Auxin Solar alleges unfair trade practices from Chinese suppliers asks Commerce to intervene2/10/2022 For the second time in less than a year, the U.S. Department of Commerce is being asked to determine whether or not a handful of solar manufacturers that are based in China but that have operations across Southeast Asia are engaging in unfair trade practices. In a 105-page petition, Auxin Solar, a minority- and woman-owned domestic producer of solar modules in San Jose, California, asked Commerce to determine that solar cells and modules assembled in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia are circumventing and undermining the effectiveness of U.S. trade remedy laws. “The Government of China and major Chinese producers simply refuse to trade fairly,” said Mamun Rashid, CEO of Auxin Solar in a statement. He said that rather than ending Beijing’s subsidization of the solar supply chain and raising prices, the Chinese producers moved operations to another country as an export platform to “continue assaulting the U.S. market with incredibly cheap products.” ‘Frivolous’In a statement, Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, called the petition “frivolous” and said the trade group would “aggressively” oppose it. “This is yet another attempt to abuse U.S. trade laws and cause serious economic harm to the American solar industry and its 230,000 workers, shockingly, all at the behest of a single company,” Hopper said. The petition said that the anti-circumvention statute does not limit the size of the party that files an allegation. It said that domestic producers like Auxin Solar “would have much more capacity” if they could sell crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) modules under “fair competitive conditions.” It said that at present, low-cost CSPV cell and module imports from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia that utilize inputs from affiliated Chinese suppliers “continue to undercut domestic producer pricing at key accounts” and limit the ability for Auxin Solar to reinvest and expand. 15 companiesThe petition named 15 module manufacturers that it alleged are circumventing U.S. anti-dumping laws. The companies are LONGi Malaysia and Vietnam, Jinko Solar, JA Solar, Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, Talesun, Light & Hope, GCL, Boviet Solar, Green Wing Solar, HT Solar, New East Solar, Enalex, Shenglong PV-Tech, and Jintek. Last November, Commerce rejected a similar petition by an anonymous group of solar companies that sought tariffs on a handful of companies that import modules from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The request had been made by American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention (A-SMACC) and sought anti-dumping and anti-circumvention (AD-CVD) tariffs. In a November 10 decision, Abdelali Elouaradia, director of the Commerce Department’s AD-CVD office, said that A-SMACC’s bid to keep the names of its member companies from the public prevented Commerce from gathering needed information for any inquiry. Elouaradia wrote that “not disclosing A-SMACC members’ names publicly hampers interested parties from fully commenting on the requests for circumvention inquiries and may hamper them from commenting on certain issues that could arise if Commerce were to initiate circumvention inquiries.” In July, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) 2020 Annual Solar Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report, said that solar PV imports to the U.S. totaled just under 19.3 million peak kilowatts, and exports totaled 376,483 peak kilowatts. The EIA report listed Vietnam as the top source of PV imports to the U.S. at 8.1 million peak kilowatts. South Korea and Thailand combined were second at 4.4 million peak kilowatts, and Malaysia was third at 3.2 million peak kilowatts. The report lumped together imports from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, which totaled less than 950,000 peak kilowatts. AllegationsThe Auxin petition, which was filed February 8, alleges that imports from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia have risen by 868% over the last decade and “replaced Chinese imports completely.” The petition said that major producers in these countries “are all affiliated with Chinese producers of upstream inputs” and that their cost structure and pricing “is no different than if they still produced in China for the U.S. market.” The petition alleges that some Chinese producers even admit that they set up facilities outside of China to avoid U.S. duties. For example, it said that Talesun Thailand, which is part of a Chinese group, advertises circumvention on its website stating that “we offer a solution adapted to markets affected by anti-dumping laws such as the United States.” And, it alleges that Boviet Solar, a Vietnamese assembler that is owned by Chinese producer Boway, offers cost savings to buyers because “Vietnam is not a U.S. listed Anti-dumping and Countervailing region.” In his statement, Rashid said that key upstream inputs in module manufacturing came from China with only assembly taking place outside of China. “This is textbook circumvention,” he said. Renewable Energy World asked Auxin Solar for an interview to discuss its allegations but has not had a response. ‘Pales in comparison’The petition alleges that the level of investment in the third countries “pales in comparison” to the level of investment in integrated supply chains in China. It said that upstream production of polysilicon, ingots, and wafers requires investments in the billions of dollars, while cell and module assembly/completion operations require a “small fraction of