Green Technology | Cleantech and Renewable Energy News and Analysis

05.20.20 Energy 1

On hold: Auctions and construction timelines have slowed in many renewables markets.

Arrested Development: Global Renewables Market to Fall for First Time in 20 Years, IEA Says

Continued growth in China and the U.S. will not be enough to offset weak deployment in other parts of the world, the IEA says.

by John Parnell

05.20.20 Solar 0

The availability of tax equity is a concern for some renewables developers. (Photo: Avangrid)

Industry Perspective

Why (and How) the Solar Finance Market Is Changing in This Crisis

Renewable energy assets may be havens, but developers still face financing challenges, writes Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz.

by Yuri Horwitz

Mapping the Peaker Plants Most Susceptible to Replacement by Batteries

GTM Squared

Mapping the Peaker Plants Most Susceptible to Replacement by Batteries

A new data tool lets users cut and slice all the relevant attributes of peaker plants in nine states with strong energy storage prospects.

by Julian Spector | May 20, 2020

05.20.20 Wind 11

Dominion believes Virginia's Hampton Roads area can become a major U.S. offshore wind hub.

How Dominion Energy Plans to Launch an Offshore Wind Empire

Dominion is just weeks from installing the second U.S. offshore wind project, and it’s happening during a pandemic.

by Karl-Erik Stromsta

05.19.20 Grid Edge 5

Consumers Energy is looking to energy efficiency to help meet its 2030 clean energy goals. (Credit: Consumers)

Can Free Smart Thermostats Get Homeowners to Enroll in Summertime Demand Response?

Consumers Energy, Google Nest and Uplight want to turn 100,000 free thermostats into megawatts’ worth of peak load reduction.

by Jeff St. John

05.19.20 Energy Storage 2

PG&E's new storage procurement includes the world's first geothermal-linked battery.

Vistra, LS Power Top Winners in PG&E’s 420MW Storage Procurement

Another huge battery procurement to help stabilize California’s grid, another tight deadline for completing the projects.

by Jeff St. John

05.19.20 Wind 1

The turbine's rotor diameter is around the same height as the Golden Gate Bridge. (Credit: Siemens Gamesa)

Siemens Gamesa Launches 14MW Offshore Wind Turbine, World’s Largest

The new machine can be dialed up to 15 megawatts, and an even larger version is in the works, says Siemens Gamesa’s head of offshore technology.

by John Parnell

Coronavirus Renews Urgency for Expedited Rooftop Solar Permitting

GTM Squared

Coronavirus Renews Urgency for Expedited Rooftop Solar Permitting

The slowdown caused by the outbreak has heightened interest in efforts to develop automated software in a market notorious for its high soft costs.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant | May 19, 2020

05.19.20 Solar 9

More renewables developers are playing across multiple technologies. (Credit: Binh Nguyen/GTM)

5 Wind Energy Giants Embracing Solar Power

More heavyweight wind developers are betting big on solar. Here are five to watch in the decade ahead.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

05.18.20 Solar 0

Smaller solar installations will continue to receive subsidy payments in Germany.

Onshore Wind Compromise Averts German Solar Market Crisis

Coalition government finds a compromise after German solar market “held hostage” over a dispute over wind turbines.

by John Parnell

05.18.20 Solar 2

In addition to Nevada's Gemini, Primergy is working on a large solar project near Phoenix.

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners Launches New Solar Development Company

Former executives at First Solar, Recurrent and Engie will lead the new solar and battery developer, called Primergy.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

05.18.20 Solar 2

Coronavirus Wipes Out 5 Years of US Solar Job Growth

The American solar industry is losing jobs at a faster rate than the broader economy, SEIA says.

by Jeff St. John

05.18.20 Energy Storage 3

Individual Voltpack Mobile units can be grouped into hubs to achieve megawatt scale. (Credit: Northvolt)

Northvolt and Vattenfall Launch Mobile Battery System Capable of Patching Up Grids

Volkswagen-backed Northvolt unveils Voltpack Mobile System as it rolls ahead with Swedish “gigafactory.”

by John Parnell

Wood Mackenzie analysts discuss three scenarios based on current trends and consider the implications for energy and natural resources.

