Felix Kramer

With regard to this emerging solar energy glut in California, a couple of factors at play. First, the utilities move to net metering frankly smacks of monopolistic practices. It’s simply an abuse of their control position when the market determined solar was worth investing in at all levels. Consumers and businesses shouldn’t be punished for adopting effective clean energy that reduces their energy costs while mitigating climate change. Next, having to ‘throw away’ generated clean energy is in large part a storage and optimization failure. Li-Ion batteries, the only widely available storage solution, are currently too expensive and unscalable, and consumers and businesses alike have balked at widespread adoption. Even if batteries are installed to store co-located solar, optimization solutions like Span and other smart panels are not only also expensive, they are clunky and inflexible. Put simply, battery storage TCO to support installed solar is poor. Our transition to renewable energy will continue to be gated until a portfolio of affordable, scalable storage solutions are available. California’s wasted solar energy surplus is a prime example of this urgent need. #renewables #renewableenergy #energystorage #cleanenergy #energytransition #deeptech

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Did you know our precipitation forecast benefits California utility companies? Here's how... The CAP forecast helps California utilities comply with the state’s renewable energy targets and manage their portfolio of renewables more effectively. Clean energy sources, including wind, solar, and hydropower, are inherently weather-dependent. An accurate seasonal prediction can be a critical input into: -Strategic planning -Investment and financial decisions -Operations and maintenance activities Hydropower reservoir management, specifically water storage release, can be improved with accurate forecasts of seasonal water demand downstream. Production and curtailment schedules can be planned with greater accuracy and over longer timeframes. Renewable energy business and finance decisions can be improved when utilities can calculate power production potential, risk of disruption and damage from storms, and anticipate rainfall runoff and seasonal water flows, all of which are precipitation-dependent. If a utility is expecting above-normal precipitation in the wet season, they can anticipate the associated increase in energy demands and position themselves to utilize more hydropower and less solar generation capacity. It's just one of the many ways the CAP report seeks to improve the operations of many California industries.

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Did you know our precipitation forecast benefits California utility companies? Here's how... The CAP forecast helps California utilities comply with the state’s renewable energy targets and manage their portfolio of renewables more effectively. Clean energy sources, including wind, solar, and hydropower, are inherently weather-dependent. An accurate seasonal prediction can be a critical input into: -Strategic planning -Investment and financial decisions -Operations and maintenance activities Hydropower reservoir management, specifically water storage release, can be improved with accurate forecasts of seasonal water demand downstream. Production and curtailment schedules can be planned with greater accuracy and over longer timeframes. Renewable energy business and finance decisions can be improved when utilities can calculate power production potential, risk of disruption and damage from storms, and anticipate rainfall runoff and seasonal water flows, all of which are precipitation-dependent. If a utility is expecting above-normal precipitation in the wet season, they can anticipate the associated increase in energy demands and position themselves to utilize more hydropower and less solar generation capacity. It's just one of the many ways the CAP report seeks to improve the operations of many California industries.

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Ideas for California Cap-and-Trade -- ClimateBrief: As CARB Readies New Cap-and-Trade Rule, Climate Experts Weigh in on Optimal Changes for California's Emissions Reduction Goals (CEB DailyNews piece - with free sign-up) https://lnkd.in/e9-wf55E

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NRCS has just recently published conservation guidance for utility scale solar arrays... This guide can help raise the baseline impact of solar arrays. Meeting clean energy and land management goals is not either or. It is yes and yes. https://lnkd.in/eq4Nvj-Q

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Now that we have a president elect, I am being asked what I think a new administration will mean for the sustainability movement. This is my opinion: we should watch what is happening in California. If the challenges there are approved by the court, https://lnkd.in/ey3MbBiC then demand for sustainability slows, not because it's not the right thing to do, but due to companies not pushing down through their supply chains for disclosures on where their providers are on sustainability. If the challenges in California are not approved, then it is full steam ahead. And other States will follow (see below). Nothing the new administration does will impact reporting disclosure requirements. Yes, there may be a roll back of Biden policies and yes, we may continue to burn fossil fuels, but all that will need to be included in disclosure requirements. We are a country of 50 States and the States will prevail. Per AI: Several U.S. states are considering or have implemented greenhouse gas (GHG) disclosure requirements similar to California's. Notably: New York: Legislators are deliberating bills that would mandate companies to report their GHG emissions and climate-related financial risks. These proposals aim to enhance transparency and align with broader climate objectives. source: Bloomberg Law Minnesota: In 2023, Minnesota enacted the Commerce Omnibus Finance Bill (SF 2744), which requires banks and credit unions with assets exceeding $1 billion to submit annual climate risk surveys to the Commissioner of Revenue, starting July 30. source: Bloomberg Law Washington: The state is advancing legislation mirroring California's SB 253, necessitating companies with over $1 billion in annual revenue to report Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2026 and Scope 3 emissions in 2027. Source: ESG and Climate News Illinois: Proposed legislation would require companies with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion to disclose all three scopes of GHG emissions, with reporting potentially starting as early as January 2025. Source: ESG and Climate News These developments indicate a growing trend among states to implement climate-related disclosure laws, especially as federal regulations, such as those proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), face delays and legal challenges. Source: Bloomberg Law Businesses operating in multiple states should monitor these evolving regulations to ensure compliance with varying state requirements.

