Markets & Policy

Many of my VC compatriots in Silicon Valley still sneer at the SPAC, and several I know actively encourage their portfolio companies to avoid SPAC sponsors.
“A product for also-rans who can’t go public the normal route.”
“Frankenstein financial engineering for speculators and amateurs.”
To which I say, BALDERDASH!

Also: Despite a rosy forecast, creating energy storage projects with competitive economics has been an elusive endeavor. Plus, rate design innovations are boosting the energy transition and Plug Power raises $1 billion for U.S. green hydrogen infrastructure build-out.

Victory in the economic realm (increasingly the case with solar, solar-plus-storage and wind) is no guarantee of market victory if the regulations are stacked against renewables.

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.

The projects will each be among the largest installations in their respective states and advance Cubico’s expansion into the American solar market.

“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.”

Belgian start-up Sunslice has developed small, portable, high-performance solar panels that can be applied to backpacks and be used as rechargers for smartphones and watches.

Also in the brief: how the Clean Energy Equity Act can help NJ rebuild better, Dominion signs a power contract for a 75 MW project in Virginia and more.

Executive jobs and job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

The company has come to an agreement with Invenergy to purchase 500 MW of the upcoming 1.3 GW Samson Solar Energy Center in Texas. the deal will make AT&T one of the largest purchasers of corporate solar in the world.