Morning Brief: Solar ETF soars as Biden leads in polls, Tesla Megapacks in Alberta’s first large-scale battery storage

Solar ETF soars as Biden leads in polls. The solar energy trade is soaring. Invesco’s Solar ETF has become one of the market’s hottest exchange-traded funds, up almost 139% year to date and counting as former VP Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in presidential election polls. Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which would focus on promoting clean energy, has been a source of enthusiasm for investors anticipating a Biden victory come November. “If Biden wins, … you’re either going to buy infrastructure or look to industrials to take advantage of that,” said Ed Rosenberg, senior VP and head of ETFs at American Century. A blue wave would lead to “investment across the board in infrastructure” and “better prospects and better earnings” for industrial companies in particular, Rosenberg predicted. Source: CNBC

10MW/20MWh of Tesla Megapacks used for Alberta’s first-ever large-scale battery energy storage system have gone into action as TransAlta Renewables announced the project has reached commercial operation. Called WindCharger, the project’s batteries charge up in about two hours from TransAlta’s 66 MW Summerview II wind farm in the Canadian Province. Wind, solar and hydroelectric company TransAlta Renewables purchased the project from power generation and distribution player TransAlta Corporation, its majority shareholder. TransAlta will pay a fixed monthly charge for the right of operation and dispatch of the battery in the Alberta market. Source: Oil and Gas 360

juwi Shizen Energy constructs 54-MW-solarpark on a former golf course in Japan:  Juwi Shizen Energy, the joint venture established in 2013 between the German project developer juwi and the Japanese developer of wind and solar parks Shizen Energy, is constructing a 54 MWdc solar park in the city of Sano, around 100 kilometers north of Tokyo. The joint venture is building the park on behalf of Pacifico Energy.