Biden makes his picks: Granholm is Energy Secretary and McCarthy is Climate Czar
Also in the morning brief: Ormat expands energy storage presence, acquires a shovel-ready project in Upton County, Texas. RatedPower’s software for utility-scale solar. CS Energy hits 1 GW.
Swift Solar secures financing to expand its perovskite R&D
The financing round was led by GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij and cryptocurrency expert James Fickel. Proceeds will be used to expand R&D, develop prototypes and add staff.
Silicon Ranch raises $225 million to fund 1 GW of solar by 2022
The company’s largest-ever funding round will help it bring more than 1 GW of solar on line and position Nashville-based Silicon Ranch to enter new markets.
Is FERC Order 2222 enough to push virtual power plants into the energy mainstream?
Aggregating DERs via virtual power plants has customers, utilities and financiers all ready to buy in. With FERC Order 2222, the question for two California aggregators is whether their models will play in less DER-friendly markets.
Morning Brief: Bipartisan energy deal rumored to be imminent in lame-duck session
Although the situation in DC remains “fluid.” Also in the brief: LG Energy’s new residential battery systems, and solar on Arkansas jails with Entegrity.
Extreme weather is causing solar insurance premiums to explode
Catastrophic weather events in Texas and California have led to steep insurance premium cost increases, according to a new analysis by Norton Rose Fulbright.
First Solar’s PV module technology completes 25 years of testing at NREL
“Determining how many years a solar panel will last can take, well, years.”
Morning Brief: Amazon replaces Google as world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy
Also in the brief: Battery material breakthrough of the day, Kern County coping with climate change, Longroad Energy plans $128 million solar farm north of Houston
Honolulu legislates faster, easier permitting for rooftop solar
Hawaii’s continued move to online permitting reduces red tape — and has the potential to grow Hawaiian solar when the state needs the revenue. The broader industry is aiming for a “fundamental reshaping of solar permitting at the federal, state, and local levels.”
Energy Transition Jobs: Plug Power readies for M&A with new VP, plus Solaria, Samsung SDI, Aurora Solar, QuantumScape
Executive jobs and job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.