GTM Squared

Wood Mackenzie: How Coronavirus Is Changing Consumer Behavior and the Impact on Energy

This analyst presentation looks at the impact of the coronavirus on consumer behavior and energy demand.

by Nicholas Rinaldi | May 17, 2020

05.15.20 1

Sunnova relies on a network of nearly 200 dealers, giving it a unique perspective on the market.

Sunnova Sticks to 2020 Guidance, Bolstered by Customer Growth

The Texas-based solar installer added the most quarterly customers in its history despite the pandemic, but its losses also grew.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

05.15.20 Energy 5

Job losses in clean energy continue to mount.

Layoffs Surge in Clean Energy

This week on The Energy Gang, we look at sky-high layoffs in clean energy. How do we get people back to work?

by Stephen Lacey

05.15.20 Solar 13

Without changes, it may be more difficult for future renewables projects to make a profit.

Industry Perspective

Wind and Solar Profits: The Race Between Falling Costs and Declining Revenue

Solar and wind plants will be major contributors to low-carbon power grids, but there’s a key obstacle to their profitability, the authors write.

by Eric Williams and Eric Hittinger

Unlocking the Demand Side of Texas’ Energy-Only Market

GTM Squared

Unlocking the Demand Side of Texas’ Energy-Only Market

ERCOT’s approach to balancing grid needs with huge renewables growth is working. But demand-side changes will be necessary as the planet warms.

by Jeff St. John | May 15, 2020

05.15.20 Energy Storage 16

Hawaii will use gigawatt-hours of new battery storage to support its island grids as power plants close.

‘Blowing Through Milestones’: Hawaiian Electric Picks Winners in Solar-Storage Bonanza

Hawaiian utility backs 460 megawatts of solar and nearly 3 gigawatt-hours of batteries as state moves to close its fossil plants.

by Jeff St. John

05.14.20 Solar 1

Tesla reached its goal of manufacturing 1,000 solar roofs per week in Q1. (Photo: Buffaboy/Creative Commons)

Tesla Quiet on Status of New York Gigafactory as Work Resumes in Nevada and California

Elon Musk has fought publicly to reopen Tesla’s California car plant but said little about the solar factory in Buffalo, New York.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

05.14.20 News 5

Can clean energy bills find time amid coronavirus pandemic relief, budget priorities in special session?

Illinois Opens Narrow Window for Critical Solar, Nuclear Relief Bills to Pass

Two energy bills that could make or break Illinois’ nuclear and solar industries will compete with COVID-19 emergencies in a special legislative session next week.

by Jeff St. John

05.14.20 3

Emissions from transportation have plunged in 2020 but could bounce back swiftly.

US Emissions May See Record Decline in 2020, Study Says

Renewables may overtake coal in the U.S. power mix this year while Americans stay home and travel less.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

05.14.20 Policy 0

Ambassador Lambrinidis says Europe has the will and the way to achieve a green transition.

EU Ambassador: ‘Green Growth Will Be the Key’ to Europe’s Recovery

On this week’s episode of Political Climate, we discuss green economic recovery plans with EU Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis, as well as experts from Google, CSIS, Clearview Energy Partners and The Aspen Institute.

by Julia Pyper

05.13.20 Grid Edge 3

Engenie is looking to improve the consumer experience of EV charging. (Photo: Engenie)

How a Former McDonald’s Product Director Plans to Shake Up the EV Charging Sector

Range anxiety is no longer the biggest objection for potential EV consumers, says Engenie’s new chief technology officer.

by John Parnell

05.13.20 Energy 4

Mapping the Post-COVID Future for Electric Cars, Behavior Change and Energy Demand

