Biden Climate Plan. The former Vice President is out with his climate plan and it is definitely influenced by the large field moving towards decarbonization much faster than was expected just a few years ago. Biden’s plan calls for net-zero by 2050 and calls the Green New Deal a crucial framework. Note that this is pushed forward as Biden is slipping in the polls and chose to skip the California Democratic convention. There is also late comment about and apology from the campaign regarding lack of citations around the policy document which apparently failed to acknowledge some sources. 

A Frustrating Job. The chairman of the CPUC, an incredibly interesting and important job, is stepping down from the commission. This comes ahead of the wildfire related decisions that need to happen this fall. When interviewed about the job, Picker said it wasn’t the worst job he’s ever had but it is the most frustrating. Bureaucracy will do that to you!

Solar Investor Buys Utility. JP Morgan’s Infrastructure Investment group, which is the same team that acquired Sonnedix, has acquired the El Paso Electric Company for over $2billion. 

Solar Powered Beer. Anheuser Busch is entering into an agreement to buy energy from a 222MW solar farm in Texas developed by Recurrent Energy, the division of Canadian Solar. The project, coupled with a smaller project, is also entering into a 15 year contract with Energy Transfer Partners who explicitly said that cost was a motivating driver. ETP will reach 20% of its energy use from renewable sources. 

Kids Go To Court. After the Supreme Court kicked the kid climate suit back to the 9th circuit, the kids and the US Government went back to court. The Government’s case is ridiculous, in my opinion. For without clean air and water, kids in America will not have their right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.

• Axios: Biden’s climate plan aims for “net-zero” emissions by 2050
  
• San Francisco Chronicle: California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker to step down
  
• Bloomberg: A JPMorgan Fund Making Its Biggest Utility Bet Yet With El Paso
  
• Fast Company: Anheuser-Busch will hit its 100% clean electricity goal 4 years early. Here’s how
  
• Washington Post: Government argues for halt to youth climate lawsuit, saying there is no constitutional right to a stable climate
  
• Greentech Media: US Storage Market Sets Power Capacity Record With Q1 Deployments
  
• Rocky Mountain Institute: Meeting the State’s Growing Energy Needs With a Clean, Resilient Energy Supply
  
• Utility Dive: California regulators weigh actions to expand storage, demand response roles in state’s grid 

Opinion

• GreenBiz: Beyond renewables – How timing can reduce corporate emissions

Have a great day!

Yann

PURPA Solar Shakeup. There has been a shakeup at the PURPA development leader, Cypress Creek Renewables. It’s been one of the unlikeliest stories in solar (PURPA in general has) taking advantage of a decades old law never meant to spur gigawatts of solar development. I look forward to getting to know the new team at Cypress Creek and seeing what is in store for them going forward. 

Commercialization Is Not Bankable. There is a flaw with how non solar media treats the opinions of people from inside the industry. From experts that say that Sunedison can buy solar assets at negative IRRs (because their stock increases for more than the acquisition price) or that tax credits can spur commercialization. Solar financing pros will tell you that tax equity investors hate risk above all. Decarbonization will happen through the mass deployment of commercialized products that have been commercialized through risk adjusted equity investments. 

Veto Solar Rules, Not Support. The governor of New Hampshire is shutting down growth of solar in NH once again. The goal is for the veto proof margin to hold in the override this year. 

Late To The Game, Again. Solar fees just in time to stop the start of the solar market in New York? Any fee added to the solar customers would stop the market right as it gets off the ground and hurt the positive intentions of the fee. 

New Reliability Study. PVEL is out with its 2019 Module Reliability Study. For more on this topic, listen to my interview with PVEL CEO Jenya Meydbray. 

Aggregation Note. As GTM adds a login to their news site, which is still free, I wanted to share some thoughts on the fact that most sites now have either a paywall or a login. The login is meant to track your reading and appeal to advertisers, which I know is not something everyone likes. On the other hand, content creators have to get paid somehow. I will continue to post content from various sources, as long as they are okay with it, even if there is a paywall. You may find a story interesting enough to subscribe and if not then at least you know that the story exists. 

