How Will PG&E’s Bankruptcy Impact the CleanTech Industry?
On January 14, 2019, California’s largest utility, PG&E, filed a bankruptcy notice stating that it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the month end on January 29th. Given its business situation, PG&E must proceed with the bankruptcy process unless lawmakers step in because PG&E’s current liabilities from California’s 2017 and 2018 fires are about 10 times PG&E’s current market cap of $3.5 billion, which is down 90% since last Fall. Obviously, this is a big issue for the cleantech industry since PG&E covers a territory that runs from Eureka to Bakersfield, including 106,000 miles of electric grid.
New Fund Betting on Clean-Tech Startups
A California incubator that houses and nurtures clean-energy startups is expanding into venture capital.
Tata Power Seeks to Install EV Charging Stations as Demand Growth Slows
Tata Power Co. is seeking to set up electric vehicle chargers in the Indian capital, a company official said, as one of the most polluted cities on earth plans an ambitious push toward cleaner vehicles.
Corporations More than Doubled Commitment to Renewable Energy in 2018
Corporations signing PPAs with renewable energy power producers have been on the rise for quite some time but in 2018, the group as a whole purchased more than double the clean energy they purchased in 2017.
Vermont Solar-storage Projects Aim to Lower Costs During Peak Demand
A Vermont utility is adding solar panels and battery storage in hopes of lowering costs and improving reliability on hot summer days when electricity demand — and prices — tend to spike.
Facebook's Data-Center Landlord Strikes Deal to Add Solar Power
Facebook Inc. is boosting its clean-energy efforts with a deal to help run a Virginia data center where it leases space with solar power.
DistribuTECH Highlights Growing Importance of Utility/Solar Partnerships
Next week thousands of utility executives and energy industry stakeholders will flock to New Orleans to participate in DistribuTECH 2019 — a show predominantly for distribution utilities — and for the first time, a handful of solar equipment companies will be among the hundreds of exhibitors in the exhibit hall.
GE Combines Renewable Generation and Grid Businesses to Increase Efficiency
GE announced today that it sees a future in housing its renewable generation businesses (onshore and offshore wind, hydropower) alongside its grid businesses which include substations and transformers plus solar, storage and distributed energy resource (DER) control software. GE Renewable Energy CEO Jerome Pecresse said in a press conference that the move will simplify the lives of GE’s customers by giving them one point of contact for all of their renewable energy power needs.
The Politics Behind Ocasio-Cortez and the ‘Green New Deal’
Hundreds of young activists stormed Nancy Pelosi’s office after Democrats won the House in November, inspired by the new hero of the left, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who briefly joined them in a live-streamed protest to demand passage of a radical plan to fight climate change.
PG&E Seeks Court Protection From Federal Regulators on Renewable Energy PPASs
PG&E Corp. is seeking court protection to amend or cancel power purchase agreements with suppliers as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.