This is your SolarWakeup for October 21st, 2022
The Next 3 Years. With the IRA as tailwind, a grid lacking resilience and capital looking for yield the forecasts for energy storage growth is going through the roof. BNEF’s revised outlook now has the US adding 115GWh of energy storage over the next 3 years. That means nearly 100billion in capital deployed for energy storage projects, many of which are merchant or attached to solar projects. That capital is going to figure out quickly what a bankable energy storage project looks like and how to operate one. Unlike solar, where the entire deal is made upfront, producing energy against a PPA; energy storage has to be managed financially, traded and real-time decisions have to made about whether to monetize now or later. It also means that you’re solving for uptime on those 115GWh. So here's the question to you, how many cycles do you think that asset base will perform per year?
News
1 Energy Storage News:
US, EU policies prompt BloombergNEF to upgrade global energy storage deployment forecasts
2 Utility Dive:
DOE taps 20 companies to receive $2.8B for battery manufacturing, minerals processing build-out
3 Bloomberg:
Big Oil Moves Beyond Wind and Solar With Green-Gas Bet
4 New York Times:
E.V.s Start With a Bigger Carbon Footprint. But That Doesn’t Last.
5 Reuters:
London's mayor slams global leaders for 'dragging feet' on climate
6 Axios:
Winter's burden - The new heating prices for 2023
7 Yahoo:
Yellen to tout Biden technology investments at Virginia business incubator
8 PV-Tech:
‘The IRA is a tremendous accelerant to solar growth’ - Brookfield Renewable builds US PV portfolio
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Inside the IRA - What is an Energy Community?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 20th, 2022
Shoring Up Upstream Batteries. The White House announced sweeping support of key upstream battery projects in commodities, mining, manufacturing and recycling for battery technologies. Many of these projects are with established firms that will be crucial for establishing a robust domestic supply chain. With batteries containers weighing 75 thousand pounds plus, the logistics value of domestic sourcing will make all the economic sense. Now the private capital will have to follow suit to accelerate this even further.
News
1 White House:
FACT SHEET - Biden-Harris Administration Driving U.S. Battery Manufacturing and Good-Paying Jobs
2 Utility Dive:
Venture capital interest in solar, energy storage is soaring in the first months post-Inflation Reduction Act
3 Bloomberg:
US Renewable Power Set to Get More Than 20% Boost From New Climate Law
4 New York Times:
E.V. Bonanza Flows to Red States That Denounce Biden Climate Policies
5 Axios:
Shell bids for Nature Energy, as biogas deals heat up
6 Reuters:
U.S. senator to hold EV battery hearing if GOP takes control
7 PV-Tech:
Pivot Energy gets US$100 million loan to develop solar and storage pipeline
8 Energy Storage News:
US, EU policies prompt BloombergNEF to upgrade global energy storage deployment forecasts
9 Canary Media:
Perovskites can make solar panels more efficient than silicon alone
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
Renewable PPA price relief from the Inflation Reduction Act may take time
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 19th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Distributed resources like solar and batteries open growing pathway to cyberattacks - DOE
2 Energy Storage News:
CATL supplying 1.4GWh of batteries for Primergy’s Gemini US solar-plus-storage project
3 New York Times:
In the Netherlands, Balancing Energy Security Against Climate Concerns
4 Axios:
The big chill - Record cold invades the Midwest, South
5 Solar Builder:
What’s holding up utility-scale energy storage development?
6 PV-Tech:
Strong demand for European solar PPAs despite price rises
7 PV-Magazine:
More than 315 clean energy companies call on ICC to reject code proposal from FEMA
8 Canary Media:
Can electric buses serve as backup batteries on wheels?
Opinions:
9 RMI:
Forging a Climate Leader for RMI’s Next Chapter
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 18th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Tesla, Google, other corporate power buyers back FERC interconnection reform plan but see pitfalls
2 Energy Storage News:
Long duration energy storage to scale in second half of 2030s, says DNV
3 PV-Magazine:
Artificial intelligence could speed interconnection, says Amazon executive
4 Politico:
Hurricanes Fiona and Ian gave solar power its time to shine
5 Bloomberg:
Growth in Renewables Saved the EU $11 Billion in Gas Imports Since the War
6 Reuters:
Mexican president outlines renewable energy push ahead of Kerry visit
7 PV-Tech:
European Energy subsidiary to develop 10GW of US renewables by 2026
Opinions:
8 Solar Power World:
States will be deciding factor in community solar’s IRA trajectory
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 17th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Ameren Missouri expects $1.3B in Inflation Reduction Act tax credits will help offset customer rates by 4.5%
2 Bloomberg:
China Won’t Rush Its Clean Energy Transformation, Xi Says
3 Reuters:
Shell ties up with renewables firm for Australia battery storage project
4 Axios:
Biden's national security strategy focuses on climate change
5 Energy Storage News:
US, EU policies prompt BloombergNEF to upgrade global energy storage deployment forecasts
6 New York Times:
Biden’s ‘Made in America’ Policies Anger Key Allies
7 PV-Magazine:
Ontario confirms 1.5 GW-plus tender for battery storage
8 Canary Media:
How does your state rank on fostering community-led clean energy?
