We consider this such an important interview that we are running it again, because, as you know, we publish such a lot of high quality content every day, that it is easy for people to miss important things, so we are giving everyone a second chance to catch this interview with one of Clean Tech’s giants.
For most businesses, profit is the bottom line. Conventional wisdom suggests that concerns about social and environmental impacts, though well-intended, can distract from a public company’s legal obligation to reward shareholders.
Today, renewable energy resources like wind and solar power are so affordable that they’re driving coal production and coal-fired generation out of business. Lower-cost natural gas is helping, too.
The Irvine Water District and Michelson Capital announced the completion of the nation’s largest behind-the-meter energy storage project at the Irvine Ranch Water District’s (IRWD) Michelson Water Recycling Plant. The new 2.5MW/15MWh installation is a part of a distributed network of 11 energy storage installations at the water district’s recycling and pumping facilities that together total 7MW/34MWh.
We have seen solar power in the Middle East come into the low 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) range. We have seen it under 2 cents per kWh in Mexico. Misguided, casual observers claimed these prices only occurred due to heavily exploited labor, but now we have also seen 2.155 cents per kWh in the United States. This contract was one of six contracts that Nevada Power recently signed. All six contracts came in under 3 cents per kWh.
Coal and nuclear power are both dying, falling victim to natural gas and renewable energy. Trump used to blame the Democrats, and especially “Obama’s war on coal.” He used to take the position that removing subsidies for renewable power would be sufficient to bring a renaissance to the coal industry. But despite his efforts, coal plants have just kept closing.
The Trump administration is considering a plan that would order utility companies to purchase electricity from coal and nuclear generating plants even though the cost of that electricity will be higher than what they pay natural gas facilities and renewable suppliers. In other words, the Trump administration wants to force you to buy more expensive, dirtier electricity that is more likely to cause you health problems and perhaps even premature death.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has issued a directive to three utility companies in the state telling them to include the social cost of coal in their future planning. Under the new guidelines, the cost of coal calculation will be $42 per metric ton by 2020 and rise to $60 per metric ton by 2040.
Minister Pierre Moreau presented on May 15th, 2018, at the Assemblée Nationale a law to establish a public DC fast charging (DCFC) network for electric vehicles around Québec. Hydro-Québec would be able to fix the rates of the public service DCFC for electrical vehicles so that deployment of DCFC is entirely financed by charging revenue.
With batteries like the Hornsdale Power Reserve, power from solar and wind power will be more valuable, because with battery backup their power can be used to supply an increasing share of baseload power. And that increase in value, which might not necessarily be reflected by an increase in price, makes their power all the more attractive.
