Scott Elias

NEW DATA: America's Energy Storage Revolution™️continues. 📈10 GWh new capacity in 2026 Q1, marking largest Q1 on record ☀️ Texas, Arizona and California led deployment 📅 Over 610 GWh now expected by 2030

Out today: My @AmericanAffrs essay trying to reset the often-fever-pitched conversation about data centers & energy, with concrete ideas for how growth can be accelerated and legacy consumers can be protected -->

BURGUM: When the sun goes down, solar produces zero electricity HUFFMAN: I want to enter into the record this amazing new technology that apparently the secretary is unaware of -- it's a battery

NEW: Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has been named SEIA's incoming President and CEO. As Governor, Pawlenty oversaw a $50 billion biennial budget, led more than 20 state agencies and departments, and championed some of the nation’s most forward-looking renewable energy initiatives. He brings a proven track record of executive leadership, deep public policy expertise, and a clear understanding of the energy challenges facing the United States. Pawlenty will assume the role on June 15. Read more: seia.org/news/governor-…

Load growth is an opportunity for DG—and a reason to rethink grid expansion. Great op-ed by @JigarShahDC on why the fastest way to expand the grid is via the distribution system, where front-of-meter storage can target constrained substations and feeders. utilitydive.com/news/america-l…

There is behavior that's so self-evidently deranged that merely seeing it should lead to fury and disgust. I'm concerned, however, that some evangelicals are so influenced by Trump that they won't unite with their Catholic brothers and sisters in response to Trump's blasphemy and intolerable attacks on the pope, but will instead turn against them.

The Trump administration publicly supporting solar energy ☀️💛☀️

Just this one subsidy to a foreign company to kill wind projects purely out of spite by Trump costs TWICE as much as the loan guarantees to the dreaded Solyndra. Solyndra was a rightwing talking point about waste for YEARS. And that loan program - which always assumed that some projects would fail - not only made up for those losses, but ended up being profitable for taxpayers. But doubt we hear a word about this latest boondoggle from the same people who were horrified by the supposed waste and told us government shouldn't choose winners and losers. Makes you wonder!

"Opponents of wind and solar power sought to portray the grid collapse as proof that power systems more dependent on renewables were inherently more unstable. ENTSO-E rejected that assertion."

No one should be gloating about anyone dying. The fact that the President of the United States would do so is yet another depressing sign of the moral decay in American society and the erosion of basic decency.

It's also the correct one. "American Energy Dominance" can't ignore one of the cheapest and fastest growing sources of American energy.

83% of all voters agree that solar energy should be used in the United States to strengthen and increase the nation’s energy supply. China is rapidly scaling their solar as energy demands continue to increase. We need to do the same.

They know clean energy tax credits are phasing out and their subsidy talking point goes away. They're terrified that solar + batteries will keep winning in the marketplace. And of course they still cling to & obfuscate 100+ yr-old hidden fossil fuel subsidies in the tax code.

Hacks like @AlexEpstein will never admit it, but they’re terrified of market competition from cheaper, faster to build solar + batteries.

@ryan_sw @elonmusk No one expects solar to serve as the main resource during multi-day winter reliability events, and its winter ELCC appropriately reflects that. The grid doesn’t need to be planned by requiring any single resource to perform in all conditions.

Serious question for determining the upper limit of solar adoption: under what scenario could solar + storage can meet demand during winter storms like Fern? What size batteries would be needed to ride through multi-day winter events? And what’s the capital cost and associated LCOE for a scenario like this? Winter-peaking regions pose a major challenge for solar adoption beyond say ~20% of net annual generation. Case in point: During WS Fern, the Tennessee Valley saw multiple consecutive cloudy days (with snow + freezing rain), followed by extended severe cold. Throughout a 5 day period (1/23-1/27) Nashville had near-continuous cloud cover and an average temp of 21F. The ~1500 MW of solar on TVA’s system contributed virtually no generation during this period. Same challenge exists for the rest of the Northeast, Midwest, and parts of the Southeast, where 50% of the population lives. Solar is a much easier sell for summer-peaking regions like California, Texas, and Florida (where influential solar advocates like @Elonmusk and @chamath happen to live). But when residents in the rest of the country depend on electricity for heating the most, solar is completely absent. It’s nuclear, gas, coal, and hydro that keeps homes warm.

Solar will utterly dominate future electricity production

Solar is now the dominant source of new U.S. power capacity and is on track to surpass coal in total installed capacity before the end of 2026. 70 GW of new solar capacity is scheduled to come online in 2026–2027 → a 49% increase in operating solar capacity from the end of 2025.

Being angry that wind power is 'only' providing 5% of New England's power is like being upset that your restaurant can't get enough produce from your backyard garden. We haven't planted enough, yet.

Solar energy is the energy of the future. Giant fusion reactor up there in the sky - we must rapidly expand solar to compete with China.

Shameful

Let. Solar. Build. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/0…