This is your SolarWakeup for August 1st, 2023
The IRA Certainty Problem. There’s the downside of the political system and primarily of the rhetoric that comes out of DC. The IRA is an economic behemoth and were it not for the rhetoric that threatens to cut the IRA if political winds shifted, the onshoring of factories would be far greater than they already are. As a country, the United States cannot create the economic environment that requires every pro forma to turn positive before the next election but in many ways that’s already happening and it is unfortunate.
News
1 Axios:
2024 elections complicate climate tech startup investing
2 Canary Media:
FERC takes a big step to get more clean energy on the US grid
3 Utility Dive:
Southern California Edison eyeing ‘substantial investments’ in grid resilience and reliability, CEO says
4 Bloomberg:
US on Alert as It Enters Two Historically Super-Hot Weeks - Weather Watch
5 Reuters:
Texas power use hits record for sixth time this summer as heat wave lingers
6 Solar Builder:
SEIA to develop 11 new solar, energy storage ANSI standards
7 PV-Tech:
China’s installed solar capacity reaches 470GW as of H1 2023
8 PV-Magazine:
Stiff competition predicted for USDA $9.7 billion focused on renewables
Opinions:
9 Houston Chronicle:
Are batteries the future of the power grid? In Texas the experiment is already underway
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 31st, 2023
Electrify Everything And Future Thing. This summer has caused challenges across the spectrum and some that haven’t been recognized yet. When we say electrification is the energy transition, we usually focus on EVs and gas stoves. But in reality there’s much more. One of those is that many more Americans and people across the globe want and need cooling solutions. This additional load will be additive to the load peak on the grid when the heat is most straining it, exacerbating the grid operators’ challenge.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Cooling Technology’s Next Act Could Be Even More Important Than Today’s Heat Pumps
2 Axios:
White House makes its move on permitting
3 Los Angeles Times:
California has new weapons to battle summer blackouts
4 PV-Magazine:
Enphase lowers revenue guidance as U.S. residential solar stagnates
5 PV-Tech:
Nextracker’s quarterly revenue rises 19% year-on-year
6 Solar Power World:
Biden Administration proposes new rules for solar permitting on federal lands
7 Canary Media:
Charts - US clean energy developers are hyped about post-IRA prospects
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
Cautious investors and fast cash - Why AEP, Duke and other utilities have sold their renewable assets
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 28th, 2023
Weekend Rundown. A few things to get you into your weekend, back to regularly scheduled commentary next week.
News
1 New York Times:
A Bottleneck on the Grid Threatens Clean Energy. New Rules Aim to Help.
2 Axios:
Biden announces first-ever heat wave "hazard alert" for workers
3 PV-Magazine:
First Solar announces fifth U.S. manufacturing facility
4 Reuters:
Enphase Energy sees revenue below estimates on weak U.S. demand, shares fall
5 PV-Tech:
SunPower reports net loss of US$30 million in Q2 2023 preliminary results
6 Utility Dive:
Barrasso ties possible transmission reforms to ‘premature’ power plant retirements
7 Solar Builder:
In for the long haul - Charting the rise of long duration energy storage
8 Energy Storage News:
Grid services revenues could be key to unlocking solar and storage for low-income communities
Opinions:
9 Bloomberg:
No Clean Energy Source Is Marginal in the Quest for Net Zero
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 27th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
‘A tripling of electrical output’ - Tesla’s Musk urges power sector to anticipate higher demand
2 Bloomberg:
European Gas Prices Slump as Storage, Renewables Offset Risks
3 Reuters:
Energy-hungry Europe to brighten profit at US solar equipment makers
4 Energy Storage News:
US Department of Energy adds US$30 million funding for long-duration and storage R&D
5 Canary Media:
Major automakers take on Tesla with US-wide EV charging network
6 PV-Magazine:
California utility announces launch of distributed energy management system
7 PV-Tech:
Too big to succeed - different approaches to delivering large-scale solar
Opinions:
8 Vox:
Biden’s $250 billion lure to clean up the dirty legacy of fossil fuels
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 26th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
EVs will bring ‘unprecedented’ power demand, but their flexibility can improve grid reliability, utilities say
2 PV-Tech:
DOE releases US$20 million funding for solar lifecycle and recycling development
3 Bloomberg:
Why the Texas Power Grid Is Facing Another Crisis
4 San Antonio Express News:
Without wind and solar power, ERCOT CEO says, this summer's grid story could be much different
5 Axios:
Study - Key Atlantic Ocean circulation could shut down by mid-century
6 Reuters:
Investment firm Low Carbon secures $513 million for renewables projects
7 Energy Storage News:
California’s SDG&E eyes up ITC for 200MW BESS portfolio
8 PV-Magazine:
Utility-scale solar and storage project updates across the U.S.