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You've likely seen a lot of posts in your feed about SBTi, the UN, and other voices "casting doubt" on the future of the carbon market. I took some time to read these and talk through them with the Therm Solutions team. ❔The primary question at hand: what is the future of the carbon market? We envision a future where carbon credits are more than just a market mechanism—they become the primary catalyst of a decarbonized food supply chain. We’re moving towards solutions that are not only immediate and measurable but also deeply impactful. The focus will shift to projects that deliver tangible co-benefits, such as improving food security, enhancing community well-being, and advancing environmental equity. The days of low-quality projects are behind us as we embrace rigorous standards and transparency. The future is about integrating carbon credits with broader sustainability goals, ensuring that every credit purchased contributes to a more resilient and responsible global food system.

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WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for 9/8-9/13: Water stakeholders discuss regulatory woes at hearing; Making groundwater sustainability a reality; The CA towns where clean drinking water is out of reach; and more ... A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week … In California water news this week … Water stakeholders discuss regulatory woes at hearing “California’s role in U.S. #Californiawaternews

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On panels and pollinators Just read this thought-provoking piece in The New Yorker on how solar PV installations can also be used to address biodiversity collapse by providing an environment that's friendly to pollinators. This might be especially interesting to large scale infrastructure investors looking for additional impact - and indeed prospectively additional revenues (or lower costs). As always, the Pottinger team is here to help! How to Address Two Environmental Crises at Once https://lnkd.in/emypP5F4

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This is an odd move. Many of the companies in Edison Electric Institute have already made progress on cutting climate pollution. It doesn’t make sense to backtrack now. EPA’s new standards to reduce pollution from power plants are aligned with many of these companies’ own public commitments to do the same. And they’re necessary. Fossil fuel power plants are responsible for about one-quarter of U.S. carbon emissions. Pollution from their smokestacks can cause premature death and heart attacks. Americans deserve to be protected from these climate and health effects. We have a chance to make major strides toward reaching our climate goals and ensuring our kids grow up healthier. It’s irresponsible for these companies to jeopardize that. https://lnkd.in/emfjFWyH

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🌎 California's second carbon market auction of the year has raised significant revenue at a critical time for climate funds! 💰🌿 The latest Western Climate Initiative auction results show continued demand for allowances and confidence in the program's stability. This auction is expected to generate approximately $1.1 Billion for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), which funds initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience. 🌱🚉 📈 Key Highlights: - All 51,589,488 current vintage allowances were purchased, marking the 15th consecutive sold-out auction. - The current auction settled at $37.02, significantly above the $24.04 price floor. - All 7,211,000 future vintage allowances offered were sold, settling at $38.35. 💼🌟 Over the past decade, investments from the GGRF have reduced California's emissions by 109.2 million metric tons—equivalent to removing 80% of the state's gas cars from the road! These funds have supported zero-emissions transport, affordable housing, and other critical projects. 🔥 As California faces another summer with heightened wildfire risks and evident climate change impacts, the importance of the GGRF is clearer than ever. Despite the slight dip in settlement prices, strong demand continues, reflecting the market's stability. 🌿🌍 Let's continue to invest in a sustainable future and support initiatives that make a real difference! https://lnkd.in/grvTCJ-y #ClimateAction #Sustainability #GreenFuture #CaliforniaClimate #CarbonMarket

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📣 Frontier is opening applications for its 2024 purchase cycle 📣 🚀 Frontier - a $1b advanced market commitment to scale carbon dioxide removal (#CDR) - just announced that they are accepting applications for their fourth prepurchase programme to receive $500k each. 💸 Frontier now has a total of 24 carbon removal projects in its portfolio deploying across 14 countries and 17 different approaches to carbon removal, from enhanced weathering to direct air capture, biomass burial and synthetic biology. The team is looking for permanent carbon removal solutions that have the potential to be low-cost and high-volume in the future, even if they’re not today. More specifically, they are looking for four key criteria: 🌳 Deliver real economic and ecosystem benefits across communities, alongside removal. 🏭 Leverage existing industrial assets or processes to scale carbon removal quickly and at lower costs. 🌏 Are located in APAC, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, given the huge untapped potential for CDR in these regions. 💰 Projects that can offer lower prices through additional revenue sources 🚨 Deadline to apply is May 28th - don’t miss out: this opportunity comes round only once a year. See here to explore this further and submit your application: https://lnkd.in/dWD_drKh   📅 They are also hosting two office hours if you want to find out at 12 pm EDT on May 16 or May 24. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e9DGr6PQ 🙌 Big shout out to the wonderful team driving this Nan Ransohoff, Frauke Kracke, Florian Maganza, Jane Flegal, Joanna Klitzke, Zeke Hausfather, Stacy Kauk, P.Eng. #carbonremoval #carbonmarkets

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Big news for methane super emitter events! Any super emitting events must be reported in OOOOb and included in the Subpart W GHGRP as large release events. This could then impact how much companies must pay for the Waste Emission Charge. Join our webinar this Wednesday to learn more about the new changes for Subpart W.

