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.
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.
If I were Secretary of Energy
If you recognize that energy is most of the problem with climate change, you’d like the DOE not to be the bastard child of a weapons organization. (Warning/TLDR : You can’t fix the DOE in 1,000 words.)
Morning Brief: Consumers Energy expands its net metering cap, Nautilus closes a financing commitment
Also in the brief: A New Mexico regulator has recommended denial of El Paso Electric’s planned expansion of the Newman Generating Station, Gemserv has launched a digital platform aimed at helping businesses transition to electric vehicles and more.
New York is launching a $10 million program to support climate tech startups, following Massachusetts’ lead
“Because economies were shut down, we also had concerns about the companies in which we had investments, and we had to think about how we could help those companies get through the pandemic.”
The misunderstood power of lithium-ion
As the world continues shifting towards lithium-ion as an advanced energy solution for all power applications, ongoing education on the technology’s chemistry, uses and limitations are essential.
Clean energy industry groups CALSSA, SEIA, ACORE mount a full-court press for recovery role and jobs
“As Congress looks to recover jobs and spur new economic activity that leads to job growth and consumer savings, they should prioritize extending and expanding the ITC for distributed clean energy,” CALSSA said.
Saul Griffith wants to electrify everything and rewire America
That’s going to take a lot of jobs, which is great news at a time when we have more unemployment in America since the Depression.
Morning Brief: Scientists at US automakers have known since the 60s that car emissions caused climate change
Scientists at two of America’s biggest automakers knew as early as the 1960s that car emissions caused climate change, a monthslong investigation by E&E News has found. The discoveries by General Motors and Ford Motor Co. preceded decades of political lobbying by the two car giants that undermined global attempts to reduce emissions while stalling […]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk: ‘We continue to believe that the energy business will ultimately be as large as our vehicle business’
Tesla’s solar and battery businesses show signs of life in another profitable quarter for the EV maker.