• Greentech Media: Leadership Shakeup at Leading US Solar Developer Cypress Creek Renewables
• Axios: Updating clean energy tax credits could help commercialize new tech
• New Hampshire Union Leader: Sununu vetoes net-metering solar energy bill
• Bloomberg: New York Braces for Solar Fight as Regulators Mull Monthly Fees
• PV-Tech: PVEL’s 2019 ‘PV Module Reliability Scorecard’ highlights tougher ‘Top Performer’ testing
• Solar Builder: No Intersolar, no problem – Tickets on sale for Solar Battle of the Bands 9 this July
• GreenBiz: The 2019 GreenBiz 30 Under 30
• Utility Dive: Colorado Gov Polis unveils roadmap to 100% carbon free by 2040, signs 11 clean energy bills

Opinion

• Twin Cities Pioneer Press: John Farrell – Let’s look more closely at the Xcel deal on closing coal plants

Have a great day!

Yann

Follow Me. If you are on Twitter, follow me @yannbrandt and for more updates from the business side, we are ramping up our Instagram posts @QuickMountPV with Made in the USA manufacturing (Behind the scenes), tech Q&A’s and inside views on supply chain/trade fights etc. 

Arizona Drama. An ACC commissioner is out and joining a branch of the government in an administrative role. On his way out, Tobin makes strong comments about the role of the staff at the ACC, which is similar to most other PUCs around the Country or any office in government. Good luck getting to the official without the support of the staff. 

The Role of One. Most trends happen when one person does something over and over again, that something gains the attention of others and grows. Greta Thunberg is a good example, starting her climate protests on Fridays by herself before being the center of attention at all the climate conferences. (Catch her interview with Julia Pyper from Austria)

Watch Your Supply Chain. We continue to struggle with trade policy by tweet and everyone is going to get affected by this. Most solar parts are made offshore or at least contain offshore commodities that are now impacted by tariffs. China and Mexico are linked quite closely as many offshore manufacturers have locations in both. Make sure you lock in your supply chain relationships now, especially with companies that have domestic assembly capability. 

• Utility Dive: Arizona Commissioner Tobin resigns, following frustrations with staff as ‘sixth commissioner’
• Vox: The climate renegade
• Bloomberg: China-to-Mexico Factory Shift Thrown in Disarray by Trump Threat
• Axios: The major emitters that are meeting their Paris Agreement pledges
• NPR: To Some Solar Users, Power Company Fees Are An Unfair Charge
• PV-Tech: Suntech claims new module series outperforms ‘standard’ mono PERC on LCOE by 6%
• ILSR: With Major Hurricane Vulnerability, Puerto Rico Develops Landmark Microgrid Regulations*

Opinion

• Greentech Media: Is China Ready for Subsidy-Free Renewables?

Have a great day!

Yann

Jobs Success. Looks like the job board is a hit with the readers. If you keep the postings coming, we will keep posting them. Have a great weekend!

Presidential Climate Rankings. A report card for presidential candidates’ climate plans is out and not all are created equal. The report is also quite transparent on how people fared. The democratic leader, Joe Biden, is ranked at the bottom of the list with a D+ but we still expect to see more details on the plan. Many talking heads are saying that climate change is an issue that touches people’s hearts and minds but will not affect their voting, Biden in the lead is exhibit A. Inslee barely making the first debate is exhibit B. 

What Biden Should Do. Biden’s team is floating VP names early in the process for various political reasons. What the former VP should do is announce his team for clean energy policy right now and it should include names that you and I would find familiar. Announce Inslee as the EPA Administrator or David Crane as Secretary of Energy, that would make this an interesting conversation. 

Solar And Coal Have A Baby. A small modular reactor is born! The fantasy is highlighted by the NEI CEO in the Bloomberg interview and it’s as crazy and unrealistic as solar partnering with coal. Also, the sun not shining and wind not blowing isn’t the best argument anymore. 

DOE PR Agents. Exporting US molecules of freedom is the most insane sentence I’ve read.

• Grist: The presidential candidates just received their climate report cards
  
• Vox: What’s Joe Biden going to do on climate change? Look at his record under Obama.
  
• Bloomberg: The Nuclear of Tomorrow Will Be Smaller – Nuclear Energy Institute CEO
  
• Axios: Energy Department faces blowback for calling LNG exports “freedom gas”
  
• Think Progress: Chevron’s two-faced approach to electric cars
  
• PV-Tech: US bills to accelerate storage ‘well designed’ but delays still expected
  
• Greentech Media: A Facebook First – Tech Giant Invests Directly in a Renewable Project
  
• Utility Dive: Ohio House approves nuclear, coal subsidies, ditches renewables mandate 

Opinion

• GreenBiz: A radical idea to get a high-renewable electric grid – Build way more solar and wind than needed

Have a great day!

Yann