Keep Calm and Solar On. Every one of my non-solar friends has asked me about the Walmart/Tesla lawsuit. Without resolving the issue, Walmart made solar seem risky for everyday Americans. The funny part of it is that Walmart and Amazon (who chimed in as well) are both signing new solar deals after the fires. The corporates are learning from the issue and continuing on and it would be great if they said something to that effect publicly.
The Partisan Divide. For some reason, climate change continues to be a divided issue in America. When asked if climate change is a major risk to the US, only one in four republicans said yes while three in four democrats respond affirmative. In all, it reaches 57% which is hardly a majority issue but in the politics of 50 plus 1, it may be enough.
Stationary Disasters. If you spent any time living in Florida you know that every three hours you get your National Hurricane Center update. Spend a decade living in Max Mayfield’s cone of uncertainty and you start looking for key metrics during the latest advisory. One is the pressure of the system, under 900mb is really bad, and the other is the movement. Most storms say something like WNW at 8mph as the storm seeks warmer waters. Hurricane Dorian got as low as 910mb before making landfall in the Bahamas and has been pounding the islands for almost 24 hours. Last night the storm continued to be stationary which is unheard of, especially at those wind speeds. This is undoubtedly related to climate change and no amount of ice on those waters will help.
A Coal Blueprint. Instead of doing the IRP dance around the Country, I hope that a think tank provides a reliable, accepted study on coal plant retirements. Running these plants to the end of their useful lives is entirely not useful nor in the best financial interest of consumers. And now, the end is near and so coal faces the final curtain…
- Denver Post: Amazon tops off new fulfilment centre with 19-acre rooftop solar-power system
- Axios: Democrats spur rising worries about climate change
- Bloomberg: Dorian’s Savage Winds May Test Mettle of Florida’s Solar Panels
- Utility Dive: North Carolina calls on Duke to examine coal retirement scenarios in next IRP
- CleanTechnica: Climate Scientists Say Climate Change Will Lead To More Powerful Storms, & Hurricane Dorian Proves They’re Right
- Washington Post: As demand for solar energy grows, D.C. job training offers both employment and community results
- PV-Magazine: Delaware lifts rooftop solar restrictions
- PV-Tech: LONGi posts record quarterly revenue as mono wafer shipments increase 183%
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann