Energy Jobs: Tesla dissolves its PR department, plus new execs at Sunrun, Amazon Climate Pledge, Generate, LS Energy and Talesun
Executive moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.
Utility-scale solar roundup: PV-powered steel from Lightsource, Savion in Ohio and Michigan
Dean Solon, CEO of Shoals: “A lot of people thought that the 100 MW fields were all dead, but those suckers are coming back with a vengeance.”
Shoals, solar balance-of-system player, had a strong 2020 and sees an even stronger 2021
Dean Solon of Shoals Technologies Group: “The short version is that it’s been a damned good year.” An interview with Shoals covers the growth of large solar projects in the U.S., high AC/DC ratios and the real costs of using cheap components.
New energy transition exit: the Array Technologies IPO
John Tough of Energize Ventures shares an investor’s view of the biggest solar IPO of 2020. It’s the first and largest solar tracking company available to U.S. public markets.
Safe harboring in 2020’s rough waters: three crucial considerations
As it stands today, 2021 will likely be one of the strongest markets for solar equipment manufacturers selling into the U.S. market. A perfect storm of a recovering market post-pandemic, access to cheap capital, and the impending ITC drop-off will create strong, near-term market demand, as well as intense safe harboring activities.
Morning Brief: First-of-a-kind utility plan could transform Southeast grid, energy storage news
Also in the brief: Zinc batteries from Eos, flow batteries from Invinity, residential storage programs from Arizona Public Service and Green Mountain Power.
EnergySage reports on storage for the first time ever, Tesla dominates
In the newest edition of EnergySage’s Solar Marketplace Intel Report, data about energy storage solutions being quoted to homeowners through the platform has been included for the first time — with more than half of the quotes for Tesla’s Powerwall 2.
Solar tracker builder Array Technologies sets its terms in largest solar IPO of 2020
Profitable solar tracker company Array Technologies is going public the old-fashioned way and eschewing the SPAC method being employed by other renewable companies such as QuantumScape and ChargePoint. Did we mention the company was profitable?
Morning Brief: Role of gas as a bridge fuel in US ‘just got shorter and narrower’
Also in the brief: Trina Solar completed its acquisition of Spanish solar tracker company Nclave, Plus — A Florida county board denies a zoning exemption for a 650-acre solar project in a predominantly Black community after some residents said the proposal constituted environmental racism.
Off-grid solar funding concentrated in just three companies
With a previous 50-50 split between equity and debt investment funding for the off-grid market shifting to 84% debt, and commentators stating most of this year’s backing was agreed before the onset of Covid-19, fears are mounting about the prospects for the sector.
