USA Today: An Attack on the Grid? Power Execs Push Back on Koppel Claims
Eight months after veteran broadcast journalist
“We’re speaking out on it now because we think there is an important story to tell,”
“If it’s only going to be the movie-script scenarios, then I can understand why customers might lose confidence.”
Bloomberg: Chile Has So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving It Away for Free
Chile’s solar industry has expanded so quickly that it’s giving electricity away for free.
Spot prices reached zero in parts of the country on 113 days through April, a number that’s on track to beat last year’s total of 192 days, according to Chile’s central grid operator. While that may be good for consumers, it’s bad news for companies that own power plants struggling to generate revenue and developers seeking financing for new facilities.
Atlantic CityLab: What I Learned Installing Solar Panels
Over the past year, I’ve written about barriers to accessing solar power, states thwarting solar growth, and the boom in solar jobs, but I’d never witnessed the physical labor needed to start drawing energy from the sun.
To remedy this, I tagged along with a nonprofit that was installing solar on the roof of a house near Benning Road in Southeast Washington, D.C. this May. I came as both observer and participant. This proved a lot more exciting than sitting at a desk all day, but the most surprising thing was just how uncomplicated the process is.
Forbes: Steven Chu Criticizes Clean Power Plan for Neglecting Nuclear
Former Energy Secretary Steven Chu doesn’t think energy storage can solve the reliability problems of wind and solar quickly enough, he said Friday, which led him to criticize the Environmental Protection Agency for neglecting nuclear power in its Clean Power Plan.
“Even though the Clean Power Plan says we need nuclear and maintains the same ratio, they give no credit for it,” Chu said during a debate at the Silicon Valley Energy Summit hosted by Stanford University. “We should make a Clean Power Plan that’s based on clean energy, not renewable energy.”
The Country Caller: Tesla Thinks It Can Sell Storage Batteries Faster Than EVs
Last week, Tesla Motors Inc. organized its annual shareholder meeting where chief executive Elon Musk shared several updates and views on its automobile and storage batteries businesses. While updating about the Gigafactory, the CEO said he is thinking of allocating half the production capacity toward Tesla Energy products, more than the previously announced one-third.
The lithium-ion battery factory in Reno, Nevada is Tesla’s joint venture with South Korean battery-maker Panasonic Corporation, which is expected to produce 50 GWh of battery packs and 35 GWh of cells per year once it becomes fully operational by 2020. However, Mr. Musk thinks that the figure could be tripled, representing more than threefold the existing Li-ion battery capacity worldwide. Tesla plans to open the factory on July 29, 2016.