This is your SolarWakeup for March 9th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Washington Post:
The largest remaining tall-grass prairie in Texas is getting solar panels. Environmentalists can’t stop it.
2 Utility Dive:
Florida passes net metering bill that will gut rooftop solar, advocates say, as they call for a veto
3 Bloomberg:
Energy Crunch Spurs ‘Insane’ Rush for Industrial Rooftop Solar
4 Axios:
Biden on Russian oil import ban
5 Reuters:
EU rolls out plan to cut Russia gas dependency this year
6 PV-Tech:
Sonnedix acquires Sun Power Energy, taking on 1GW Poland pipeline
7 Solar Power World:
PG&E wants to use GM electric vehicles as on-demand power sources for customer homes
8 PV-Magazine:
Plans announced for a US lithium-ferro-phosphate battery gigafactory network
9 Energy Storage News:
UK’s Gore Street makes first investment into German battery storage
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
GM and PG&E to test how EVs can power homes during blackouts
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 8th, 2022
The Global Oil Impact. An inflationary conundrum would be the delicate way to describe the current situation on oil. First, it makes all the sense in the world to cut Russian oil exports off. The Country is a gas station at this moment with no ability to generate income outside of energy. That was the increase in pricing that you saw on Sunday afternoon with the rest of us as oil popped to $140/barrel and has settled back down to the $120s. Whether you’re buying wheat and barley (stock up on your beer) or steel and lithium, costs are rising for inflationary and macro reasons.
Next Move, Politically Speaking. US politicians are likely to give Biden no choice on a Russian oil import ban, both for political reasons (he will be blamed for higher gas prices/domestic production will have to increase/force a deal on domestic energy independence) as well as diplomatic reasons (Russia is unlikely to sustain a global import ban for long). You are hearing the White House speak up and blame the oil sector for not producing on the leases they currently hold while Manchin is saying let’s make a deal that increases production and delivers the clean energy package that is wanted. Meanwhile, Europe is contemplating its decisions years ago to give this leverage to Putin including the addition of the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, which could trigger an energy realignment of the fuel sources that are needed to be more self dependent or dependent on friends like the US LNG exports.
What To Look For. Inflation will increase the cost of electricity and is likely to adjust the proformas for asset owners but with a commensurate increase in installation costs for materials and labor. The Ukrainian farms and surrounding areas account for a third of the global wheat and barley supply which is now significantly disrupted and prices in the live markets are adjusting to this. With the input cost of oil, any transportation costs will increase. Unless you drive electric, you’ve already felt the impact at the pump of filling up your car. So will your suppliers, vendors and employees. The optimistic view is that this should trigger an energy deal in DC including tax credits driving this market forward with enhanced urgency.
News
1 Politico:
Zelenskyy adviser - Global ban on Russian oil would end Putin's attacks
2 Scientific American:
Amid War, Biden Reluctant to Unleash Clean Energy Rhetoric
3 Energy Storage News:
CAISO - 1GW dispatch during July wildfire a ‘fabulous moment’ for battery storage amidst 12-fold growth
4 Axios:
Europeans throw cold water on possibility of Russian energy ban
5 Utility Dive:
California clean energy advocates urge regulators to 'go big' with offshore wind goals
6 Bloomberg:
SoftBank Energy Unit Gets Up to $600 Million, Led By Ares Funds
7 Canary Media:
Goldman Sachs and Shell bet $75M that chain stores can boost grid resiliency
8 PV Magazine:
IREC releases training courses for residential solar plan
Opinions:
9 Reuters:
Europe energy crisis a 'big wake up call' -Total Energies CEO
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 7th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Canary Media:
Chart - Outpacing even China, the US takes the lead in grid battery investment
2 Reuters:
Oil price surges to highest since 2008 on delays in Iranian talks
3 Bloomberg:
War in Ukraine Overshadows Energy Transition as Oil CEOs Gather
4 Axios:
UN report - Climate change is so severe we're running out of time to adapt
5 E&E News:
Interior advances large solar project on Nev. tribal land
6 Utility Dive:
Inflation, production backlogs hit electric transit bus manufacturer Proterra
7 PV-Tech:
60GW green hydrogen hub planned for Texas
8 Energy Storage News:
China targets 30GW of battery storage by 2025 as BESS output grows 150%
9 PV-Magazine:
SolaREIT closes $100 million securitization
Opinions:
10 CNBC:
County by county, solar panels face pushback
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 4th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
U.S. Clean Energy Draws Record $105 Billion in Private Investment
2 The Hill:
Fire breaks out at major nuclear plant in Ukraine amid fighting
3 Washington Post:
In Virginia, abandoned coal mines are transformed into solar farms
4 Axios:
Pelosi says she supports banning oil imports from Russia
5 Reuters:
Explainer - Why $100 oil could hurt the energy transition more than it helps
6 Solar Power World:
Solar developer New Energy Equity acquired by ALLETE
7 Energy Storage News:
Biden’s State of the Union address reinforces clean energy message
8 PV-Magazine:
Lawrence Berkeley report outlines shifts in demographics
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
How to divest your 401(k) from fossil fuels
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 3rd, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Dems agonize over Manchin's wish list - Taxes, prescription drugs, climate cash
2 Utility Dive:
Biden touts charging network expansion in State of the Union amid 85% jump in 2021 US EV sales
