by $8 Billion
4 Axios:
How EV worries are helping fuel the historic UAW strike
5 Reuters:
Exclusive - EU may become as hooked on China batteries as it was on Russian energy
6 PV-Tech:
US$2.7 trillion annual investment required for global net-zero by 2050
7 Energy Storage News:
IRA tax equity benefits ‘not yet fully captured’ by US energy storage industry one year on
8 Renew Economy:
Rooftop solar sends coal to record low, and peaks at nearly half of all grid demand
9 Canary Media:
Florida is now adding more solar power than any other state
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
How long do residential solar batteries last?
Have a great day!
Yann