Opinions:
9 The Guardian:
Trust farmers to make the right choices on solar projects
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 14th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Duke Energy, 3 other utilities to join Southeast Energy Exchange Market ahead of next month’s launch
2 Bloomberg:
Bitcoin Cowboys Are the Ultimate Stress Test for Texas’ Power Grid
3 Axios:
Startup investments remain steady in the Triangle
4 New York Times:
F.C.C. Readies Vote on Banning New Huawei and ZTE Devices
5 PV-Tech:
Solar PV to account for 38% of global electricity production by 2050, DNV says
6 Solar Power World:
An energy storage boom is coming thanks to the new storage ITC
7 Energy Storage News:
Trio of vehicle-to-X projects launch in California
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
A lot more than solar on the floor at RE+
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 13th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Westinghouse Electric to be acquired by Brookfield Renewable and Cameco
2 Energy Storage News:
European Commission vice president
3 Bloomberg:
Infrastructure Giant Macquarie Supercharges M&A Spending
4 Utility Dive:
Major utilities oppose Sunnova’s ‘micro-utility’ microgrid proposal at California PUC
5 Axios:
GM's electric future extends far beyond cars
6 Reuters:
Yellen warns of 'geopolitical coercion' by Russia, China
7 The Guardian:
Liz Truss on collision course with Jacob Rees-Mogg over solar power ban
8 PV-Tech:
Global Infrastructure Partners acquires Atlas Renewable Energy
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Electric utilities 101 - A breakdown of the basics on US power providers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 12th, 2022
The Opportunity And Need For Electrification. Electrification is the root impact of the energy transition. As a society we will always use more energy to drive the economy but the delivery of the energy is what is at the center of the discussion. At it’s core, delivery, storage and consumption of energy is moving from liquid/gas to electricity. You’ll find that to be a non-controversial statement because any form of energy can make electricity. So whether you shift from gas stove to induction cooktops or internal combustion to EV, the transition is very real. It is also very much needed, just look at the global diplomatic and economic impact of relying on the oil product of others for our economic futures. So next time you see a fuel tanker filling up a gas station, think of the truck holding a battery going around to fuel fleet vehicles as just a form of energy transport.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Goldman Analysts Say Markets Yet to Grasp Full IRA Impact
2 Utility Dive:
CAISO calls for near-term power procurement, even with possible Diablo Canyon extension
3 Reuters:
GM takes on Tesla in home and commercial energy storage, management
4 PV-Tech:
European Commission endorses Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance
5 Energy Storage News:
Long way to go before V2G scales in the consumer vehicle sector
6 PV-magazine:
Electric buses to be deployed at community centers as emergency backup power
Opinions:
7 Canary Media:
How neighbors are banding together to get cheaper rooftop solar
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 11th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 PV-magazine:
Secret solar stories revealed in new podcast
2 Business Journals:
Duke Energy says customers could save $100M with 10-year extensions on old solar contracts
3 Bloomberg:
UK’s Truss Doesn’t Want Solar Panels Built on Farmland
4 Reuters:
Greek renewables fully cover power demand for first time on record
5 PV-Tech:
US solar racking manufacturer Unirac secures investment
6 Energy Storage News:
Ontario targets 2,500MW energy storage procurements to help meet growing electricity demand
7 Canary Media:
5 big takeaways on the grassroots clean energy revolution
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
How an unlikely trio helped secure billions for rural electric cooperatives
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 10th, 2022
Behind The Scenes. When I started SolarWakeup, part of the reason was I wanted to share my thoughts with you and give you a sense of the things I was seeing from my seat as I ventured through the solar and now storage industry. That remains true as we share some of our professional views on the 10GWh supply deal we signed at SPI. As many of you look at storage projects for the first time, we want to make sure you see the incredible capability and opportunity that energy storage provides but also be aware of the overall market dynamics that may make a project difficult. Last year at this time, we heard from asset owners and investors that they were looking to do a project in 2022 but supply wasn’t going to make that possible. The same is true for 2023 and 2024, supply has a limited availability but we pushed the envelope with a supply deal to make sure some additional manufacturing allocation is coming this way.
The Demand Concern. Every battery is in high demand, auto OEMs and consumer electronics want the same batteries that you may want for your project. Solar plus storage has a demand as well, especially with the ITC for storage increasing that forecast curve. Like module availability, there is a concern that your demand is mismatched with manufacturing capacity. From 2023 to 2025, you see a three year demand curve where next year is possible but challenging, two years out is achievable with urgency and three years out creates recipe for planned execution.
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Inside FlexGen’s 10GWh CATL battery storage supply deal
2 Financial Times:
Storms and steep utility bills drive US rooftop solar boom
3 Solar Power World:
DOE calls for increased cybersecurity measures in preparation for rapid distributed energy growth
4 Axios:
Hurricane Ian may have caused $67 billion in damage, a top 5 U.S. storm
5 Reuters:
Australian tech billionaire to chair $20 billion solar power export project
6 Utility Dive:
Duke Energy ups 10-year capital spending plan to $145B to modernize grid, move to zero-carbon generation
7 PV-Tech:
Maxeon closes French solar module manufacturing plant
8 PV-Magazine:
Proposed FEMA building code may hamper solar deployment
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Big Steel starts prepping for a net-zero world
Have a great day!
Yann
