The Energy Show

National Climate Assessment by Barry Cinnamon

solar, energy, the energy show, battery backup, battery storage, commercial battery storage

Inovateus Solar with T. J. Kanczuzewski by Barry Cinnamon

Copyright 2017 - The Energy Show, Barry Cinnamon

President Donald Trump is on a roll when it comes to Executive Orders and new regulations that apply to energy and the environment. Unfortunately, almost all these Executive Orders and regulation changes are bad for the environment, and will likely result in more expensive and less reliable energy.

We looked back over the last ten months and tallied up just seven of Trump's energy actions that are terrible for the environment and are not helping to shape US energy policy in a positive way:

Killing the Clean Power Plan

Changing utility pricing policies to favor coal and nuclear fuels

Providing huge loan guarantees to nuclear power plants

Relaxing vehicle mileage standards

Opening up more federal lands to fossil fuels

Approved the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines

Exiting the Paris Climate Agreement

When we look at the sources of greenhouse gas in the U.S., 29% comes from generating electricity -- mostly from coal plants. The second biggest source of emissions (27%) is from transportation -- mostly gas and diesel. The third largest source is industrial (21%). Only 12% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the residential and commercial sector -- mostly heating and air conditioning. Lastly, agriculture produces 9% of GHG emissions. Clearly, a clean energy policy that focuses on reducing greenhouse gases from the largest offender (electrical generation) is the best policy for our environment.

Taking a step back -- while being President is not an easy job – it is clear that President Trump has a penchant for blowing things up. So far he’s decimated clean air regulations at the EPA, instructed the Interior Department to accelerate drilling and mining on public lands, changed rules at the Department of Energy to prop up the struggling coal and nuclear power companies. These actions in aggregate are appalling – and he’s not even a year into his first term.

Fossil fuel companies are the clear beneficiaries – at the expense of the growing clean energy economy, as well as everyone who breathes. Former Governor Schwarzenegger explains these problems succinctly in this video.

For more about this deteriorating situation -- and some positive suggestions -- please Listen Up to this week's Energy Show on Renewable Energy World.

Home Backup Power Primer by Barry Cinnamon

DOE Grid Reliability Study by Barry Cinnamon

Solar Tariffs Increasing Solar Panel Prices

October 9, 2017Barry CinnamonEnergy Politics

The solar industry is likely headed into a recession. Solar tariffs that will double the price of panels are almost inevitable — and President Trump is going to make the final tariff decision. The President’s positioning on this issue does not bode well for the solar industry: he is on record for supporting US manufacturing, he has called for tariffs on Chinese manufactured products, he is a supporter of the fossil fuel industry, and he has been dismissive of solar and wind power. As a result, it is very likely that the White House will implement solar tariffs with no regard for the harm these higher prices will cause to the rest of the solar industry.

Solar panel supplies have already diminished as installers have positioned to purchase inventory before the solar tariffs go in place. This increased demand has already pushed panel prices up significantly. With these uncertain trade implications for overseas panel manufacturers, shipments of solar panels to the US have ground to a virtual halt. We are not likely to see new volume shipments commence (at post-tariff prices) until sometime in the first quarter of 2018.

Historically, tariffs on overseas products have rarely restored the vitality of domestic manufacturing. Rather than taking a protectionist stance on trade, the US would benefit by implementing incentives to make manufacturing in the US more attractive — in essence, investing in a robust US solar manufacturing industry.

For more insights into the likely impact of these solar tariffs, please Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show.

Solar Incentives - Don't Miss the 2017 Solar Tax Credit by Barry Cinnamon

Review of StorEdge battery backup system from SolarEdge

Over the past few months we’ve experienced a solar eclipse, several devastating hurricanes, another under-construction nuclear plant shutdown, and a backwards-looking Department of Energy Grid Reliability study.

The performance of our electric grid during the eclipse demonstrates how well a flexible, well-managed grid can handle predictable events. These severe weather events show how vulnerable our electric grid really is, how dependent we as a society have become on electric power, and how valuable some form of backup power is for homeowners. The nuclear plant shutdown clearly shows that nuclear power cannot compete against cheap natural gas.

Weaving these circumstances together, one could come to the conclusion that the electric grid of the future should be more modular (distributed); could effectively rely on a combination of wind and solar and storage; and could take advantage of smaller, high efficiency gas turbines for peak afternoon power demands and night-time power. Not only would this grid of the future be cleaner and cheaper, but it would also be more resilient to local weather and human-caused disruptions.

Solar contractors and homeowners are not at 30,000 feet debating fundamental energy policy and grid strategy developments. Instead, they are on the ground in need of inexpensive electricity and backup power when the grid fails. If you are interested in practical solutions to these problems (sorry, I have no way of rationalizing the DOE’s Grid Reliability Study), Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World.