that amount to set up shop.” A decade ago, Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission found that dumped and subsidized imports of Chinese CSPV cells and modules caused material injury to the domestic U.S. CSPV industry. Antidumping and countervailing duty orders were put in place in an effort to address those trade practices. The Auxin petition alleges that Chinese companies sidestepped the import duties by setting up operations outside of China. The petition alleges that Beijing’s Going Out Policy and Belt and Road Initiative “greased the skids” for Chinese companies to complete production in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia and so circumvent existing AD and CVD Orders. Commerce has 30 days to decide whether to move forward on the request, but may extend that deadline for an additional 15 days. Once underway, Commerce would have to complete the inquiry within 300 days. In the event of an affirmative determination, duties may apply to circumventing solar cells and modules on each import after the date of Commerce’s initiation. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/WS74siL
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One of the hottest trends in corporate clean energy procurement is 24/7 carbon-free electricity: An hour-by-hour match of an entity's energy consumption throughout the day, instead of the traditional method of buying clean energy credits based on annual consumption. The procurement process, pioneered by Google, Microsoft, and others, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean up local electric grids, but is still relatively uncommon. Can a boost from the federal government jump start 24/7 CFE? Learning moreThe Biden administration, through the General Services Administration and Department of Defense--itself the single largest consumer of energy in the U.S.--requested information in early February regarding 24/7 carbon-free electricity (CFE) procurement. The move follows Biden's executive order that directs the federal government to use 100% CFE on a net annual basis by 2030, including 50% on a 24/7 basis. Through this RFI, the Biden administration aims to demonstrate intent to achieve 100% CFE for federal operations, better understand 24/7 hourly matched CFE, and gather information on potential approaches to meet the goals. Mark Dyson, senior principal of the Rocky Mountain Institute's Carbon Free Electricity program, and a prominent advocate for the procurement method, cheered the announcement. "With this announcement, the federal government joins a growing movement of carbon-free energy buyers interested in more-advanced forms of procurement," Dyson said. "By tailoring their procurement strategies to regional grid conditions, buyers can help unlock both near-term carbon savings and long-term innovation in technologies that can accelerate full grid decarbonization." What is CFE?RMI defines 24/7 CFE as involving a buyer's attempt to procure enough carbon-free energy to match a given facility's load in every hour. An RMI study titled "Clean Power by the Hour" determined that costs rose with the level of hourly load matching compared to costs for meeting annual procurement targets, near-term emissions reductions for hourly load matching depended on the regional grid mix, and hourly procurement strategies can create new markets for emerging technologies. Procuring hour-by-hour clean energy within an energy buyer's grid can lead to a greater drop in greenhouse gas emissions than 100% clean energy matching. At the same time, it can drive deployment of clean firm power generation and long-duration energy storage, according to a study by Princeton University's ZERO Lab. Among the Princeton lab's findings on an hour-by-hour strategy: Eliminates carbon dioxide emissions associated with a buyer's electricity consumption Leads to greater system-level emissions reductions than 100% annual matching Drives early deployment of clean firm generation and long-duration energy storage Drives significantly more retirement of natural gas power generation More costly than 100% annual matching clean energy procurement CFE in practiceGoogle has been largely carbon-neutral since 2007 through carbon offsets, and was one of the first companies to buy renewable energy directly through power purchase agreements in 2017. The company now is moving from 100% annual renewable energy matching to 24/7 matching with a goal of achieving that target by 2030. Its transition involves focusing on regional grid needs and hourly load matching instead of annual, volume-based goals. In 2020, Google said it reached 67% carbon-free energy globally on an hourly basis. "The broader goal of our program is to accelerate grid decarbonization," Devon Swezey, Google's global energy market development and policy lead said during a recent webinar with the Northeast Clean Energy Council and RMI. "That's why we include grid carbon-free energy in our methodology and tailor our procurement to fill existing gaps in grid CFE today." Microsoft, meanwhile, announced in November that it will power its data centers in Virginia with 24/7 clean energy through a 15-year agreement with AES Corporation. The deal is intended to support Microsoft's goal of matching 100% of its electricity consumption with zero-carbon energy purchases by 2030. AES will source the energy from a portfolio of 576 MW of contracted renewable assets, including wind, solar, as well as battery energy storage projects in PJM. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/YnMZDSk
