Morning Brief: 5 experts predict the future of renewable energy, PG&E has procured more than 1 GW of storage

Also in the brief: Amazon has announced its first solar energy facility in China, the Borough of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and Sun Tribe have agreed to a PPA, Michael Moore has given climate deniers a platform and more.

May 22, 2020 Eric Wesoff and Tim Sylvia

Image: Amazon

5 experts predict the future of renewable energy amid coronavirus: Many experts say the clean-energy sector is tanking, with an estimated 500,000 newly unemployed workers by the end of June. On the other hand, solar power is providing a larger percentage of the total energy mix than ever before. We queried the experts, all of whom have been named to the Grist 50: Tim Latimer, Logan Atkinson Burke, Mateo Jaramillo, Daphany Rose Sanchez, and Emily Kirsch represent very different roles within the energy sector. Here are their takeaways about the renewables industry during the pandemic and beyond. Source: Grist

PG&E’s total storage procurements pass 1 GW with latest round of projects: Pacific Gas & Electric is asking California regulators to approve five lithium-ion battery storage projects amounting to 423 MW/1,692 MWh, including a 60 MW/240 MWh battery co-located with a geothermal facility. The five projects bump up the amount of storage PG&E has under contract to more than 1,000 MW. A lot of the new storage that’s been contracted in California is driven by near-term system reliability needs, Alex Morris, executive director of the California Energy Storage Alliance told Utility Dive. Source: Utility Dive

Amazon has announced its first solar energy facility in China, a 100 MW project in Shandong expected to generate 128,000 megawatt hours of power each year. This comes as part of a five-project push by Amazon, with the company building a similar facility in Australia, as well as projects in Virginia and Ohio. The facilities are being built in as part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge, a commitment to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2030. Source: Geek Wire

The disinformation spread by the Michael Moore-produced film, Planet of the Humans, gives climate denialists like John Klar, a candidate in the 2020 Republican primary for Vermont governor, false cover for their anti-solar campaigns. Source: VT Digger

The Borough of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and Sun Tribe have agreed to a public-private partnership which will provide clean, affordable energy for Borough ratepayers for the next two decades. The two came to terms on a power purchase agreement for a 15 MWac solar system which will power approximately 2,450 homes annually. For context, Chambersburg has a population of roughly 20,500. Source: Sun Tribe

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