Advanced Energy Perspectives

The news this week was full of advanced vehicles, blockchain, and a little of both at the same time! Plus, America’s burgeoning offshore wind market could get a little back-up from some Tesla batteries. That’s right, it’s offshore wind + storage, all in this week’s advanced energy news round up.

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends that shape advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world. It is drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2017 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research.

In 2016, the solar PV industry set a record with an estimated 77.2 GW of new capacity installed around the world – 52% above 2015’s installation figure of 51 GW.[1] That does not mean the year was an easy one for the industry. Pricing pressure on manufacturers and developers alike kept revenue growth from matching the rate of deployment. Still, the global market grew 35% in 2016, to $131.8 billion.

Back in December, we published a list of the top 10 public utility commission actions of 2016. With 2017 halfway elapsed, we check in on the top public utility commission (PUC) actions so far this year. Not surprisingly, the challenges PUCs are grappling with are scattered widely: sweeping changes in rate design, utility business model reforms, grid modernization investments, distribution system planning, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and rates, renewable energy tariffs, and interconnection requests, to name a few. Without further ado, here is a status check of the top 10 matters before PUCs in 2017 so far.

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This is a guest post by Suzanne L. Bertin, Executive Director, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, an AEE state partner. To learn more about TAEBA, click here. To learn more about AEE’s nationwide coalition of state and regional partners, click here.

Then-governor Rick Perry speaks at an EV event in 2011. Photo via Flickr.

On June 12, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law SB 1731, enacting policies promoting electric and hydrogen vehicles and other advanced energy transportation technologies in the Lone Star State. In a legislative session otherwise dominated by social issues, the passage of this bill was a high point for advanced energy. At Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA), this was one of our priority bills, and we are glad to see Texas return to the leadership role it held until a key incentive program lapsed in 2015. Now, Texas has rejoined the 14 other states and Washington, D.C., that provide incentives for advanced vehicles.

This post is one in a series of feature stories on trends that shape advanced energy markets in the U.S. and around the world. It is drawn from Advanced Energy Now 2017 Market Report, which was prepared for AEE by Navigant Research.

In the early part of this decade, the deployment of non-traditional methods of natural gas extraction, especially hydraulic fracturing, both dramatically increased the availability of this fuel and drove down the price, making it a possible alternative to other fuels not only for power generation but also for transportation. The prospect of lower operating cost made it seem that NGVs could be a good solution for larger vehicle types (and vehicle fleets), despite higher purchase prices.