Currents

Geoff Ferrell, senior vice president at sonnen, dives into the critical role of energy storage systems in stabilizing utility grids and promoting solar energy. He breaks down financial strategies for homeowners to optimize costs using virtual power plants and solar energy storage. The discussion also covers long-term maintenance practices that ensure durability of these systems, alongside insights from the WOTSMART initiative which aims to boost energy efficiency. Ferrell highlights the potential of integrating battery storage with rooftop solar to enhance investments.

Christ Frost and Steve Plake, partners at Riverside Advisors and experts in financial hedging and project financing, delve into the intricacies of managing financial risks. They highlight the significance of financial hedging amidst interest rate volatility, emphasizing the importance of price transparency. The conversation covers complex instruments like swaptions and contingent hedges, the role of capital market risks, and the challenges of credit requirements. Their insights shed light on effective strategies for navigating market uncertainties and enhancing financial decision-making.

Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, joins us to discuss how recent policies are impacting the electricity markets and how they may shape the future electric grid.

John Powers, vice president of global renewables and clean tech at Schneider Electric, updates us on developments in the offtake agreement and tax credit transfer markets.

The 2024 Solar Risk Assessment, now in its 6th edition, is a comprehensive report of the most pressing risks and opportunities facing the solar and storage industries. Compiled by industry experts, this report offers a data-driven look at key challenges such as extreme weather, equipment failures, and battery safety. 2024 contributors include: kWh Analytics, Kiwa PVEL, Waaree, Alliant Power, Longroad Energy, Nextracker, Solarlytics, Univers, Clean Power Research, SolarGrade, Lloyd’s, Powin, and SEVO IFP.

Jason Kaminsky, CEO of kWh Analytics, joins us to discuss this year’s solar risk assessment report published by kWh. He summarizes the findings in the report, including risks to the battery energy storage industry.

Landon Mossburg, CEO of Peak Energy, joins us to discuss sodium-ion batteries and how they can complement lithium-ion batteries

FERC Commissioner Allison Clements, Grid Strategies President Rob Gramlich and Norton Rose Fulbright partner Kat Gamache talk about how much of a difference recent government actions to ease grid congestion will make to developers waiting to connect new projects to the grid.

Arvin Ganesan, CEO of Fourth Power, joins us to discuss thermal storage technologies and what role they can have in the energy storage market.

Hilary Lefko, Norton Rose Fulbright partner, joins us to discuss the US Treasury’s new guidance on calculating whether projects have enough domestic content to qualify for a bonus tax credit.