Kevin’s Daily Digest, 4/28/16

“PV is becoming dirt cheap,” Assessing options for grid flexibility, Republicans warm up to reality, more solar than wind in CA, and more.

The Daily Digest, published Monday-Friday, focuses on the latest news in renewables, storage and electric vehicles. For more follow me on Twitter @kkchristy.

I Was Wrong About the Limits of Solar. PV Is Becoming Dirt Cheap (GTM). “Facts have changed. Just a few years ago the cost for industrial systems was twice what it is today. A host of little innovations have driven costs down. Module prices are now around $0.50 per watt. The unsubsidized electricity cost from industrial-scale solar PV in the most favorable locations is now well below $40 per megawatt-hour and could very easily be below $20 per megawatt-hour by 2020. Compared to other new sources of supply, this would be the cheapest electricity on the planet.”

For grid flexibility, utilities pushed to think beyond gas plants and storage (UtilityDive). “To organize the multiple sources of grid flexibility profiled in the paper, EI analysts arranged them on a spectrum of grid flexibility. As the need for grid flexibility increases with time and higher penetrations of variable renewables, utilities should move from the least expensive flexibility options to costlier, more powerful ones.”

Beyond pilots: Duke Energy looks to install storage in regulated market (UtilityDive). “This approach will allow our energy storage systems to do a variety of tasks,” said Thomas Golden, technology development manager for Duke Energy. “With so many solar installations in North Carolina, we must look for innovative ways to better incorporate renewable energy into our system — and still provide reliable service at a competitive price for our customers.”

San Diego Republican mayor pushes plan to run on 100% renewable energy (Guardian). Mayor Kevin Faulconer plans to power San Diego with 100% renewable energy by 2035, and to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. “This isn’t a partisan issue,” Faulconer told the Guardian. “I’ve said from the very beginning there’s enough partisan politics at the national level. I was a volunteer for our parks before becoming mayor; I love our natural resources, our beaches and landscapes. I feel strongly about protecting them.”

Many More Republicans Now Believe in Climate Change (Scientific American). “The poll also found broad support for government policies to expand renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eighty-four percent of all registered voters support more funding for energy sources like wind and solar, including 91 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans. A similar number, 81 percent of all voters, support giving tax rebates to people who buy energy-efficient cars or solar panels, including 91 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans.”

Californian utility-scale solar surpasses wind for first time in 2015 (PV-Tech). “The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) stated in its records that over the past five years, grid-connected, utility-scale solar generation in the state increased fifteen-fold: increasing from 1,000GWh in 2011 to 15,592GWh in 2015, accounting for 6.7% of the system total in comparison to wind at 5.3%.”

Climate guru James Hansen warns of much worse than expected sea level rise (Guardian). “Global warming of 2C above pre-industrial times — the world is already halfway to this mark — would be “dangerous” and risk submerging cities, the paper said. A separate study, released in February, warned that New York, London, Rio de Janeiro and Shanghai will be among the cities at risk from flooding by 2100.”

Electric Utilities and the Future of Clean Transportation (Center for American Progress). “The United States needs more electric vehicles in order to reduce emissions and utilities need new electricity demand to stay in business. This confluence presents a unique opportunity for electric utilities to play an active role in deploying more electric vehicles and related infrastructure. Recognizing this opportunity, the Edison Electric Institute — which represents the entire U.S. investor-owned utility sector and 70 international electric company members — signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with the U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, to work together to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure to support them.”