Green Technology | Cleantech and Renewable Energy News and Analysis

07.20.17 Regulation & Policy 13

Aliso Canyon Should Close Permanently, Says California Governor Jerry Brown

A call to phase out Southern California’s biggest natural-gas storage site in 10 years, and bring in efficiency, solar PV, energy storage and demand response to take its place.

by Jeff St. John

07.20.17 Policy 8

Leaked DOE Grid Report Puts Rick Perry in an Awkward Position. What Will the Final Draft Look Like?

On this week’s Interchange podcast, we debate the consequences of the leaked DOE grid reliability study. Plus, we talk about corporate strategies for buying 100% renewable energy.

by Stephen Lacey

07.20.17 35

Industry Perspective

Former US Chief Sustainability Officer: The Military Is Leading the March Toward Energy Independence

But we need greater levels of investment to build on that success, says Jon Powers.

by Jon Powers

07.20.17 Energy Storage 11

German Utility EWE Plans a Flow Battery Big Enough to Power Berlin for an Hour

Germany may be launching a new era of city-scale energy storage. But there are still many incremental steps on the way.

by Jason Deign

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07.19.17 Residential Solar 4

Retailer Direct Energy Pulls Out of the Residential Solar Installation Business

The era of electricity retailers trying to directly sell and install rooftop solar is coming to an end.

by Julian Spector

07.19.17 Grid Optimization 1

Defining the True Market Opportunity for Distributed Energy Resource Management Software

A true enterprise DERMS platform doesn’t exist yet—but utilities and vendors are building up the central, edge and fleet platforms to get there.

by Jeff St. John

07.19.17 Solar-Plus-Storage 4

Sunrun’s Evolution From Home Solar Installer to Comprehensive Energy Solution Provider

A conversation with Audrey Lee, Sunrun’s new vice president of grid services.

by Julia Pyper

07.19.17 Solar-Plus-Storage 74

Can a Flow Battery Steal the Throne From TEP’s 4.5-Cent Solar-Plus-Storage PPA?

Zinc-iron flow battery challenger ViZn vows that its total cost of ownership can undercut lithium-ion for a 20-year project.

by Julian Spector

07.19.17 Regulation & Policy 18

Hawaii Utility’s 100% Renewable Energy Plan Gets the Green Light

Regulators approved the third iteration of HECO’s proposal, but still expressed numerous concerns.

by Jeff St. John

07.18.17 People 12

SolarCity Co-Founder and CTO Peter Rive Is Leaving Tesla

Rive was working on Tesla’s highly anticipated solar roof. His departure comes soon after his brother, Lyndon, exited the company.

by Julia Pyper, Stephen Lacey

07.18.17 Policy 2

California’s Extension of Cap-and-Trade Provides More Certainty to Cleantech

It’s a major market signal. And it will also provide direct revenue to state programs.

by Katie Fehrenbacher

GTM Research

07.18.17 Corporate Sustainability 1

Sir Richard Branson Talks Self-Driving Race Cars, Investing in Cleantech, and Fake Meat

The Virgin Group founder said he’s also bullish on batteries, but sidestepped questions about ditching petroleum.

by Katherine Tweed

07.18.17 Residential Solar 25

Why California’s Net Metering 2.0 Calls for More, Not Less, Solar per Rooftop

Some surprising findings on the value of rooftop solar under the state’s new net metering regime.

by Jeff St. John

07.18.17 Grid Optimization 1

Virtual Power Plants: Ready to Serve a Grid Near You

Vendors talk about the evolving applications for aggregated distributed resources.

by Jill Febowitz

07.18.17 Markets & Policy 32

GTM Research Spotlight

Europe, Once the Bastion of Feed-In Tariffs, Now Leads the World in Solar Auctions

We’re entering the era of solar tenders, according to GTM’s Solar Demand Monitor.

by Mike Munsell

07.17.17 Energy Storage 3

Sonnen Signs a Deal to Put Storage in New Arizona Housing Developments

Energy storage doesn’t look as expensive when it’s part of your mortgage.

by Julian Spector

Upcoming Events

07.17.17 Solar Finance & VC 22

Industry Perspective

First Solar and SunPower May Sell Their YieldCo, 8point3. How Much Is It Worth?

