Ben Paulos

What tax credit repeal means for going solar - Solar United Neighbors How the Big Beautiful Bill will impact your ability to go solar.

#Congress has repealed the federal #solar tax credit, effective Jan 1, 2026. If you're planning to go solar, 2025 is your year to lock in those #savings! 🚨

Tell Congress how these changes affect your #family and your #energy choices. Learn more: bit.ly/4m1vhQU

Trump administration says it's axing $7B program for low-income solar EPA chief Lee Zeldin claims the “big beautiful bill” allows funds for the Solar for All program to be rescinded. Advocates say that’s false and promise to…

The Trump administration has terminated Solar for All. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims the “big beautiful bill” authorizes clawback of $7B in contracted funds — a claim that Sen. Moore Capito (R) has called "ridiculous." Cue the court challenges: www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...
#energysky

Major clean power plant serving L.A. goes fully online in Kern County An immense solar-plus-storage power plant in the desert is now pumping out inexpensive clean electricity at full bore.

The huge new Eland solar + storage plant is now online, serving @ladwp.com.

It is one of hundreds of “hybrid” clean power plants in the U.S., according to our research at emp.lbl.gov/hybrid.

www.latimes.com/environment/...

“Battery tsunami”? Projects totalling 226 gigawatts seek connection approval in Germany

Not to mention the "battery tsunami" of 226 GW --

www.cleanenergywire.org/news/battery...

The article says they "plan to auction state support for 20 gigawatts of reserve capacity in the form of gas power plants to be constructed by 2030."

I don't know what their reserve margins are now. Maybe they are retiring more coal.

My favorite quote was from the German energy minister at the time... he compared capacity markets to an unemployment program. “When it comes to capacity markets, this cannot be a [welfare program] for power plants—where you do not work but earn money,” he told an energy industry conference in June.

Texas and Germany: Energy Twins? Geographically and politically, Texas and Germany are on opposite sides of the world, but both believe strongly in competitive energy markets, and both have largely deregulated their power industries....

This is the ongoing debate about capacity markets. I just dug out a report I did on it in <gasp> 2014, and the issue hasn't gone away. They just need to make batteries and existing gas plants eligible for the capacity payments, and they won't need any new gas.

www.powermag.com/texas-and-ge...

An ambitious proposal to quickly add 23 GW of renewables in California California could move quickly to enable 23 GW of renewables near existing thermal generators, in time for the projects to qualify for tax credits before they expire, says a think tank policy director.

California could move quickly to enable 23 GW of renewables near existing thermal generators, in time for the projects to qualify for tax credits before they expire, says a think tank policy director. Quoted in my latest story for PV Magazine USA is an LA Times opinion piece by @oboylemm.bsky.social

“Regulatory sandboxes” allow utilities to test and scale innovations in a structured environment. Learn how they are being applied to advanced grid technologies on a free @BerkeleyLab webinar. August 13, 2pm Eastern/ 11 am Pacific. Register at naruc-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi....

Another nice day in California. Currently 95% renewable electricity, with over 70% of total demand met by the Sun.

Picture #1: Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee meeting with the family of a four-year-old girl killed on Lakeshore. She promised making streets safe is the highest priority. Picture #2: Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee's car while she was making that promise.

Does the Silicon Valley mantra “fake it till you make it” apply to real world hardware like cars? The courts say no, putting Tesla in deep trouble.

Motherfucking wind farms…

Why Your Energy Bill Is So High With increased demand overwhelming the grid and climate change driving record heat, Americans' energy bills keep rising.

Proud that our work @powerlines.org to analyze how rising utility bills are impacting American energy consumers is featured in this new TIME article on why our #utilitybills are so high:

time.com/7306045/ener...

California Weighs New EV Incentives Backed by Fee on Gas Cars, Trucks Transportation experts say state could revive electric vehicle credits for in-state residents with “feebates” — part fee, part rebate.

Feebates can replace the federal EV tax credit.

“The time was ripe years and years ago, but I think now it’s absolutely essential,” says Dan Sperling at @ucdavis.bsky.social

flip.it/Ntbh97

@mikeduncan.bsky.social , you’ll be happy to know your Hero of Two Worlds has the place of honor at the American Library in Paris.

As it should.

Trump’s rural energy freeze hits Midwest, GOP districts hardest More than three-quarters of federal Rural Energy for America Program grants over the last decade have gone to Republican congressional districts.

The USDA REAP program has been almost completely ignored by clean energy advocates and funders. But it has been building political power in very conservative rural areas.

(Maybe it is just as well the greens ignore it, since that would just politicize it.)

www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...

Advanced grid technologies don’t easily scale under traditional regulatory approaches. “Regulatory sandboxes” allow utilities to test innovations in a structured environment and rapidly scale successful approaches. Our new report talks about how to do that. <THREAD> 💡🔌

Afghanistan: Taxi drivers use handmade air coolers to beat the heat Faced with soaring temperatures and faulty AC units, cabbies are adapting with customised vehicles.

Anybody know how this air conditioner works? Some kind of DIY swamp cooler?

Like so: www.thespruce.com/diy-swamp-co...

💡🔌

www.bbc.com/news/article...

And now @powerlines.org’ debut in @bloomberglp.bsky.social on a record year for utility rate increases at $29B with 6 months left to go:

#utilitybills #energyaffordability

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

SPP has massive solar potential. California has very little untapped wind. So yes, SPP will be much easier to do big wind/solar numbers.

Who Benefits from Rooftop Solar—and How Much?, with Madeline Yozwiak In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Madeline Yozwiak, a PhD candidate at Indiana University Bloomington, about the potential of residential rooftop solar technology to address the gro

One in four US households face energy insecurity. Research by Madeline Yozwiak, done in partnership with @berkeleylabemp.bsky.social suggests that rooftop solar panels could improve energy affordability. Yozwiak discusses the findings on Resources Radio.
Listen now: on.soundcloud.com/4sGg1V2TZmAY...

It doesn’t. SPP is almost all wind. Only 0.9% solar. CAISO is about 30% solar, and rising.

These maps show where Trump's 'big beautiful' bill will cancel clean energy Analysis shows that by 2030, the bill could result in the loss of 840,000 potential clean tech jobs and raise annual energy costs by billions of dollars.

www.newsweek.com/these-maps-s...

These are the major power regions of the US, and wind/solar generation market share in 2024:

- SPP = 39.1%
- CAISO = 38.5%
- ERCOT = 33.8%
- non-ISO West = 23.3%
- MISO = 17.7%
- ISO-NE = 12.9%
- NYISO = 9%
- PJM = 7.6%
- non-ISO Southeast = 5.2%

Wow, $52! I’m guessing buyers in Pakistan are paying the “China price” for PV and batteries. 25¢ per watt and $52 / kWh for batteries, plus delivery.

Also any idea of battery prices? $/kWh. I know the solar prices are very low.

If you net out the solar generation from the demand you get “skinny peaks.“ And those skinny peaks are perfectly suited for four hour batteries. In California gas works the night shift. You’ll see this play out everywhere around the world.

Cuts to clean energy tax credits — and imposition of new taxes! — is opposed by both the Chamber of Commerce and the IBEW.

Great to see Trump bringing people together at last!

Ikea begins offering balcony solar kits Swedish furniture retailer Ikea is selling plug-in solar kits in Germany, with storage-inclusive systems starting at €1,229 ($1,425) and reaching €2,800 for versions featuring four 520 W panels. The k...

IKEA wants to remind you that the solar revolution is just beginning. 2kW PV, 1.9 kWh battery, hardware and tax for €2000. DIY installation, if you want.

@solarchase.bsky.social

www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/25/i...