This is your SolarWakeup for September 23rd, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
CATL and FlexGen sign 10GWh battery storage contract at California trade event
2 Reuters:
Incoming Shell CEO Sawan set to fire up renewables drive
3 Bloomberg:
Energy Is the Market’s Only Winning Group. Here Come the IPOs
4 Utility Dive:
New York launches 2 GW renewable energy solicitation as natural gas prices drive up electricity bills
6 Canary Media:
CO2-to-vodka startup Air Company aims higher with aviation fuel
7 ABC:
France's Macron seeks 'massive' boost for renewable energy
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
Real barriers to virtual power plants
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 22nd, 2022
Going Big. If you were on the show floor yesterday afternoon you may have seen some activity at the CATL booth. That was us, at FlexGen, entering into a 10GWh, 3 year supply agreement for energy storage systems. In this world for energy storage demand, the focus is to bring product availability to the portfolios deploying capital through projects while the supply is very limited. Like solar panels, there are haves and have nots and with this deal, we’re hoping to satisfy a significant amount of that demand.
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Supply chain issues constraining US energy storage industry growth, says BloombergNEF
2 PV-Tech:
IRA impact not felt until 2024 while module supply will remain constricted in the short-term – WoodMac
3 Bloomberg:
California Blackout Risk Prompts Produce Plant to Build Its Own Grid
4 New York Times:
Senate Ratifies Pact to Curb a Broad Category of Potent Greenhouse Gases
5 Vox:
Why all Americans should be paying attention to Puerto Rico’s power grid
6 Reuters:
U.S. Senator Manchin unveils energy bill that some Democrats slam
7 Solar Power World:
sonnen launches new VPP in California without utility partnerships
8 Canary Media:
6 clean energy companies that are ramping up US manufacturing
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Dual-purpose solar makes a greater impact
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 21st, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Top Federal Energy Regulator Sees Mounting Challenges for US Power Grids
2 E&E News:
Why solar ‘tripping’ is a grid threat for renewables
3 LA Times:
Solar fee may push Californians to flee the grid, Sunrun CEO says
4 Utility Dive:
Texas drives record growth in US energy storage market in Q2, despite challenges - report
5 Axios:
Time launches platform to help companies tackle climate change
6 PV-Tech:
Inflation Reduction Act dominates conversations at RE+ tradeshow
7 Energy Storage News:
Terra-Gen closes US$1 billion financing for second phase of world’s largest solar-plus-storage project
8 PV-Magazine:
American-Made Solar Prize pitch showcase at RE+
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Why does Duke Energy’s carbon plan shortchange solar?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 20th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
What I Saw as the Country’s First National Climate Adviser
2 Axios:
Three massive storms slam U.S. and Japan, each with climate change ties
3 Canary Media:
Solar is lifeline in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona knocks out power
4 PV-Magazine:
A new era of made-in-USA solar
5 Bloomberg:
A Solar Fee Risks Pushing Californians to Exit Grid, Sunrun Says
6 Reuters:
Global climate goals threatened by lack of clean tech collaboration – IEA
7 PV-Tech:
IRA incentives causing biggest legal uncertainty in US solar PV sector
8 Utility Dive:
FirstEnergy CEO Strah retires suddenly as the company eyes asset sales
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
Is the German utility-scale energy storage market set to take off?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 19th, 2022
Safe Travels. I hope everyone shares the excitement about SPI that I have right now. Here are some things I’m thinking about as I board the plane for Anaheim.
News
1 Solar Power World:
California cities and counties now required to switch to instant, online residential solar permitting by 2024
2 Axios:
Hurricane Fiona brings "catastrophic" flooding, power outages to Puerto Rico
3 Solar Builder:
DroneBase debuts standardized solar asset ratings as part of nationwide service
4 PV-Tech:
SunPower invests in solar dealers Renova Energy, EmPower Solar
5 Canary Media:
How solar donors can cut the power bills of low-income families
6 Utility Dive:
US Senate passes bill to maximize EV battery recycling for federal fleet vehicles
7 PV-Magazine:
Start-up plans solar manufacturing in disadvantaged communities
8 Bloomberg:
The Affordable Electric Vehicle Is Still Mostly Fantasy
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Nuclear Power Still Doesn’t Make Much Sense
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 16th, 2022
See You Next Week. For those of you coming to SPI next week, I look forward to seeing you. If you're so inclined, come say hello at the FlexGen booth at #2792.