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The Biden administration wants 5 million homes to be powered by community solar projects by 2025, representing a 700% increase from 2021 capacity. Interconnection delays and a lack of transparency from utilities threaten that target, according to a leading developer. Scott Wiater's perception of community solar has evolved. As president and CEO of Standard Solar, now one of the largest developers and owners of community solar projects in the U.S., Wiater said he avoided getting involved in community solar for as long as possible. "It's just so much easier to have a single offtake, long-term contract. That was a good business model," Wiater said, noting Standard Solar's transformation from residential to commercial development in 2008 when he joined the company. He said that policies have shifted and likely will continue to shift. Standard Solar jumped into community solar development in 2018 as policymakers recognized the benefits of a subscription model for clean energy. Now, at least 19 states and D.C. have established policies and programs to support community solar adoption, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association trade group. Growing community solar depends largely on policy expansion. Otherwise, community solar-type projects receive wholesale rate compensation, making them economically unviable in most cases. The outlook for community solar is improving, according to market analysts. On Feb. 8, energy research consultancy Wood-Mackenzie raised its 5-year forecast for community solar capacity in the U.S. to 4.5 GW, up by 9% from its earlier outlooks. The revision was due to expanded community solar programs in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, as well as new programs in Delaware and New Mexico. "Policymakers are heavily influenced by utilities, and I think utilities are more comfortable with community solar (than a distributed residential model) because it's easier to plan," Wiater said. He said that developers favor it because they don't have to worry about the offtakers. "They just have to worry about getting site control with good interconnection and they have a solar project." 'Through the roof'The latter piece of that equation -- interconnection -- is an increasingly burdensome challenge, Wiater said. On top of delays, developers pay the brunt of grid upgrade costs to support interconnection and have little knowledge of what their money is paying for. Wiater said he believes the lack of transparency by utilities is one of the biggest threats to growing community solar. The Biden administration, meanwhile, hopes to expand community solar capacity by 700% by 2025, enough to power 5 million American homes. Wiater said that utilities "just tell us what they've spent and we pay the bill." He said that little transparence exists to those costs and developers have little alternative but to pay them. Wiater acknowledged that utilities have an obligation to study how community solar projects impact the grid and their customers. But without an improved interconnection process, national community solar capacity targets face an uphill battle. "We are way behind coming close to (the Biden administration's) goals unless we start acting super aggressively now," he said. "We have to figure out how to do everything quicker if we're going to meet any of these climate change goals that have been put in front of us." Within reach?The Biden administration's goal of powering 5 million American homes with community solar by 2025 was informed, in part, by developers like Summit Ridge Energy, which weighed in on the process. Jason Spreyer, Summit Ridge's executive vice president of business development, said the goal may be lofty, but is attainable. And goalsetting like the White House's target will help move the needle. Spreyer added that key to reaching the federal community solar target is access to new markets. "How we're trying to facilitate that is a number of our team members are very active (driving policy) in those states," Spreyer said in an interview with Renewable Energy World. "They are part of the leadership in those markets." Issues relating to interconnection and siting are not new. And Spreyer said the Wood-Mackenzie forecast was reassuring and highlights the progress that is being made to expand community solar access across the country. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/KSkQ8t0 Contributed by Odette Mucha, Vote Solar and Liz Robinson, Philadelphia Solar Energy Association As we know, solar power provides a wide range of benefits to Pennsylvanians. It creates local jobs, with PA currently home to over 400 solar companies with over 4,300 solar workers. Solar power brings tax revenue to our communities, and the solar industry has cumulatively invested over $2.5 billion in the Keystone State. And solar power cleans our air. In fact, Yale estimates that we could avoid over 11,500 premature deaths in the Commonwealth by switching from coal to cleaner sources like solar. As the sweeping benefits of solar power become more widely understood, and as Pennsylvania begins to invest more seriously in clean energy, energy storage must also be a big part of the conversation. What is energy storage? Essentially, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a way to capture unused energy and save it for later use. The electricity grid is a complex system, characterized by constantly-changing supply and demand. Scaling up energy storage can help smooth out spikes and keep the lights on reliably without activating highly-polluting fossil fuel peaker plants. In fact, our grid already uses storage to reduce peak demand, saving consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result. Just like solar, the cost of energy storage has fallen dramatically in the last ten