In pursuit of the YieldCo’s real value.

by Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA

07.17.17 Electric Vehicles 84

Everyone Is Revising Their Electric Vehicle Forecasts Upward—Except Automakers

Oil companies are eyeing dramatic adoption of EVs. But car manufacturers aren’t planning for the same level of electrification.

by Stephen Lacey

July 25, 2017 Energy Storage

Tesla Is Building the World’s Biggest Battery Plant. Experts Say It ‘Has No Business Case’

127 by Jason Deign

July 18, 2017 People

SolarCity Co-Founder and CTO Peter Rive Is Leaving Tesla

12 by Stephen Lacey

July 14, 2017 Policy

Leaked Draft of DOE’s Grid Study Says Renewables Are Not a Threat

65 by Julia Pyper

07.26.17 Grid Optimization

Why 100% Renewables May Create an ‘Evolutionary Dead End’

210 by Stephen Lacey

07.25.17 Energy Storage

Tesla Is Building the World’s Biggest Battery Plant. Experts Say It ‘Has No Business Case’

127 by Jason Deign

07.17.17 Electric Vehicles

Everyone Is Revising Their Electric Vehicle Forecasts Upward—Except Automakers

84 by Stephen Lacey

07.17.17 Products and Technology 5

Renewables Sector Embraces the Promise of Virtual Reality

A Scottish lab for wind training underscores how virtual reality is taking off.

by Jason Deign

The Week in Storage and Solar: Some Bright Spots at a Clouded Time

GTM Squared

The Week in Storage and Solar: Some Bright Spots at a Clouded Time

At Intersolar North America, the cleantech industry delivered supply-chain and soft-cost solutions as policy threats loom in the distance.

by Julian Spector | July 14, 2017

07.14.17 Policy 65

Leaked Draft of DOE’s Grid Study Says Renewables Are Not a Threat

But will that language make it into the final version?

by Julia Pyper

07.14.17 Software & Analytics 3

Chinese Wind Giant Envision Partners With US Tech Firms on Digital Energy

The company has joined forces with Microsoft and others to create a “digital foundation for the energy world.”

by Katie Fehrenbacher

Electricity Utility Executive Interviews

GTM Squared

Shine a Light: Interviews With Utility Leaders on What’s Next for the Industry

Another edition of The Interchange podcast, transcription style.

by Stephen Lacey | July 14, 2017

07.14.17 Wind Markets & Policy 31

Wind Breezed Past Coal’s Capacity Factor in April

Better tech is getting more power out of each gust, but wind will likely continue to fall short of its fossil competitor on an annual basis.

by Matthew Klippenstein

07.14.17 11

Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbine Albatros

Floating Wind Could Trigger a Dramatic Redesign for Turbines

Just scaling up existing designs might not cut it, experts say.

by Jason Deign

top

Aliso Canyon Should Close Permanently, Says California Governor Jerry Brown

Leaked DOE Grid Report Puts Rick Perry in an Awkward Position. What Will the Final Draft Look Like?

Former US Chief Sustainability Officer: The Military Is Leading the March Toward Energy Independence

German Utility EWE Plans a Flow Battery Big Enough to Power Berlin for an Hour

A New Grid Security Report, DOE’s Budget Battles, and an App That Fails a Utility Security Test

Some New Ideas for Redesigning Energy Efficiency Policies

The Companies Saying No to Lithium-Ion

Retailer Direct Energy Pulls Out of the Residential Solar Installation Business

Defining the True Market Opportunity for Distributed Energy Resource Management Software

Sunrun’s Evolution From Home Solar Installer to Comprehensive Energy Solution Provider

Can a Flow Battery Steal the Throne From TEP’s 4.5-Cent Solar-Plus-Storage PPA?

Hawaii Utility’s 100% Renewable Energy Plan Gets the Green Light

SolarCity Co-Founder and CTO Peter Rive Is Leaving Tesla

California’s Extension of Cap-and-Trade Provides More Certainty to Cleantech

Sir Richard Branson Talks Self-Driving Race Cars, Investing in Cleantech, and Fake Meat

Why California’s Net Metering 2.0 Calls for More, Not Less, Solar per Rooftop

Virtual Power Plants: Ready to Serve a Grid Near You

Europe, Once the Bastion of Feed-In Tariffs, Now Leads the World in Solar Auctions

Sonnen Signs a Deal to Put Storage in New Arizona Housing Developments

First Solar and SunPower May Sell Their YieldCo, 8point3. How Much Is It Worth?

Everyone Is Revising Their Electric Vehicle Forecasts Upward—Except Automakers

Tesla Is Building the World’s Biggest Battery Plant. Experts Say It ‘Has No Business Case’

SolarCity Co-Founder and CTO Peter Rive Is Leaving Tesla

Leaked Draft of DOE’s Grid Study Says Renewables Are Not a Threat

Why 100% Renewables May Create an ‘Evolutionary Dead End’

Tesla Is Building the World’s Biggest Battery Plant. Experts Say It ‘Has No Business Case’

Everyone Is Revising Their Electric Vehicle Forecasts Upward—Except Automakers

Renewables Sector Embraces the Promise of Virtual Reality

The Week in Storage and Solar: Some Bright Spots at a Clouded Time

Leaked Draft of DOE’s Grid Study Says Renewables Are Not a Threat

Chinese Wind Giant Envision Partners With US Tech Firms on Digital Energy

Shine a Light: Interviews With Utility Leaders on What’s Next for the Industry

Wind Breezed Past Coal’s Capacity Factor in April

Floating Wind Could Trigger a Dramatic Redesign for Turbines