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Maine to go all in on offshore wind
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 25th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Canada's Heliene plans new US solar panel and cell factory
2 PV-Magazine:
2 GW Meyer Burger solar cell factory in Colorado, hints of more coming
3 Bloomberg:
Chevron Considers Lithium Production in Latest EV Bet by Big Oil
4 Wall Street Journal:
China Dominates Solar. Does the U.S. Stand a Chance?
5 PV-Tech:
Japanese corporation Itochu to invest US$2 billion in renewables in North America
6 Politico:
Biden’s clean energy goals have a union problem
7 Energy Storage News:
Community energy storage developer NineDot gets US$25 million financing from NYSERDA
8 Canary Media:
A dispatch from the dawn of the green hydrogen era
Opinions:
9 Axios:
How Trump could slow the U.S. EV transition
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 24th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Investor interest in energy storage back on track after slow first quarter
2 Axios:
Relentless U.S. heat wave is likely to extend into August
3 Reuters:
California has enough power during heat wave after Thursday emergency
4 PV-Tech:
Utility-scale solar to overtake coal in North Carolina’s electricity generation
5 Energy Storage News:
Spain could eliminate economic curtailment of renewables’ with 15GW of long-duration energy storage
6 PV-Magazine:
Array Technologies to secure domestically made steel from new mill in Texas
Opinions:
7 Bloomberg:
John Kerry's China Trip Was Not a Total Climate Loss
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 21th, 2023
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
House panel discusses grid threats
2 Bloomberg:
Making Solar Panels Is 'Horrible' Business. The US Still Wants It.
3 Axios:
The 15 hottest days, in the world's hottest month
4 Reuters:
Biden's tough sell in Pennsylvania - green energy to union workers
5 PV-Tech:
Tesla solar deployment drops 38% in Q2 2023 to 66MW
6 Solar Power World:
Over 100 advocacy groups push for solar above all government-owned canals
7 PV-Magazine:
New York Green Bank provides $25 million credit debt facility for energy storage
Opinions:
8 New York Times:
Why Heat Waves Are Deepening China’s Addiction to Coal
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 20th, 2023
It’s Getting Hot In Here. I’ve written about it the heat for what seems like months at this point. I’ve also been living in it as have many of you. Look at the headlines from today, Miami, Arizona and Texas all making the news because of the consistent heat. Step into the ocean near where I live and you find the water to be in the high 90s, bringing too much reality to the saying that the ocean is like a hot tub. I can only imagine what my utility is seeing on the demand side, 40 straight days over 100 degree heat index and reduced cooling efficiencies at the power plants.
But What To Do. The problem is that we’re not going to solve this years grid problem by next year at the rate that we’re going. Building a solar farm or storage project means at least a year in good times and likely a late 2024 or 2025 endeavor at this point given where the interconnection queue is.
News
2 Energy Storage News:
NYISO studies ‘unique characteristics’ of energy storage as a transmission asset
3 Utility Dive:
US utility-scale solar outlook improves on easing supply chain limits
4 Bloomberg:
EU Lawmakers Ease Concerns on Power Market Intervention
5 Axios:
U.S.-China climate talks are back on track — with obstacles
6 Canary MEdia:
Big companies seek new paths to deep grid decarbonization
7 Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada leads nation in solar industry jobs, report says
Opinions:
8 Reuters:
Abu Dhabi's Masdar eyeing acquisition targets in US, Europe expansion
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 19th, 2023
It’s Getting Hot In Here. I’ve written about it the heat for what seems like months at this point. I’ve also been living in it as have many of you. Look at the headlines from today, Miami, Arizona and Texas all making the news because of the consistent heat. Step into the ocean near where I live and you find the water to be in the high 90s, bringing too much reality to the saying that the ocean is like a hot tub. I can only imagine what my utility is seeing on the demand side, 40 straight days over 100 degree heat index and reduced cooling efficiencies at the power plants.
But What To Do. The problem is that we’re not going to solve this years grid problem by next year at the rate that we’re going. Building a solar farm or storage project means at least a year in good times and likely a late 2024 or 2025 endeavor at this point given where the interconnection queue is.
News
1 Axios:
Miami's worst heat wave breaks records on land and sea
2 Bloomberg:
Extreme Heat Drives Texas Power Demand to Another Record
3 Reuters:
Arizona power demand breaks records during heatwave
4 New York Times:
So far, Europe’s electricity systems are coping with the heat.
5 Utility Dive:
Battery storage systems could face rapid asset degradation, especially with arbitrage - Fitch
6 CNBC:
Solar and wind are set to produce a third of global electricity in 7 years. How to invest behind it
7 PV-Tech:
“It’s going to be a big ask” - IRA’s domestic content adders leave the PV industry with questions
8 Energy Storage News:
NYISO studies ‘unique characteristics’ of energy storage as a transmission asset
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar power purchase agreement pricing is finally cooling
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Are EV chargers a cybersecurity risk?
Have a great day!
Yann
