Amazon has added 26 new renewable power projects, or 3.4GW, to its portfolio, bringing its total to 127 solar and wind projects, or 6.5GW. It claims it now surpasses Google as the largest corporate user of renewables and aims to power all operations with renewables by 2030.
SPW rounded up 5 outside-the-box thinking commercial installs for 2020: a building entirely covered in panels, panels that double as soundproofing atop a recording studio, panels with a huge branded SolarSkin module wrap, a huge solar mural, and modules as wave-shaped art.
The grid of the future must include connected tech to manage it. Demand-side response must be adjusted dynamically to account for available renewable supply using the Internet for real-time monitoring of power generation that is now spread across millions of systems.
The Senate is struggling to pass the American Energy Innovation Act. It’d result in a boiled-down version of what clean energy advocates seek if it’s passed. Advocates are also pushing Congress to act more quickly regarding clean energy and infrastructure by the end of 2020.
PV Mag on lessons learned for renewables in 2020: Utility-scale was king, solar+storage exploded, import tariffs are here to stay for a while, Array was the rare solar hardware IPO, remote selling and solar software saved things during COVID, and NEM battles endured.
Thinner module glass covering spells a bigger financial risk for insurers. Problems include increased storm severity and frequency, manufacturers not opting for severe damage testing, hard to see micro cracks, and increased use of the more vulnerable bifacial modules.
SEIA put out a request for solar companies to sign a pledge against forced labor. They’re also creating a supply chain traceability protocol for module materials. This is happening in the wake of reports of human rights abuses in the supply chain in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
Katherine Tai is slated to be appointed as the next U.S. Trade Representative by Biden. This is probably aligned with Biden’s intention “to be tough on China” given that Tai is very familiar with China and shows a strong interest in enforcing rules that protect manufacturing jobs.
To meet its 100% clean electricity goals, California needs to deploy 55 GW of long-duration energy storage by 2045, 150x the amount that’s been deployed since 2010. Making it happen will require major regulatory and procurement adjustments in IRP & RA proceedings.
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