Two new studies together imply that the golden eagle wind-kill taking is at the limit or beyond.
via CFACT
April 15, 2025 at 03:59AM
By Paul Homewood
h/t Hugh Sharman
Power Engineering International report:
Low levels of renewable generation and high demand drove gas-fired power generation to its highest level since 2021 for the first quarter of the year.
That was the standout highlight in a new report on the British power generation market by Montel Analytics.
Montel’s study showed that electricity generated by combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) increased to 26.8TWh over the first three months of 2025 – a rise of 13% from Q4 2024 and the highest Q1 level of CCGT generation for four years.
This surge was driven by a fall in renewable generation owing to intervals of high winter demand and periods of ‘dunkelflaute’, in which demand is high while there is little to no wind or solar generation.
Domestic demand for the quarter was 66.3TWh, a 6% increase from Q4 2024 and the highest Q1 demand since 2022. Meanwhile, renewable output fell from 35.8TWh in Q1 2024 to 34.1TWh in the first quarter of this year, mainly due to a decline in wind and biomass output. Wind generation during the quarter totalled only 22.3TWh – the lowest first quarter output since 2020.
Read the full story here.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
April 15, 2025 at 03:14AM
“This is where the next frontier of solar energy lies—not in installing the next 100GW—it’s rescuing the first 100GW.” – Cesar Barbosa (below)
And you thought that owning a Tesla was ecological …. Imagine that solar roof that now needs attention with the installer AWOL. The solar industry is about to become the least popular in the U.S. with hundreds of thousands of disappointed customers.
———————–
Cesar Barbosa is busy in a hot new field–solar decommissioning. And repowering too if the tax credit is still there. [1]
“As the founder of NuLife Power Services,” he states, “I’m proud to lead a nationally recognized company specializing in Repowering, Removal & Reinstallation, and Decommissioning for aging solar assets across North America.”
For me, it’s not just about revitalizing solar systems—it’s about building a strong workforce through solid leadership and investing in people who are driven to make a lasting impact in renewable energy.
The name NuLife reflects our mission: giving aging solar systems—and the teams behind them—a chance to shine.
He adds:
My solar company helps clients manage complex end-of-life challenges, specializing in residential portfolio repairs and commercial repowering. My consulting business empowers business owners and managers to unlock their inner champion through a Christian lens.
Busted Sunnova has thousands of customers under 25-year contracts in California, where Barbosa works. What happens to them? And as other solar companies bite the dust … Removing solar panels is and will be a big business indeed.
Warning! Solar Waste Ahead!
In a recent social media post, Barbosa warned:
A bold prediction no one wants to hear: Half of all commercial solar systems installed before 2016 will be underperforming or non-operational by 2030.
The solar industry is obsessed with the future.
Cutting-edge panels (bigger is better). Sleek batteries. Dazzling projections for new installs.But here’s the reality we can’t afford to ignore: a silent crisis unfolding on rooftops across America—a crisis I’ve been tackling firsthand since 2012, traveling the country with SunPower to address some of the industry’s most pressing system failures.
Across the country, tens of thousands of rooftop solar systems—once hailed as the clean energy revolution—are quietly decaying. Not because the technology failed, but because the industry did. We rushed to install. We cut corners. We promised 25 years of performance… and delivered systems that can’t make it past 10.
He continues:
Here’s what’s killing them:
Inverters are dying—many are already out of warranty, with no replacements available.Wiring and electrical infrastructure that was never designed for 25+ years of exposure.
Install quality? Forget it—an army of barely trained crews built the boom, and now we’re paying the price.
Maintenance? There was no plan. Just a contract, a handshake, and a hope it would all work out.
This is not just an engineering issue—it’s a financial one. Underperforming assets are generating less revenue than forecasted, while increasing the risk of electrical faults, fire hazards, and insurance claims.
And here’s the kicker: almost no one is ready to deal with this wave of system failures. Asset managers, facility owners, and even EPCs are discovering that repowering, remediation, or decommissioning is far more complex and expensive than expected.
