Advanced Energy Perspectives

This week, we bring you stories of advanced energy chosen by industries you might not expect, generation-other-than-solar-plus-storage, and, as always, AEE members leading the way. Legos, cereal, and batteries backing up power plants: just another average week in the advanced energy industry.

Advanced energy is a global market worth more than $1.4 trillion. This week we’re reading stories of global expansion, from increasing access and capacity in wind and solar to millions of EVs on the roads, to an AEE member with a solar deal in India. Come with us on a trip around the world this week. If you stick around to the end, you’ll get a great soundtrack to take with you.

One story dominated the news here in Washington this week, but we’re not here to talk about it. Beyond Paris and Washington, hidden in the rest of this week’s news an interesting trend emerges: Advanced energy is exceeding expectations, consistently and across the board. From smashed predictions from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to wildly conservative estimates about efficiency, advanced energy is on the rise, and it’s faster than anyone expected.

This week in the news, we have everything from more affordable electric vehicles driving demand to major investments in wind and solar, as well as a new solar+storage pipeline and blockchain technology changing the game once again. Just an average week in the world of advanced energy.

This week was chock full of advanced energy news. First up, from Fortune, the fastest-growing job in the United States is an advanced energy job! The magazine reported on a study published this week by personal finance company SmartAsset that names solar photovoltaic installer as the fastest-growing job in America between 2012 and 2016. The study used data from the Bureau of Labor statistics and did not take projections into account. SmartAsset found that residential solar panel installers make about $42,500 on average. Then there are the much-anticipated (and still awaited) Tesla solar roofs going on sale, and electric trucks on the move.