This week on The Interchange, we talk with futurist Ramez Naam about a wide range of scenarios for energy.

by Stephen Lacey

National Grid Releases Latest Results on Massachusetts Distributed Solar 'Cluster' Study

UK’s Largest Solar Project Approved, Will Snub Government Subsidies

Court Ruling Again Stalls Trump Plan for Tariffs on Bifacial Solar

2019 Was the Year Everything Changed for Utilities and Energy Storage

Natural Gas Microgrids Do What Solar and Batteries Alone Can’t for California Resiliency, Report Says

UK Power Networks’ New Platform for Flexibility Services Could Be Groundbreaking

US Residential Storage Shines in First Quarter, Nabs Fourth Consecutive Record

What's It Like to Work in Business Development at an Energy Storage Company?

European Grid Operators Move to Scale Up Blockchain Platform for Batteries

Concerns Rise as UK Blocks Offshore Wind Project, 3 Others Get Delayed

What Offshore Wind Can Bring to the Corporate PPA Party

US Treasury Gives Renewables More Time to Meet Tax Credit Deadlines

Aligning Labor and Climate in a Changing Economy

10 Rooftop Solar and Storage Predictions for the Next Decade

3 Predictions for US Renewables and Storage Markets in 2025

Transforming Direct Transfer Trip (DTT) with LTE – Eversource’s Story

Repowering Large-Scale PV Systems Using DC Power Management

Radical Transparency into PPAs & Supplier Agreements to Capitalize on Opportunities & Reduce Risk

Arrested Development: Global Renewables Market to Fall for First Time in 20 Years, IEA Says

Why (and How) the Solar Finance Market Is Changing in This Crisis

Mapping the Peaker Plants Most Susceptible to Replacement by Batteries

How Dominion Energy Plans to Launch an Offshore Wind Empire

FERC Might Rewrite Solar Net Metering. Here’s What That Could Mean

UK’s Largest Solar Project Approved, Will Snub Government Subsidies

Why (and How) the Solar Finance Market Is Changing in This Crisis

Batteries and Renewables Put the Pressure on Coal Plants

FERC Might Rewrite Solar Net Metering. Here’s What That Could Mean

Renewables Toppled Coal in US Energy Consumption Last Year, EIA Says

Can Free Smart Thermostats Get Homeowners to Enroll in Summertime Demand Response?

Vistra, LS Power Top Winners in PG&E’s 420MW Storage Procurement

Siemens Gamesa Launches 14MW Offshore Wind Turbine, World’s Largest

Coronavirus Renews Urgency for Expedited Rooftop Solar Permitting

5 Wind Energy Giants Embracing Solar Power

Onshore Wind Compromise Averts German Solar Market Crisis

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners Launches New Solar Development Company

Are Fugitive Methane Emissions Offsetting the CO2 Benefit of Natural Gas?

Coronavirus Wipes Out 5 Years of US Solar Job Growth

Northvolt and Vattenfall Launch Mobile Battery System Capable of Patching Up Grids

Wood Mackenzie: How Coronavirus Is Changing Consumer Behavior and the Impact on Energy

Sunnova Sticks to 2020 Guidance, Bolstered by Customer Growth

Layoffs Surge in Clean Energy

Wind and Solar Profits: The Race Between Falling Costs and Declining Revenue

Unlocking the Demand Side of Texas’ Energy-Only Market

‘Blowing Through Milestones’: Hawaiian Electric Picks Winners in Solar-Storage Bonanza

Tesla Quiet on Status of New York Gigafactory as Work Resumes in Nevada and California

Illinois Opens Narrow Window for Critical Solar, Nuclear Relief Bills to Pass

US Emissions May See Record Decline in 2020, Study Says

EU Ambassador: ‘Green Growth Will Be the Key’ to Europe’s Recovery

How a Former McDonald’s Product Director Plans to Shake Up the EV Charging Sector

Mapping the Post-COVID Future for Electric Cars, Behavior Change and Energy Demand