10 Things Worth Reading This Week (11/26/21)

 

EnergySage picks apart that benefit of solar that can help make selling res solar easier – the “price effect” of BTM solar. This is the phenomena that solar lowers electricity prices for everyone in the region. The article walk through calculating the benefits and the way price effects dominate over load effects and explains how traditional ways of analyzing a BTM system often undercounts the price benefits of solar.

Sophisticated software solutions are needed in order to have energy storage function to shift electricity’s status from a product that functions “just-in-time” where supply and usage match in real-time. Scalable energy storage solutions can be a game-changer – allowing the energy industry to adapt to changing market conditions – something that can assist with the integration of solar into the nation’s (and the world’s) grid.

4 new regulatory factors to weigh before deploying solar that will save money, time and natural resources: local ordinances from city, county or township governments; setback and buffers in relation to property owners and the roads; pollinator habitat regulations for plantings and dedicated areas; and resource surveys that are often costly and time-intensive.

New data from FERC shows solar in front re growth with 8,410 MW added through Q1-3 of 2021, an increase of 38% over the same period in 2020. Solar makes up 44% of all capacity additions and renewables in general now represent 25% of total U.S. available generating capacity, greater than the 19% represented by coal. This heralds a bounce-back from the pandemic plus general industry growth.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is recommending extending Section 201 global safeguard tariffs on solar cells and modules, something Biden can make a final decision about to protect the market that produces crystalline silicon PV cells.

Though COP26 meant a lack of action around coal, China and the US have agreed to take steps to lower methane emissions and transition to clean energy, 100+ countries pledged to stop deforestation and cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030, and 450 financial organizations agreed to back clean tech and to move money away from fossil fuel industries.

Long term operations and maintenance is the way to go for solar asset performance – not short-term fixes. Both preventative and corrective maintenance (sometimes even more important) are needed. There are also a host of issues that fall outside of maintenance such as performance engineering analysis, site investigations, upgrades and complex replacements.

The DOE set appliance efficiency standards to help cut greenhouse gases and save money for consumers. The new rule removes minimum energy savings thresholds for the agency to set new standards and giving the DOE the ability to determine how the process rule is enacted. This successfully eradicates roadblocks left by Trump’s administration.

New poll shows record high (since 2008 results) of 7-in-10 Americans declaring they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming, something that could impact federal policy in the future. 55% think people in the U.S. are currently being harmed by global warming, and 52% said they’ve been personally affected.

If you want to walk your res customer through claiming the fed tax credit, AltE steps through the process. They break down exactly who (as in who cannot claim it and why) and what parts are eligible and lay out all the steps for filling out Form 5695.