Regulatory News
Section 201 Suniva Trade Dispute Update:
On November 10th, The International Trade Commission officially submitted 3 reports pertaining to the Section 201 Trade dispute on imported solar cells & modules. The reports explained the meaning behind the ruling and recommended several remedy scenarios to address the dispute. The president has 90 days to review these reports after-which he can choose to accept the proposed remedies or initiate others. Utility News
Puerto Rico Leadership Resigning Amidst Questionably Awarded Hurricane Response Contract
Aber Gomez, the Director of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency resigned earlier this month as a result of pressure amounting from the failure in emergency response & lack of remedial action. One of the most pressing issues is that the island’s electrical grid is still under immense pressure and stress with as much as 50% of the island remains without power. Another main story to come out of the recovery efforts is a controversial contract signed with Whitefish Energy Holding, a small outfit that seemingly did not have the credentials or solution offering to have been awarded this $300 million contract.
PG&E Investigated for liabilities from Napa & Sonoma Fires
Officials from California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection disclosed that they have been investigating Pacific Gas & Electric’s power equipment as a possible cause for the Napa & Sonoma County fires that took place last month. PG&E has combatted this initial claim for the mean time while investigations will continue to shed light on the wildfires.
Technology News
Hybrid Wind+Energy Storage Technology Ready For Deployment
A Danish Wind Project Developer, KK Wind Solutions, is developing a wind turbine + Energy Storage System (ESS) combined product which would help to reduce fluctuations in output by 90%. The main purpose of the project is to develop a scalable modularized system that is more resilient to fluctuating environmental factors. Another company, Toshiba, recently installed a 2 MW storage system to go alongside NRG Yield’s Elbow Creek Wind Farm in TX. These hybrid systems are starting to leave the lab and meet real-world conditions so there will be much more insight into these projects moving forward.
