Electricity consumption up for pizza and liquor stores, down for dry cleaning and religion
Electrical demand across most, but not all, industries is down due to the pandemic. Yet, while hospitals and pizza shops drive demand, it remains to be seen how much of this new load will be met with renewable energy.
Morning Brief: What does the pandemic mean for the energy transition?
Also in the brief: Michigan solar installers say their future depends on lifting the energy cap. Plus, chickens.
New Michael Moore film charges enviro leaders have ‘lost their way’ and ‘sold out to corporate interests’
“As we suffer through one health and environmental crisis after another, it is clear we can no longer simply solar-panel-and-windmill our way out of this emergency,” say producer Michael Moore and author Jeff Gibbs.
Morning Brief: GM’s Michigan operations all-in on solar and wind, Pittsburgh Steelers add solar
Also in the brief: Boston Scientific goes renewable in American operations, a semi-temporary solar farm for Holy Cross Energy, a roadmap to Pandemic Resilience and more.
SunPower pauses its solar cell and module factories, reduces salaries and workweek
The solar efficiency leader remains on track to complete its planned split into two independently focused pure-play solar companies by the end of the second quarter.
Covid-19 is heightening the stakes for off-grid solar in Africa
“Without energy, we can’t fight this,” said Bill Lenihan, CEO of Zola Electric, a company that develops solar and storage systems in Africa.
Amid layoffs, some residential solar firms are outsourcing solar design
Outsourcing makes sense for startups and medium-sized companies, according to the CEO of Three Line Design
106,000 American clean energy jobs were lost in March
The industry lost 3% of its workforce in March, erasing the entire jobs growth of 2019. A report projects that, without taking action, 500,000 more jobs could be lost.
Pandemic’s utility impacts are coming into focus
Since the beginning of February, there have been widespread electric load declines of 3% to 11% across the U.S.
Duke warns solar producers it may cut power purchases
In the face of exceptionally low demand linked to the lack of commercial and industrial energy consumption and mild weather, Duke Energy has warned independent power producers and state regulators that the company may stop purchasing power that it’s contracted to buy from solar plants.
