David Wagman
Sunrise brief: Air Force funds development of solar PV sheets for use in space
Also on the rise: Volta Energy fund nets $72.6 million for battery and storage startups, and Brooklyn libraries add rooftop solar to power safe-haven emergency services.
The Texas blackout is a man-made disaster of epic proportions
The ERCOT market has served Texans well, producing low energy costs and the nation’s leading market for renewable energy. This same system also failed the state’s residents and businesses spectacularly in a moment of great need.
Sunrise brief: Hoosier Energy signs PPA for 150 MW of Indiana solar
Also on the rise: EVs clawed out a tiny but growing market share in 2020, FERC chair suggested that Texas may want to rethink its go-it-alone model, and the race to sue over the ERCOT outages is on as a Dallas firm filed a lawsuit.
As Texas recovers, report warns grid operators to plan better for extreme weather
Grid planning fails to consider extreme climate scenarios that a resilient grid needs to handle, said EPRI’s president and CEO. “Traditional planning processes do not represent how resources actually perform under extreme conditions.”
Sunrise brief: Bundled rooftop solar from Sunnova wins bid to join New England bulk market
Also on the rise: Partners target battery weight in commercial EVs, Complete Solar becomes more complete, drivers can get a Slurpee and a jolt at a PG&E-backed charging location, and JinkoSolar inks a silicon supply deal.
Sunrise brief: Li-ion battery plant is headed to Tennessee
Also on the rise: MiaSole Hi-Tech ekes out a tandem solar cell efficiency improvement, Trimark tapped to provide SCADA for massive solar+storage project, and JinkoSolar glass supply deal will support 59 GW of production.
3 graphs that shed light on the ERCOT power crisis
Data firm Lium concluded that ERCOT “probably needed at least another 17 GW of generation” to meet demand as cold winter weather settled in over the state.
Energy Transition Jobs: Tigo Energy, First Light, International Solar Alliance, and more
Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities, and energy transition finance.
Probes launched as Texas works to get the lights back on
For many Texans, this week’s blackouts seem a lot like a 2011 winter storm that was supposed to have ushered in a host of reforms.
Sunrise brief: Sunnova feeds its residential solar pipeline with deal for SunStreet
Also on the rise: Utilities plan a massive solar + storage project in Wisconsin, Fluence supplies an AI-based trading platform for a BESS, and Avangrid wants a partner for an HVDC line in New York State.
