Viewing the Inflation Reduction Act Through the Lens of Energy Infrastructure
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden on August 16, includes provisions for $370 billion in energy-and climate-related initiatives, making it the most significant environmental-focused bill Congress has ever passed. The bill has the potential to impact a wide range of industries. The stimulus is meaningful;
Renewable Cost Inflation
56% (50 GW) of global solar PV developments planned for 2022 are at risk of delay or cancellation due to rising material and shipping costs according to a recent analysis by Rystad Energy. PV module costs have increased by roughly 50% in the last year, largely driven by a 300%
Voluntary Carbon Credits - A Market Born Out of Necessity
The voluntary carbon credit market is coming of age. Next week, deliberation on Article 6 at the COP26 will be closely watched as the international community attempts to establish a framework for companies and countries to trade voluntary carbon credits. Article 6 was drafted with the Paris Agreement and allows
Gas on High
"Gas markets are on red alert…prices are up 250% since January. On an energy equivalent basis, gas prices are now the most expensive fossil fuel, on par with gasoline prices when oil was over $100 a barrel…we have to ensure that the climate crisis does not turn
Patents: Peering Into the Future of EV Charging Businesses
ChargePoint (CHPT) went public in March, becoming the second listed electric vehicle (EV) charging company in the US. Before ChargePoint's listing, the firm spent a decade building its charging platform, which now hosts 100 million chargers in the field, a cloud-based subscription platform, and partnerships with major retailers.
Turning Up or Down?
The materials sector is rife with confusion today. Commodity prices have done exceptionally well over the past 18 months, but the drivers of that performance are disparate and impossible to aggregate coherently. Some supply constraints are a function of forced shutdowns; some are a function of a decade of underinvestment.
The EU's Proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Tax
Cost Challenges Ahead Signal Inflationary Pressures The European Union (EU) may soon push forward with a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) if it can ensure compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO). The EU parliament backed the CBAM proposal in March, and the European Commission is set to make a
Axa Insurance Cuts German Utility RWE
France’s largest insurance company, Axa SA, severed ties with the German energy utility RWE in the middle of March. Headline reports note the “precedent-setting” [1] decision and the “necessary consequences” of Axa policy on coal and climate. [2] Axa’s decision may seem prudent at face value. After all,
Chesterton’s Fence : Industrial Decarbonization
The industrial sector is made up of a staggering number of unique processes. From manufacturing to chemical to metallurgical, the sector is considered extremely challenging to decarbonize. While any single decarbonization solution is unlikely to be portable across the entire sector, a cross cutting opportunity is the decarbonization of heat.
Explosion of SPACs
Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have exploded in 2020 and clean energy companies are not sitting on the sidelines. Electric vehicle OEM’s (Nikola, Canoo, Hyliion, Lordstown, Fisker, XL Fleet), battery technology supplies (Eos, Romeo, Quantumscape), an additive management company (Desktop Metal), rare earth material miner (MP Materials) and electric