Tesla EVs show profit while solar business hits new lows in revenue and deployment
It was a series of firsts, including a profitable full year and Megapack turning a profit that factored into CEO Elon Musk explaining that he has “never been more optimistic or excited about the future of Tesla.” Austin is confirmed as the site of the next Gigafactory.
Morning Brief: Planners reject $40M, 140-MW battery storage project for fire risk, New York adopts net metering alternative
Also in the brief: Minnesota solar installers say they’re waiting too long for Xcel Energy grid connections, lower solar costs lead to new installations in metro Atlanta and financing for two large projects in Texas.
SMUD looks to go 100% emission-free 10 years ahead of schedule.
Members of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board of Directors will vote tonight on a “Climate Emergency Declaration” that could set the utility on track to become carbon neutral by 2030.
First image of Tesla’s German Gigafactory unveiled, with rooftop PV to boot
Tesla boss Elon Musk has published the first image of the planned Gigafactory in Grünheide, near Berlin, in eastern Germany.
Morning Brief: newer solar equipment ages gracefully, Solar FlexRack provides trackers for 14 MW of projects
Also in the brief: nearly 1 MW of solar has been installed on the roof of a 300,000-square-foot Kroger bakery facility, a big-rig driver installing solar on his truck, camouflage for solar panels and more.
Morning Brief: Duke, Dominion abandon pipeline, Berkshire Hathaway buys $10B of gas assets from Dominion
Also in the brief: Tepco to reuse Chinese EV batteries for energy storage, end of Chinese dam-building era,
Energy investment roundup: $50M for drinking water from solar-powered ‘hydropanels’
Also African microgrids, $200 million for solid-state batteries, $20 million for utility field safety, billions for infrastructure, and millions for deep tech.
New York regulators, NYSERDA, release white paper on how to better achieve 70% renewables by 2030
In pursuit of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the two entities have outlined a plan to rewrite current procurement procedures, expand the role of offshore wind and establish a new tier of eligible generation resources.
Morning Brief: Navajo Transitional Energy proposes 200 MW of solar, Lyft joins EV 100
Also in the brief, SunPower provides a Maxeon update, Solar Support, DEPCOM Power and Power Factor partner on disaster recovery, KB home is the first builder to offer OneRoof and more.
Volkswagen invests up to $200 million in stealthy solid-state battery builder QuantumScape
This investment comes on top of the $100 million invested in 2018. Venture capital and corporate funding of new energy technologies continues despite — or perhaps because of — the pandemic.