years. Storage has dropped more than 70 percent between 2015 and 2019 —and is now a cost-effective option. Storage can also provide meaningful relief for energy-burdened Pennsylvanians and is proving to be a critical tool in our toolbelt as we mitigate our worsening climate crisis. Read more: Connecticut sets goal to deploy 1 GW of energy storage For examples of equitable storage deployment done well, we only need to look as far as Connecticut or Maryland. As part of its grid modernization process, Connecticut’s new Electricity Storage Program includes strong provisions to benefit low and moderate income communities and offers upfront incentives to all customers to add storage. Maryland has prioritized transparency, with its Energy Storage Pilot Program requiring that all emissions reductions resulting from storage projects be reported. Pennsylvania should apply the principles of equity and transparency to our own storage implementation, as Vote Solar and PSEA recently commented. Climate change does not affect everyone equally. It has the most devastating impacts in environmental justice communities — where nearly a third of Pennsylvania residents live. These communities are more likely to be harmed by pollutants, including from fossil fuel plants, and experience nearly twice as many high-heat days as more affluent communities due to the urban heat island effect. Investment in energy storage projects should prioritize communities suffering high levels of pollution and consider if a project will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and thereby, improve public health. Will it spur economic development or solar ownership? As costs and benefits are considered, it should also be determined whether storage can be strategically combined with other “non-wires solutions” like distributed generation or energy efficiency. When deployed in tandem, these tools can mean lower costs and increased reliability for ratepayers. As we imagine what 2022 may hold in store for us with the start of the new year, let’s add equitable energy storage to the list. As the body responsible for ensuring safe, reliable, and affordable electricity for Pennsylvania ratepayers, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) now has an opportunity to advance the equitable deployment of energy storage as a means of combating climate change, advancing energy equity, and modernizing the Commonwealth’s electric grid. Having solicited public comment on the topic twice over the past two years, the PA PUC can now boldly act to put Pennsylvania on the energy storage map. They should rise to meet that opportunity and make just, cost-effective energy storage a pillar of Pennsylvania’s utility system. About the authors: Odette Mucha is the Mid-Atlantic Regulatory Director at Vote Solar, a nationwide non-profit fighting for a 100% clean energy future. Liz Robinson is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association. They recently submitted comments on equitable energy storage to the PA PUC along with other allied groups. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/BwzvVNs
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A canopy of solar panels over an irrigation canal, working to generate clean energy and conserve water supply, is a conceptual idea that typically only exists in the optimistic corners of #energytwitter. Until now. Construction will begin this fall on a project to cover irrigation canals with solar panels. A public-private research project dubbed Project Nexus will study the benefits of covering various sections of irrigation canals in Central California with solar panels. On February 9, water and electric utility Turlock Irrigation District (TID) accepted $20 million of state funds for the pilot project, which will be conducted alongside the Department of Water Resources, Solar AquaGrid, and the University of California, Merced. The project will also feature energy storage. Project Nexus will analyze the reduction of water evaporation, water quality improvements through reduced vegetative growth, reduced maintenance, and generation of renewable electricity, the group said. Covering all of California's canals with solar panels -- stretching roughly 4,000 miles -- could save 63 billion gallons of water and generate 13 GW of solar power each year, according to a study published in March 2021 by U.C. Merced researchers. "The Solar AquaGrid model provides a combined, integrated response to addressing our water-energy nexus," said UC Merced Professor Roger Bales. He said the approach "helps address California's underlying vulnerabilities" while meeting both state and federal level commitments to produce renewable energy, preserve natural lands, lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. The project is expected to be completed in 2024. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/vfWFIHZ Renewables make up nearly all of Texas new generating capacity. Can the market keep up the momentum?2/8/2022
