QUICK NEWS, July 10: The Rump’s Solar Attack; Big Utility’s Big Wind Buy Approved; Plugs Taking Over The Streets

The Rump’s Solar Attack Donald Trump’s big chance to cripple solar

Mark Jaffe, July 7, 2017 (Denver Post)

“…[Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord didn’t hurt the U.S. carbon-reduction and renewable-energy efforts as much as what this administration could do about a petition from two bankrupt solar-panel manufacturers...[Now before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), it cites an obscure and rarely used section of trade law that would give the president power to impose sweeping tariffs on imported solar cells. Tariffs that could double the cost of a panel…[The Rump] has been spoiling to show how tough he is on trade…[The proposed worldwide tariff on solar panels would cut new solar installations in half between 2018 and 2022 and] result in the loss of 88,000 jobs nationally, about a third of all the jobs in the solar sector…[Even without the Paris accord, the reduction of the nation’s greenhouse gases — primarily carbon dioxide — linked to climate change will continue…[but The Rump might] see this as a way to help the coal-mining industry…If the 40-cent tariff was added to [solar’s] floor price, it would raise the cost of solar cells to $1.18 a watt, and new solar installation would crater [from a [projected 72.5 gigawatts] to 25 gigawatts between 2018 and 2022…” click here for more

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Big Utility’s Big Wind Buy Approved Minnesota approves Xcel Energy's wind power plan

July 7, 2017 (Electric Light And Power)

"The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s plan for the largest expansion of wind energy in the Upper Midwest. The North Dakota Public Service Commission will review the plan later this year…The new wind power projects will save Xcel Energy customers billions of dollars in fuel and other costs, as compared to the costs of other energy sources…[Seven projects with 1150 MW of Xcel-owned new capacity and 400 MW of PPA capacity, slated to be built in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, will be operational by the end of 2020 and] will provide enough energy to power more than 800,000 homes…[All projects are expected to qualify for the] 100 percent Production Tax Credit.” click here for more

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Plugs Taking Over The Streets When Will Electric Cars Go Mainstream? It May Be Sooner Than You Think

Brad Plumer, July 8, 2017 (NY Times)

“…[While the world’s automakers place larger bets on electric vehicle technology, the conventional view is] that electric cars will remain a niche product for many years, plagued by high sticker prices and heavily dependent on government subsidies. But a growing number of analysts now argue that this pessimism is becoming outdated...Bloomberg New Energy Finance [predicts] the price of plug-in cars is falling much faster than expected, spurred by cheaper batteries and aggressive policies promoting zero-emission vehicles in China and Europe. Between 2025 and 2030, the group predicts, plug-in vehicles will become cost competitive with traditional petroleum-powered cars, even without subsidies, and even before taking fuel savings into account. Once that happens, mass adoption should quickly follow…[Charging infrastructure is a] potential barrier…” click here for more

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