Advanced Energy Perspectives

This week, much of the news media is tied up with what’s happening in Washington, D.C., but advanced energy never stops working. From Utility Dive’s story of advanced energy job growth to more coverage of the love affair between big business and advanced energy, to a California lawmaker musing on whether the state should run on 100% renewable energy, it’s been a week to remember.

Image courtesy of BMW.

We’ve entered the mid-winter slump up here in the northern hemisphere, but don’t worry. Between news of major deals and investments and advanced vehicles making headlines at both CES and the Detroit Auto Show, things are certainly looking sunny for advanced energy in the week that was. 

To start this week’s recap off we have Sunrun and National Grid, which have entered into a partnership worth about $100 million. National Grid, a natural gas and electric utility that has more than 20 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island as well as the United Kingdom, has partnered with Sunrun to sell small-scale solar systems to residential consumers and small commercial customers. The initial goal is to install rooftop solar on 100,000 single family homes in downstate New York, but both companies expect something much larger soon.

It’s the first week of the year, and the news is already teeming with stories about advanced energy. From cars that drive themselves stealing the show at CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) to new developments in EV batteries to entire countries running exclusively on advanced energy, the news demonstrates that advanced energy is here to stay.

2016 was a big year for advanced energy, and advanced energy was big in 2016. According to our Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report, advanced energy represents a $1.4 trillion global industry, with $200 billion of that in the U.S. – and growing! Last week we brought you Part 1 of our Top 10 news stories, with everything from America’s first offshore wind farm to energy storage’s best year ever. Here’s Part 2!

By any measure, this year has been a doozy, and advanced energy has been in the headlines throughout. From the first American offshore wind power to the economic power of advanced energy to employ millions of people, advanced energy is a major growth market that shows no signs of stopping. All year long, we have been collecting clips (and links) on the top 10 news topics of 2016. Here is Part 1 of our two-part roundup of advanced energy news of the year, covering the first five. Be sure to check back next week for Part 2!

1) Finally! American Offshore Wind No Longer a Dream 

Offshore wind power in the U.S. has been a notion since Cape Wind was a twinkle in Jim Gordon’s eye, but it was long stymied by political (and NIMBY) interests. Last year’s top news round-up had some solid good news: construction had begun on the nation’s offshore wind installation, though it was not in Nantucket Sound.