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Texas' love affair with renewable energy is undeniable. But even after another banner year for clean energy in the state, a market redesign, fueled by political rhetoric from state leaders, could thwart future deployment, experts say. Wind and solar accounted for nearly all new generating capacity added to the Texas grid in 2021, according to newly released market data. S&P Global Market Intelligence notes that power plant operators added 8,139 MW of new generating capacity to the ERCOT market last year -- 42% came from wind and 40% from solar. Natural gas-fired additions made up 13% of the new capacity. Nationally, wind and solar made up a slightly smaller share of new generating capacity -- 41% and 36%, respectively -- of the 27,959 MW of capacity added.Jeff Clark, president and CEO of the Texas-based Advanced Power Alliance, said Texas continues to benefit from corporate and consumer demand for clean electricity and long-term price certainty. He added that broad electrification, including within the transportation sector, offers opportunities for even more growth. "These are tremendously exciting times in the clean power sector, thanks to continued improvements in technology and economics," said Clark, who also advocates for the replacement of coal-fired generating capacity with cleaner natural gas. "The addition of energy storage projects, and the extraordinarily large pipeline of projects ahead, will bring greater reliable and resilient integration of renewables, accelerating these trends." Comically fullERCOT is gaining ground in the energy storage sector. While California claimed the largest battery energy storage system in 2021 -- the 230 MW McCoy Battery Storage Project -- Texas added the next two largest systems with the 102 MW Gambit Battery Energy Storage Park and 100 MW North Fork Battery Storage Project. Paired with the rapid deployment of renewables, energy storage can provide resilient, clean electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Texas, where an extreme winter storm nearly caused a complete collapse of the electric grid in February 2021. The California ISO region grabbed 55% of new energy storage capacity in 2021, while Texas took 38%. Dr. Joshua Rhodes, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin, and a founding partner of energy consultancy IdeaSmiths, said additional incentives for energy storage and investments in transmission infrastructure would unlock even greater deployment of renewable energy resources in Texas. "The interconnection queue (at ERCOT) is full. It's comically full," Rhodes told Renewable Energy World. "I think we're going to see a lot more storage connected to the grid. "Before, the only way we could get more renewables on the system is to build more transmission. That's not really true anymore with storage." Can Texas keep up the momentum?Uncertainty surrounding a market redesign by the Texas Public Utilities Commission has started to slow the deployment of renewable energy resources, experts say. In July, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the PUC to “allocate reliability costs to generation resources that cannot guarantee their own availability, such as wind or solar power” and to “streamline incentives within the ERCOT market to foster the development and maintenance of adequate and reliable sources of power, like natural gas, coal, and nuclear power.” Doug Lewin, a Texas-based energy consultant, said adding ancillary service costs to renewables would be a "major change" that could threaten future deployment in the state. "It will really stifle development," Lewin said. He said there is little interest in building new thermal plants, which could leave Texas in a "terrible spot" in which renewables are at a disadvantage and the market is not favorable for new thermal capacity. "There's a real danger there," Lewin said. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/YgfqdFZ Contributed by Zaki Robbins, Moye White LLP Despite facing industry-wide obstacles ranging from supply chain issues and COVID-19 pandemic-driven workforce shortages to continued mixed signals coming from governmental and business leaders, 2021 was a banner year for renewable energy policy and development. Although 2021’s headwinds are unlikely to subside in the near future, all indications forecast continued momentum in the clean energy industry over the course of 2022. While it is impossible to predict with certainty all that will occur over the year ahead, there are four possible trends that will tell the story of renewable energy in 2022. 1. Continued struggles with supply chains and labor markets2021 saw unexpected shocks hit the renewable energy industry as a result of supply chain issues and rising commodities prices. Costs of raw materials rose significantly – including silicon (up 60%), photovoltaic-grade glass (up 50%), and steel and copper (up 40%) – and freight shipping costs doubled in some cases. These issues have combined to wipe out nearly all price reductions seen over the prior two years. In addition to price increases, the industry also struggled to attract and retain talent in the wake of the ongoing pandemic. While developers have sought alternative suppliers and substitute materials in order to counteract the effects of these issues, these constraints will continue to drive short time uncertainty in the market. 2. Utility, commercial, and industrial demand fuels transmission investmentsAs of 2021, more than half of American states have instituted a renewable energy standard (RES) mandating the generation of clean energy by utility companies, and 23 of these RES plans include a specific solar or distributed generation provision. The targets set by these RES plans range from modest to aggressive, but many mandate a significant increase of renewable energy beginning in the year 2030, with several states mandating the transition to 100% renewable energy in the following decade. In addition, commercial and industrial (C&I) customers utilize more than 60% of the electricity generated in the U.S., and many of these companies have set their own aggressive renewable energy targets. For instance, the Clean Energy Buyers Association, an alliance of over 300 commercial and industrial energy buyers, recently announced a goal to create a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system by 2030. Because not all energy buyers have the ability or desire to house generation facilities at the point of use, off-site, utility-scale projects are critical to the achievement of the goals set by regulators and the business community. However, the industry is becoming more and more aware that the success of these projects will require massive investments to upgrade and expand our current electricity transmission infrastructure. Although it may take as few as three years for a solar farm to move from the drawing board to commercial operation, new transmission lines can require up to a decade or more to finalize the land use agreements, regulatory, and permitting approvals. