Advanced Energy Perspectives

This week we saw news that SolarCity and Tesla Motors would be expanding their partnership in battery storage technology. The two companies, which already collaborate on electric vehicle supercharging stations, have joined together to create a solar panel system with a battery storage unit included. The system, dubbed DemandLogic, would automatically store electricity during low-use hours for use during peak hours – offering savings for commercial and institutional customers that pay charges based on their peak electric load.

With the start of December, we are now inside the 30-day window before several tax provisions critical to advanced energy growth are set to expire – yet there is little talk in Washington of extensions. Despite much discussion this year of comprehensive tax reform – and earnest behind-the-scenes efforts, with AEE involved – Congress now seems on the verge of making tax law by inertia.

This is the third of five blog posts adapted from the new book “Zero Hour: Time to Build the Clean Power Platform,” by Reed E. Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and Board Member of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute. Read all the posts here.

Buy the book: Amazon | Google | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | EbookMall

This is the second of five blog posts adapted from the new book “Zero Hour: Time to Build the Clean Power Platform,” by Reed E. Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and Board Member of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute. Read all the posts here. Buy the book: Amazon | Google | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | EbookMall

AEE and its State and Regional Partners gathered in Boston for a three-day conference earlier this month. We convene our state and regional partners semi-annually to learn from each other and plan policy initiatives that can help the industry grow.