3 Bloomberg:
Solar Rally Halted as First Solar Sees Lingering Supply Woes
4 Axios:
Ford creates business unit for electric cars
5 PV-Tech:
Mining giant Peabody enters solar, eyes 4.9GW of solar and storage in next five years
6 Energy Storage News:
Greenbacker and Aypa Power acquire US battery storage projects
Opinions:
7 PV-Magazine:
Participate in the Solar Jobs Census 2022
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 2nd, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
EXCLUSIVE Apollo targets $50 bln in sustainable investments with new platform
2 White House:
President Biden to Highlight Clean Energy Manufacturing and Deployment Investments that Cut Consumer Costs, Strengthen U.S. Energy Sector, and Create Good-Paying Jobs
3 Utility Dive:
Utilities urge Supreme Court to dismiss challenge to EPA's fleetwide carbon emissions approach
4 Politico:
Ukraine presses Biden, senators to hit Russian energy exports
5 Axios:
Operator of Nord Stream 2 files for bankruptcy and fires all employees
6 Bloomberg:
After 139 Years of Coal Mining, Peabody Expands Into Solar
7 Canary Media:
Investors poured more than half a billion into solar software in the last week alone
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
US EV battery manufacturer demonstrates 750+ mile range, raises $65 million
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 1st, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Texas regulators direct utilities to file emergency operations plans
2 Axios:
Shell ends partnerships with Russia’s Gazprom after Ukraine invasion
3 Reuters:
Germany to speed renewables push due to Ukraine crisis
4 PV-Tech:
US solar generation up 25% in 2021, renewables’ share of power mix set to exceed coal in 2022
5 Energy Storage News:
Zinc battery storage player Eos claims ’18 month pathway’ to positive margins
Opinions:
6 PV-Magazine:
Auxin antidumping case “an affront to the industry” said SOLV Energy CEO
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 28th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
BP will divest stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft
2 Bloomberg:
Buffett Gives Successor Abel Rare Page Space for Sustainability
3 New York Times:
Supreme Court Will Hear Biggest Climate Change Case in a Decade
4 PV-Tech:
US residential solar platform raises US$375m for business expansion
5 Solar Power World:
Solar advocates push for passage of Massachusetts grid-planning bill
6 Energy Storage News:
Capacity Market contracts awarded to more than 2GW of battery storage in UK and Italy
7 Canary Media:
Which states will win out on $9.5B in federal clean hydrogen funding?
8 PV-Magazine:
US targets 5 million community solar households, $1 billion in savings by 2025
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
Texas just dodged a repeat of 2021 outages, but its power sector has a long way to go, analysts say
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 24th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Solar Power World:
LG to exit solar panel manufacturing and close Alabama plant
2 Utility Dive:
Duke may offer some EV customers 'all you can charge' for just $19.99/month (restrictions apply)
3 Reuters:
U.S. to hold its biggest offshore wind auction
4 PV-Magazine:
Polysilicon price reaches $39.3/kg — the highest since 2011
5 PV-Tech:
China expected to add up to 99GW of solar PV every year through 2025, Europe now its largest export market
6 Energy Storage News:
Diverse energy storage market segments, tech and applications will drive growth to accelerate decarbonisation
Opinions:
7 Axios:
How the Russia-Ukraine crisis will affect U.S. energy prices
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 23rd, 2022
Moving Fast. The macros are moving faster than the market and the headline stated what we’re looking at. With the aggressions in Ukraine going in the wrong, the already inflated cost of gas in Europe is driven up by the halting of the Nordstream 2 pipeline. Inflation always hits energy hard, as seen by record consumer costs at home and at the fuel pump. The higher costs do bring about revenue streams for renewables that could make up the labor, supply chain and cost increases that the market has seen. With gas in a less reliable supply position, increased development in renewables continues to be inevitable.
The Future Of Trackers. Most solar farms are installing trackers which is a good thing for production but it causes harder design considerations especially outside of the square format of desert land plots. One of those innovations comes in the form of articulating tracker designs by companies like Nevados that allow for trackers to be installed uneven terrain more common in markets across the US.
Electrification Of Fleets. The electrification of transportation remains one of the most dynamic changes in how energy is stored, transported, and used. Covid complicated the trend by eliminating the known of where most Americans are going to be during the day, removing the known knowns of energy peaks at offices during the day and home peaks in the morning and evening. Electrification of fleets in car rental, bus depots and companies will change how suppliers approach the infrastructure that allows those fleets to keep moving.
News
1 New York Times:
Russia's Moves in Ukraine Unsettle Energy Companies and prices.
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar tracker manufacturers can expect a boom in the US through 2025
3 Utility Dive:
After renewable energy installations dipped in 2021, industry renews call for clean energy package
4 Bloomberg:
Texas Emerges as Solar’s Next Frontier as Power Demand Booms
5 Axios:
Germany halts Nord Stream 2 certification over Russia's actions
6 PV-Tech:
Inovateus Solar receives capital investment to expand its solar development and EPC services
8 Energy Storage News:
Guidehouse - Residential batteries’ market share to equal gensets by 2030
Opinions:
9 GreenBiz:
Why Hertz is betting its future on electrification
Have a great day!
Yann
