Morning Brief: Loanpal’s record originations means residential solar is going strong, SCE adds 590 MW of energy storage
Also in the brief: The American-made solar prize, and six Clearway Community Solar projects kick off construction across Illinois
World’s largest residential virtual power plant coming from Alphabet-backed SIP and OhmConnect
Like Airbnb, but monetizing spare energy: “The first big step towards opening the door to a massively transactive grid.”
The unglamorous approach to impact investing in energy
In the fashionable world of “impact” investing, often the least sexy investment makes the most impact; nowhere is this truer than in the energy sector
Michigan’s solar industry awaits order in Consumers Energy’s rate case
After Consumers Energy raised its net metering cap as a bargaining chip, some advocates see a Value of Solar study as a way to ensure that the rates that have allowed the state’s small-scale solar market to flourish remain in place.
SPAC, the final frontier: QuantumScape raises $680M for advanced EV batteries, TJ Rodgers raises $200M in SPAC IPOs, plus EVs galore and Stem
Once sort of disreputable, the SPAC is now a “financial innovation” and a “funding mechanism for ambitious companies who are in the midst of a growth phase-change,” in the eyes of some investors. Here’s a roundup.
Venture capital funding in solar, storage and energy intelligence sees a year-end surge
At least a dozen energy transition startups are getting their start during the pandemic holiday season.
Morning Brief: Solar roadway in Georgia, Oakland bans natural gas in new buildings, DC gets solar to the people
Also in the brief: Ohio bill would ban new large solar and wind projects for up to three years
The roadmap to the lowest cost grid is paved with distributed solar and storage
We wanted to know what the grid would look like, and cost, if we stopped ignoring the benefits of DERs and optimized the integration of these resources through a better modeling process. We found that when you use better planning models and scale both local solar and storage, as well as utility-scale solar and wind, you maximize cost savings and unlock the path to the lowest cost grid.
Solar panel recycling in the US — a looming issue that could harm industry growth and reputation
The solar industry cannot claim to be a clean energy source if it leaves a trail of hazardous waste.
The US energy storage market was redefined in Q3
A record 476 MW/764 MWh were installed in Q3, with California’s deployment figures alone shattering all previous quarterly records.