This is where the next frontier of solar energy lies—not in installing the next 100GW—it’s rescuing the first 100GW.
Revitalization. Repowering. Responsible end-of-life planning. The question isn’t whether it’s coming. It’s whether we have the guts to face it. Are we going to keep pitching the dream—or finally clean up the mess we left behind?
——————–
[1]
The post Rooftop Solar Decay, Facility Decommissioning: Rescue Alert! appeared first on Master Resource.
via Master Resource
April 15, 2025 at 01:07AM
Upon returning to the White House, President Trump immediately outlined a vision for a new “Golden Age of America,” unabashedly powered by American innovation and American energy dominance. If we hope to restore manufacturing, win the global AI race, jump-start the auto industry, and increase our housing supply, we need to increase our energy supply – and fast.
Today, many communities are quite literally paying the price for poor policy choices. For example, New Jerseyans are bracing for an upcoming 20% hike in electricity rates this summer, while residents of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah consistently pay a fraction of the price for power.
But what led to this stark dichotomy in energy affordability in the first place? There are some clear trends in the data that help explain why Americans in New England are often charged nearly twice as much as Mountain West states for their electricity.
To help make sense of America’s energy landscape, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) just published its annual energy affordability rankings across the states, studying the practical effects of state legislation on electricity prices.
Setting aside the geographic outliers of Alaska and Hawaii, the 10 states with the most expensive average electricity prices—California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, and Maryland—have all enacted impractical clean energy mandates, all subscribe to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or a comparable cap-and-trade regime, and all have state-mandated policies subsidizing renewables.
Meanwhile, the best 10 states for energy affordability—Wyoming, North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, North Carolina, and West Virginia—chose a different path. These states have largely implemented more market-driven policies, resulting in a diverse and competitive mix of generation sources that boosts reliability and consistency in rates.
Of the more affordable states, only Oregon partakes in a cap-and-trade program, five states declined to impose renewable portfolio standards on their electricity production, and three states have friendlier policies on net metering that avoid burdening ratepayers.
In Idaho, just over half of the state’s electricity is derived from conventional hydroelectric energy, a quarter comes from natural gas, and the final quarter results from a combination of wind, solar, and wood. The Gem State plays to its regional strengths and avoids the strict government policies that artificially increase the cost of generation or subject residents to burdensome carbon taxes.
The new ALEC research confirms what many policymakers and industry leaders have warned for years: Too much government meddling in the energy market leads to higher energy costs for all. State legislators should implement policies that avoid preferencing one favored energy source, such as offshore wind, and instead pursue the energy mix demanded by residents and ratepayers in a competitive marketplace.
A bipartisan group of governors from states such as West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania is also exploring how laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) might be reformed to accelerate the permitting process, streamline infrastructure development, and increase resiliency and consistency across the grid. This will help speed the development of new and much-needed projects using a range of generation sources, from solar and wind to natural gas, and even nuclear.
And finally, legislators in states like New Jersey should reconsider whether participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, renewable portfolio standards, and net metering are still in the best interest of their constituents.
States need to act now with new production and expanded grid capacity to support the coming electricity demand. Unfortunately, many states have pursued misguided progressive policies that have directly contributed to higher energy prices for years. These policies have left those states with a fragile energy infrastructure that fails to meet the everyday needs of ratepayers.
By incorporating proven policy solutions in a competitive energy marketplace, state leaders can unlock America’s latent energy and natural resource potential, deliver abundant power to families cooling their homes or commuting to work, and equip our businesses to succeed in our evolving economy. This approach will foster energy affordability and reliability for all Americans.
The erosion of our energy infrastructure by progressive activism was completely avoidable. It must be corrected quickly for America to live up to the promise of a Golden Age and maintain its position as the world’s most prosperous and productive economy.
Jake Morabito is senior director of the Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
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April 15, 2025 at 12:05AM
