• Utility Dive: Coal advocates warn NERC is underestimating plant retirements by about 68 GW, threatening reliability
• Reuters: California lawmakers extend life of nuclear plant, approve slate of climate bills
• PV-Magazine: Despite supply challenges, solar panel shipments grew 32% last year
• New York Times: Amid Heat Wave, California Asks Electric Vehicle Owners to Limit Charging
• CNBC: Amazon took all U.S. solar rooftops offline last year after flurry of fires, electrical explosions
• Axios: Ocean heat reached all-time high in 2021, report finds
• PV-Tech: California lawmakers pass community solar bill as they look to exploit IRA incentives
• Energy Storage News: European energy majors Equinor, Uniper get involved in flow battery investment and pilot project
• Canary Media: Hawaii just got rid of coal power for good

Opinion

• Bloomberg: Surging Copper Demand Will Complicate the Clean Energy Boom

Best, Yann

It’s September! It’s been 3 years since our last SPI/RE+ in Utah. I was still running a solar racking company which had just been acquired. This year, I join many of you at RE+, but as an exhibitor, showing off the amazing work we’re doing in energy storage at FlexGen and the industry is fresh off the biggest climate related policy victory in the history of, well ever. It is also going to be the 10 year anniversary of SolarWakeup and as subdued as that celebration may be, I thank the original 37 subscribers and the 4 of you that unsubscribed on day 1. We’ve done some fun stuff together in the past decade and we’ll do a lot more in the future. Big new things to come, in the industry and right here. Please do say hello if we see each other at RE+, it’ll be great to be together again. 

• New York Times: Gov. Jay Inslee Is Taking a Well-Earned Climate Victory Lap
• Axios: U.S. solar factories prepare for liftoff
• PV-Magazine: Solar industry was held back in the first half of 2022, but now the floodgates are opened
• Utility Dive: DOE launches $10.5B Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships Program
• Bloomberg: Europe’s Energy Crisis Dampening Corporate Deals for Clean Power
• Grist: The electric vehicle boom could bring lithium mines back to North Carolina
• Energy Storage News: California zoning exemption granted to enable ‘even more rapid’ energy storage deployment

Opinion

• Canary Media: When — and how — should you talk to your kids about climate change?

Best, Yann

• Reuters: First Solar pledges big U.S. factory expansion thanks to climate law
• Los Angeles Times: SoCal’s worst heat wave of the year – What’s the timing, who will be hit hardest?
• Bloomberg: Negative Power Prices? Blame the US Grid for Stranding Renewable Energy
• Utility Dive: Inflation Reduction Act could shift EV battery composition – BofA Global
• Energy Storage News: US government launches US$335 million battery recycling programme
• Canary Media: Open-sourcing the grid emissions data needed for 24/7 clean energy
• PV-Magazine: SolarEdge investigated for alleged patent violation
• PV-Tech: How did the top six solar module companies fare in H1 2022?

Opinion

• Fitch: New Production Tax Credit Will Spur Solar Generation – Development Costs May Rise

Best, Yann

Dropping Demand To Fix Supply. While experts see this winter in Europe to be challenging given the ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine and offensive energy aggressions with natural gas supply, they don’t expect Countries like Germany to fall short in supplying energy to its citizens. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be financially painful, we’ve seen that coverage across the headlines over the past few weeks. It will take time for Europe to find alternative gas supplies, more specifically gas logistics, to offset decreased Russian supply. The increase energy cost is one of the largest impacts to the inflationary pressures across the Continent and globe. That is where solar and storage steps in on all sides of the grid. It’s important to offset as much gas demand as possible with alternative fuels, not meaning to eliminate in the short term, but instead to save as much as possible to ensure no shortfalls and decrease the price pressures that families will feel. 

• Axios: Europe’s soaring energy costs push leaders to consider major steps
• Bloomberg: US Homes Add Rooftop Solar at a Record Clip to Cut Power Bills
• Utility Dive: FERC approves ISO-NE plan to bypass the grid operator and rely on state reviews for DER interconnections
• PV-Magazine: Solar on canals moves closer to reality
• Solar Builder: Enphase Energy acquires smart home IoT software provider GreenCom
• Renew Economy: “Workers want a plan:” Greens push for transition authority to manage switch to renewables
• PV-Tech: Australia will need 1.9TW of solar to reach net zero by 2050 – report

Opinion

• Canary Media: EPA should crack down on fossil-fueled heating, climate groups argue

Best, Yann