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed by President Biden in November 2021 set aside $27.65 billion for grid infrastructure, resiliency, and reliability projects. At least $50 million will be set aside to construct new transmission lines and facilities. In order for the U.S. to have any chance to achieve its renewable energy targets, meaningful progress must be made in 2022 to solve transmission capacity constraints. 3. Strong electric vehicle growthIn addition to demand pressure from the C&I world, utilities will also see increasing pressure from the consumer market as Americans accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) over vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Once an industry dominated by luxury or niche vehicles produced by Tesla and Toyota, the EV market is now seeing the introduction of mass-market cars and trucks produced by Volvo, Ford, GM, and many others, resulting in over 100 different models expected to be available in 2022. While this growth has been driven in large part by consumer demands, federal policy is also fueling these changes, including an executive order signed by President Biden in August 2021 aiming for EVs to account for 50% of all new sales by 2030 and a second executive order in December 2021 mandating that the entire federal fleet transition to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. The availability and social acceptability of such a broad array of new EVs have led to predictions that as many as 845,000 EVs will be sold in the U.S. in 2022. This influx of EVs in 2022 and beyond is necessary for the U.S. to achieve its emissions reduction targets; however, the successful changeover will require a coordinated nationwide deployment of the nation’s charging infrastructure. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill reserved $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers, additional deployment is required in order to fuel a rapid and reliable transition to widespread EV adoption. 4. Federal policy developmentsAlthough the IIJA took a good first step by reserving billions of dollars for the development and deployment of renewable energy assets, the true catalyst for the American transition is renewable energy will be its ability to pass the Build Back Better (BBB) Act. As currently drafted, the Act includes extensions of the Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit. Industry analyst Wood Mackenzie predicts that if passed, the BBB would spur the installation of an additional 43.5 gigawatts (GW) of additional solar capacity between 2022 and 2026, bringing total U.S. solar capacity to over 300 GW, triple the amount deployed today. Further, Wood Mackenzie predicts that passing the BBB could result in more than 77 GW of new solar being added each year by 2030, more than double the base case without passing the BBB. While consumer and commercial concerns regarding climate change and the environment ensure that the renewable energy sector will continue its rapid growth with or without the BBB, the passing of this legislation in 2022 is crucial to the nation achieving its Paris and Glasgow greenhouse gas reduction targets and to the realization of our long-term RES and EV goals. ConclusionAlthough 2021 saw an increase in barriers for the renewable energy industry, such as the rising cost of raw materials and a labor shortage, the industry is predicted to have significant growth in 2022. With legislation being passed last year in favor of electric vehicle sales, along with a mirrored consumer demand, EV sales are assumed to take off in the upcoming year and decade. In addition, the Build Back Better Act, should it be passed, will spark a three-fold increase in solar energy capacity. About the author: With a focus on the advanced energy industry, Moye White partner Zaki Robbins handles matters involving energy generation and storage, as well as project investment and finance. He can be reached at [email protected] or 303.292.7904. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/biABNYE ILI Group said it started the initial planning phase for the 1.5 GW Balliemeanoch pumped storage hydro (PSH) project at Loch Awe, Dalmally in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The project would supply 1.5 GW of power for up to 30 hours, enough to power 4.5 million homes. The project will create a new upper reservoir in the hills above Loch Awe capable of holding 58 million cubic metres of water when full. It is estimated the project will offset over 200 million tonnes of CO2e over its lifetime. This is ILI’s third PSH project. Its 450 MW Red John project at Loch Ness was awarded planning consent from Scottish Ministers in June 2021, and the company plans to submit a planning application for the 600 MW Corrievarkie project at Loch Ericht in August 2022. The broader adoption of long-duration energy storage projects such as this is seen as “essential” to the further deployment of renewable energy projects and “critical to meeting UK climate