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This article touches on 3 important points that, combined, represent a view that is extremely important but often missing:“Replacing” dirty fossil energy with clean, sustainable sources is not the future. The future is a new paradigm that can be imagined and developed only once clean energy and renewable solutions begin to take over en masse. Here are the three points. 1. If homes (and buildings) are designed with enough energy efficiency, and solar production and storage are added, surplus energy will be available and can be monetized, even in our current, imperfect regulatory environment. “In part, that’s because the house is an energy-efficient showpiece; its solar panels produce more than enough energy to cover what he uses, though it is still tied to the grid. In the garage, there are two Teslas and a pair of the company’s Powerwall batteries. He also showed me an app on his phone that monitors his usage of the power generated by solar panels on his roof every few seconds. “Yesterday, seventeen per cent of the generation from my rooftop went into the batteries in the garage,” he said. “I used eight per cent of it at home, and I sold seventy-nine per cent to the grid.” 2. Uses for “surplus” or simply abundant energy go far beyond current ideas for monetization and trading. Selling into the grid is important today, but in an abundant energy environment, many more lucrative and creative ways to use and benefit from that energy will be developed. Home based magnesium production is just one example: “But, instead of producing apps, they produce magnesium, which is the world’s third most common structural metal, though it trails steel and aluminum by large measures, mostly because it’s traditionally more expensive to make. But that’s potentially no longer the case, for reasons that show how renewable power can help transform industry itself—making it both cheaper and less material-intensive. To meet peak demand in places like California, you need to build a lot of solar panels, which means that when demand is lower you are producing more power than you can use, which, in turn, means that during those hours the power is very cheap. “ 3. Uses and benefits of abundant energy are beyond comprehension and will often be unrelated to any currently comparable infrastructure or system: “the most impressive of Jacobson’s statistics from this spring in California is that the amount of natural gas used for electricity generation has dropped more than forty per cent from last year, which is the kind of number that the climate crisis requires.“But remember when Wi-Fi replaced modems?” Kennedy asked. “It wasn’t just a better signal—people started thinking up a thousand new things to do with all that connection. That’s what abundant electricity means: we’ll be able to think differently.” Energy Positive Living Consortium #energy https://lnkd.in/gGHVDnHP

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Interesting (and depressing) summary of what is happening with the California Air Resources Board Low Carbon Fuel Standard #LCFS program. #manurelagoon #deforestation #biofuels https://lnkd.in/gmQTGmXJ

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♻️ The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in Oregon is the first Extender Producer Responsibility (EPR) law requiring packaging producers to contribute to the cost of recycling their materials. Similar laws in Colorado and Maine will go into effect in 2026, and California in 2027. The Circular Action Alliance (CAA), founded by The Coca-Cola Company, Amazon, Unilever, and other major brands, is the lone producer responsibility organization (PRO) guiding how businesses need to prepare their data for official reporting in 2025. In its first proposal to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) only 4 out of 14 sections were conditionally approved with a call for a more comprehensive, measurable plan that aligned more greatly with the principles of a circular economy. Now the CAA has to move fast and address the state’s call for: ♻️ PRO funding objectives to be time-bound, with clear deadlines and interim milestones to track progress. ♻️ Greater detail around the PRO Oregon Board and staff requirements so the program can hit the ground running. ♻️ Estimated market share for current members to assess the program’s reach and impact. ♻️ Local government and service provider feedback to increase the plan's collaborative approach to EPR adoption. ♻️ Clarity on compaction options to help standardize practices and ensure consistency across the program. ♻️ Clearer methodology for calculating transportation costs and explanation of how facility capacity will be assessed.  ♻️ Reformulation on equity outcomes in attainable metrics, such as the percentage of services to COBID-certified businesses Ultimately, the transparent methodologies of the PRO plan will be what the program lives and dies by. The CAA has to be transparent across every section to build trust across its operations, and in how it addresses the needs of producers and the broader community with a keen eye for equity and inclusivity. It can help reinforce its position and accountability with independent oversight, and in time (fingers crossed) improve infrastructure so that there’s a pathway to expand the types of materials accepted in the program. Below is a screenshot from the DEQ’s videos on recycling with their blue bin mascot whose name I don't know. Reminds me of Dunk though! -- P.S. I'm Maura, 👋 your marketing and comms BFF with 15 years of opinions about technology, health care, media, and consumer goods.📚 Now, I'm focused on helping people and businesses share their social and environmental impact stories with the right audiences at the right elevation. 🫶 Follow or connect with me as I explore efforts to reach net zero, adopt a circular economy, and improve how we treat the planet.

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