News
1 New York Times:
Facing Budget Shortfalls, These Schools Are Turning to the Sun
2 Bloomberg:
BlackRock-Backed Biofuel Firm Says Timid Lenders Slow New Tech
3 Utility Dive:
Biden administration awards $900M to 35 states for EV charging network as automakers ramp up battery plans
4 Axios:
Shell taps new CEO amid transition push
5 PV-Magazine:
Goldman Sachs and Cleanhill Partners acquire majority stake in EPC Power
6 Reuters:
U.S. natgas drops 9% on rail deal, bigger than expected storage build
7 Energy Storage News:
Energy storage execs at White House celebration of Inflation Reduction Act
8 Canary Media:
Californians saved the grid again. They should be paid more for it
Opinions:
9 PV-Tech:
Renewables only means of ‘true independence’ says European Parliament as it ups deployment targets
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 15th, 2022
Market Dynamics. Unrepresented in market forecasts and the dynamics of the supply chain is the impact that a stand alone energy storage tax credit would have on the solar market. If you own a solar farm, there was little thought to adding storage to it due to the technical limitation of dc-coupling and having to make it work with the existing interconnect so you could charge the batteries with the solar generation without screwing up your PPA. With a stand alone storage ITC, it’s very likely that many if not all asset owners will think about adding batteries to their site either to augment their PPA or to just trade that asset merchant until someone wants to acquire that capacity. Likewise, solar developments in the pipeline had a 1x per day cycle in the storage forecast, less perhaps. The PPA you had for that as available plus PPA becomes a preforma that thinks about running it 2-3 cycles per day in addition to shifting the solar generation.
Where The Money Is Going. Pipeline are through the roof, forecast are already underestimating installations and now capital is pushing hard into recycling. The WSJ ran this reporting just days ago and some more firms are working on repurposing and repowering end of life battery cells. My point is that money is going into both ends of the project life, installing it and decommissioning the asset. Now the question to answer at SPI is what are you doing with the project while its running so that it makes you more money than you expect?
News
1 PV-Magazine:
U.S. installed a record 2.6 GWh of grid-scale energy storage in Q2
2 Wall Street Journal:
Battery Recycling Race Heats Up After Inflation Reduction Act
3 Utility Dive:
EV sales are booming, but can battery production keep pace? Several factors could hamper growth, say experts
4 Reuters:
EU Parliament backs higher targets on renewables and energy savings
5 Bloomberg:
France Caps Electricity, Gas Price Hikes at 15% for 2023
6 PV-Tech:
US solar industry players celebrate Inflation Reduction Act at White House
7 Energy Storage News:
New Fluence CEO to focus on profitable growth and higher margin projects
8 Canary Media:
In Utah, thousands of homes feed the grid stored solar power
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
Fast transition to renewables will save the world $18 trillion, says Oxford study
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 14th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Washington Post:
This is your victory,’ Biden celebrates Inflation Reduction Act
2 Utility Dive:
Real-time pricing, new rates and enabling technologies target demand flexibility to ease California outages
3 Bloomberg:
JPMorgan Sees Oil Prices Climbing as Alternatives Fall Short
4 Reuters:
Germany, EU race to fix energy crisis
5 PV-Tech:
US residential solar owner and operator Spruce Power acquired
6 Energy Storage News:
California residential and C&I batteries in the fight to keep lights on
7 Canary Media:
Terawatt Infrastructure snags $1B for EV charging buildout
8 PV-Magazine:
Carbon intensity of energy in the U.S. is falling, but progress varies widely by state
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Putin’s New Cold War
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 13th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Inflation Reduction Act could raise prices on clean energy, warns Bank of America
2 Politico:
Podesta-led White House team tagged to execute climate law
3 Bloomberg:
Billionaire Climate Activist May Target More Major Polluters With Green Campaigns
4 Axios:
In photos - A summer of drought and fire
5 Reuters:
Mexico eyes possible energy dispute fix, welcomes new U.S. 'tone'
6 Solar Power World:
Who qualifies for direct pay for the solar ITC?
7 Energy Storage News:
Greece gets state aid approval from EU for 900MW energy storage pipeline
8 PV-Magazine:
Grid experts call for a national initiative to facilitate a high-DER grid
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Mixing solar power and agriculture - A blueberry farm does a test run
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 12th, 2022
It’s All About The Jobs. I got this link from the Secretary of Energy, who posted the article about global cleantech job growth over the weekend. The demand is at an all time high for our services, as energy prices rise across the Country, and therefore the need for talent is as well. I’ll highlight the need for job seekers to network at SPI and think about where the puck is going, I always find the best talent through introductions from folks that I have worked with and are willing to vouch for someone. The same is true for recruiters, building those relationships before the need arises. Speaking of jobs, come work for me at FlexGen, a new posting for Business Development Director is out in time for SPI.
News
1 Quartz:
More people now work in clean energy than in fossil fuels
2 Utility Dive:
Retail electricity prices continue rapid rise; US homes could pay more than 15 cents/kWh next year - EIA
3 Axios:
Biden's big climate bill isn't a venture capital fund
4 Reuters:
Tropical storm threatens to fan California wildfires, but will cool off state
5 PV-Tech:
Maxeon Solar Technologies parts ways with CEO as it eyes ‘next phase of growth’
6 Solar Power World:
Residential solar batteries helped California’s grid with peak power during heatwave
7 Energy Storage New:
New York’s state government backs long-duration energy storage projects
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar in the U.S. is forecast to triple in five years
Opinions:
10 Bloomberg:
California's Green Dreams Mean Adding More EVs to a Rickety Grid
Have a great day!
Yann
