Below are the key takeaways from the week in solar, grid edge, storage and other energy news.
Solar News
$350,000
The price the NFL quoted NRG to show the company's solar project atop MetLife Stadium on national TV back in 2012. Um, no thanks, was the response of then-CEO David Crane. Crane joined The Energy Gang for a live taping this week and explains how the NFL avoided showing the panels from their blimp, along with his thoughts on more important topics, including Trump, reforming NRG, and how to find a job in cleantech. (story)
1 in 50
The solar industry was responsible for 1 in every 50 new jobs in the U.S. last year, according to The Solar Foundation. (story)
That doesn't mean it's all easy money and growth for solar players. This week, Eric Wesoff looks at companies that are shedding jobs in today's market. (story)
11 Cents per Kilowatt-hour
The PPA price for AES' solar-plus-storage project in Kauai, Hawaii. Julian Spector dives deep into the potential for solar-plus-storage this week for Squared members. (story)
Meanwhile, on The Interchange, Stephen Lacey and Shayle Kann sat down with Dr. Robert Fares to discuss his study on the unexpected emissions impact of solar-plus-storage. (story)
194 PV Permits
The number of residential PV permits submitted to the County of Honolulu, Hawaii in January 2017, the smallest monthly total over the past five years. Eric Wesoff examines the toll the elimination of net metering has taken on Oahu's rooftop market. (story)
500 Megawatts
The forecasted capacity for community solar in the U.S. by 2019, according to GTM Research. (story)
Grid Edge News
$101.8 Million
The sum of venture capital investment that Eric Wesoff details in his latest cleantech VC roundup. (story)
635,000 Distributed Solar Customers
The number of customers in California, which translates to nearly 5,000 megawatts of installed capacity. This week, Julia Pyper sat down with CPUC President Michael Picker to discuss the state's web of DER proceedings that aim to manage the market's complexity. (story)
54%
The percentage of utility regulatory respondents who are looking at ways to help utilities pay for cloud computing as a capital expenditure in a new survey published this week by Oracle. (story)
5 Tips for Automakers
The number of recommendations that McKinsey published this week to help companies survive the coming shift to electric vehicles. (story)
Energy Storage News
$30 Billion
The addressable market for energy storage in the U.S., according to Wall Street analysts at Morgan Stanley. (story)
29 Commercial Systems
The number of business-sited systems that Stem has installed in Hawaii. The company has deployed and tested a network of grid-assisting batteries in the state, laying the groundwork for future deployments. (story)
1,158 Megawatts
The capacity of the Carboneras coal plant in the south of Spain. Last week, Endesa, the plant's operator, announced it would add energy storage to the plant to improve efficiency and flexibility. (story)
16:00-20:00
The time of peak demand in the U.K. This week, we look at how the U.K. government is on the verge of making structural changes to the energy market that will benefit storage. (story)
3.7 to 11 Kilowatts
The capacities of WiTricity’s DRIVE series of wireless EV charging pads. WiTricity partnered with Nissan this week to create a global wireless charging ecosystem. (story)
Other Energy News
5.3% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas
The reduction recorded by the U.S. power sector in 2016. Julia Pyper highlights other emissions and economic findings from the 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. (story)
51% of New Capacity
The percentage of new capacity in Europe that came from wind in 2016, roughly 12.5 gigawatts. (story)
32.5% Capacity Factor
The capacity factor for wind in the U.S. in 2015. This week, we invited experts to look at how wind's capacity factor could surpass hydro in the U.S. by 2020. (story)