commitments,” according to a press release. With the announcement from the Scottish Crown of new seabed leases for offshore wind and the UK Government’s planned 40 GW to come on stream by 2030, energy storage projects like Balliemeanoch become increasingly important, said Mark Wilson, chief executive officer of ILI Group in the statement. He said that long-duration energy storage–and storage greater than four hours in particular–is crucial to the UK’s net zero ambitions. Without projects such as Balliemeanoch, the renewable generation capacity in the country would soon hit a “‘Green Glass Ceiling’ whereby adding more ‘variable’ renewable generation actually threatens grid stability and security of supply in our grid network.” ILI Group recently committed to the San Jose Declaration that was agreed by the World Hydro Congress in 2021 and presented at COP26. Wilson said the company is committed to ensuring that all its hydro projects have sustainability and environmental and social governance at their core. Wilson said the company is awaiting the outcome of the UK Government’s Call for Evidence on long-duration storage, as having the necessary market mechanism in place will enable the current PSH pipeline of over 5 GW to be built and keep the country on target for achieving net zero. He said he believes a cap-and-floor mechanism will get all these nationally significant infrastructure projects moving. Intelligent Land Investments Group is a development company focused on energy storage in Great Britain, and especially Scotland. ILI has been bringing a portfolio of pumped storage assets of over 2 GW and 1 GW of utility scale battery storage to development ready status. via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/97XEkTo Mitsubishi Power inked an agreement with HydrogenPro for the delivery of 40 electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen for power generation, transportation and industrial uses. HydrogenPro’s electrolyzers will use wind and solar energy to produce green hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The initial value of the contract exceeds $50 million, making it one of the largest electrolyzer system contracts ever signed. The EPC and other project deliverables for a turn-key electrolyzer green hydrogen production plant will be supplied by other companies, HydrogenPro said in a statement. The purchase order is dependent on a final investment decision, which is expected in the first half of 2022. However, HydrogenPro said Mitsubishi already made a nonrefundable financial commitment, allowing HydrogenPro to prepare for production. This is not the first time Mitsubishi Power and HydrogenPro have partnered, building on their Herøya, Norway project for the electrolyzer system. That large single stack system will have a capacity of 1100 normal cubic meters per hour. HydrogenPro is operating the facility. The two parties are now scaling and validating hydrogen technology to support U.S. global decarbonization targets. Bill Newsom, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, said: “This order shows our confidence in HydrogenPro’s electrolyzer system due to work begun last year with HydrogenPro to construct and validate one of the world’s largest single stack high-pressure alkaline electrolyzer systems in Norway.” via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/CLqtdOJ California utility regulators put an indefinite hold on plans to vote on a proposed plan to revise the state’s net energy metering rules that would impact roughly 1.3 million rooftop solar customers. News reports said that an email from an administrative judge said that the proposed decision would not appear on the Public Utilities Commission’s voting meeting agenda “until further notice.” It had been slated for consideration on January 27, but that date slipped to February 10. Now the vote is off the table for the foreseeable future. The email reportedly said that the CPUC’s new president, Alice Busching Reynolds, had asked for more time to review the record and consider revisions to the proposed decision based on comments. The proposal, issued by energy regulators December 13, received backlash from solar companies, renewable advocates, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In addition, consulting firm Wood Mackenzie released analysis saying the proposed net metering tariff revisions would cut the state’s residential solar market in half by 2024. The California Solar & Storage Association criticized the proposal when it was first made public, saying that regulators appeared to have “sided with PG&E and the other large investor-owned utilities” in an approach that “will make rooftop solar and customer-owned batteries more expensive and therefore out of reach of working- and middle-class consumers.” The association said that an early read of the proposal suggested that the rate paid for solar exported to the grid “appears to be approximately 5 cents/kWh,” down from 20-30 cents/kWh for residential customers. The association said that the proposed plan includes no transition glide path, meaning that the full reduction likely would take effect as soon as NEM-3 is implemented. Charlie Coggeshall, senior analyst and regional director for Coalition for Community Solar Access, called the proposed decision “deeply disappointing.” He said in a statement it would delay action on developing a “workable community solar program in California” and “undermines” the state’s distributed energy market. “We urge the Commission to reconsider and reassess the benefits a thriving community solar program can bring to California before it issues a final decision.” via Renewable Energy World https://ift.tt/tR89N3W |