Scott Moskowitz

@tylerhnorris I don’t disagree on these, but I think above all of them is that the credits are critical to ongoing re-shore efforts and without, Chinese companies are soon to have a global monopoly on the cheapest, most deployable energy available. Solar’s cheap, but we have to make it here.

“If solar and wind are the most affordable and fastest to build resources, why do they need tax credits?” A reporter asked me this fair question yesterday. Here's the steelman case, in my view: 1) Market failure correction: Social value of solar and wind (e.g. reduced fuel price volatility, CO2 emissions, air pollution) exceeds private market value; tax credits help internalize these public benefits 2) Offsetting non-price barriers: Solar and wind face significant non-price barriers (e.g. permitting delays, interconnection challenges, transmission constraints) that favor incumbent resources; tax credits help counterbalance 3) Energy security: Solar and wind don’t rely on globally traded fuels, providing insulation from potential actions of adversarial governments while enabling lower-cost fuel export to allies 4) Supporting rapid load growth: With electricity demand rising quickly, tax credits help scale up new generation faster and mitigate backsliding into higher-emission resources 5) Accelerating deployment: Even in regions where solar and wind are cost-competitive, the pace of market-driven adoption may not align with public objectives; tax incentives help close the gap 6) Offsetting tariff impacts: Tariffs have raised costs of a variety of input materials and grid equipment; tax credits help offset these added burdens and keep projects economically viable 7) Addressing uneven economics: While solar and wind are the most affordable new energy sources in many markets, this isn’t universally true, especially in regions with weaker RE resources 8) Consistent w/ historical precedent: Nearly all major energy sources in US history have received federal subsidies; supporting renewables continues that tradition in service of modern priorities

@NW_Horadam @AspenAerogels Awesome news!

VANDERBILT WINS!!!

Solar energy is delivering power to thousands on the Navajo Nation⚡ With the help of @Qcells_NA and @ENERGY, Navajo Power Home is bringing electricity to many homes for the very first time. WATCH: kold.com/2024/08/29/doe…

1/8 The Cato Institute is right to say that domestic consumers pay for tariffs, but they then make the mistake of concluding that tariffs reduce consumption. This claim is based on a rather simple-minded understanding of trade. cato.org/blog/americans… via @CatoInstitute

@SolarInMASS @FirstSolar So when China subsidizes manufacturers you say thank you and when the U.S. does it’s a nefarious plot? The risk on supply disruption isn’t on the technology not working, it’s on you the installer no longer being able to get solar panels. Stop vilifying those that care about this.

I spent a week in Dalton, the northwest GA town known as the Carpet Capital of the World. Now it's become the heart of US solar panel manufacturing. @Qcells_NA built a panel factory there in 2019, then built a second one after the IRA passed in 22

By 2022, the US had basically ceded the entire solar supply chain. We produced <5% of modules deployed & far less than that further up the supply chain (cells, silicon etc). Today, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the US is on track to make 80% of module demand by 2026.

@SolarInMASS The case you reference investigates modules and cells. We do still import cells, but we’ll have domestic cell and module manufacturing by the end of this year.

@SolarInMASS John, there isn’t a gotcha here. It’s not a secret that we’ve opened two new U.S. module factories in the past year.

@JesseJenkins I often say it’s a time of contradiction. On one hand the IRA has fueled more investment in two years than in the past two decades, on the other hand high interest rates and oversupply have caused problems. But investments like this give us a bedrock to grow from. I’m optimistic.

On the other hand... x.com/scottamoskowit…

@SolarInMASS A coalition of installers depending on China is not politically strong enough to solve the climate crisis. We need a diversified supply chain. Call me names all you want, but I assure you we want the same thing. Try to not be such an asshole.✌🏼

@SolarInMASS You must be fun at parties. It sure didn’t help SunPower, the rest of the resi market that’s down almost 50% y-o-y, or the C&I market that’s totally flat. I get you don’t care where the panels come from, but you’re putting near-term interest ahead of long-term health.

@kyleichan My friend, I could show you photos of warehouses stacked with solar panels as far as the eye can see. There is a mountain or reporting on this not limited to Wood Mackenzie. Chinese capacity investments are not tied to demand, and that’s the problem.

So the claim about China's solar overproduction is misleading in several ways: 1) Solar demand has been growing exponentially 2) You want to build out production capacity ahead of demand 3) New solar additions are affected by production and price. Lower prices -> more solar 4/4

I need to debunk a point about Chinese solar "overproduction" that keeps getting repeated: "China's solar panel production is more than double global demand." Solar capacity additions have been growing exponentially for years, overshooting IEA projections repeatedly. THREAD 1/4

Thanks @JigarShahDC and team, and congrats to @CartersvilleGA energy.gov/lpo/articles/l… @Qcells_NA

At any rate, we’re making huge progress with new U.S. manufacturing investments, but we can’t be complacent. We need more and it’s chaos out there. (end)

Imagine if Saudi Arabia started pumping so much oil they not only crashed pricing, but filled tanks the world over. Would we delight in low gas prices? Or would the response be overwhelming to ensure energy security. I think we all know, and we need that thinking for solar. (6/x)

This is an important article from @KeithBradsher highlighting the extraordinary oversupply in China’s solar industry and the havoc it’s causing. nytimes.com/2024/07/25/bus… (1/x)