Welcome back, climate leaders.

In today’s edition:

• 🔌 Unblocking clean energy’s connection to the grid

• 🇿🇦 South Africa sees a major surge in solar power

• ⛏ DOE invests big in rare earth materials production

Read time: 5 minutes

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Adding renewables to the power grid just got easier

Adding clean energy to the US power grid just got a major facelift.

Driving the news: Federal regulators have revamped the process for

to the grid, aiming to eliminate the backlog that was stifling clean energy growth.

Why it matters: Right now, it takes an average of five years for a new energy project to get connected to the grid, leading to a whopping backlog of over 2,000 gigawatts of clean energy generation and storage waiting for the green light.

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approach was antiquated and ill-suited for the expanding landscape of renewables, as developers increasingly focused on numerous smaller-scale solar, wind, and battery projects.

• Clean energy trade groups and environmental organizations have commended FERC's actions, recognizing them as a crucial step toward smoothly connecting new clean energy resources to the electric grid.

What’s happening: To address the backlog, the new federal rule requires grid managers to evaluate projects as clusters, rather than one by one.

• Grid managers will now face strict deadlines and penalties for delayed interconnection studies.

• Projects in advanced stages of development receive priority, and developers must provide financial deposits to discourage non-viable proposals.

What’s next: This revamp is a pivotal moment for the nation's transmission grid, signaling broader access to clean power.

• Renewables account for just over 20 percent of the US electricity mix. But the Biden administration wants to achieve a 100% clean grid by 2035.

• The additional capacity is also crucial in meeting electricity demand during scorching heat waves.

🔥 Hot take: Although this may not be the permitting reform we are anticipating, more streamlined grid connections make it easier and faster to build and deploy renewables and other energy sources.

HOT TOPICS

1. 🚗 Electric vehicles: GM changes course and decided to continue producing the Chevy Bolt EV, introducing a new version with undisclosed pricing and release date. Despite past recalls, the Bolt has experienced strong sales and popularity among early adopters.

2. 🚗 More EVs: Increasing EV production has led to a surplus in some models, eliminating waiting lists and driving down prices. EV sales in the US have risen by 47% in the first half of 2023, reaching a market share of 7.2%. 🔥 Hot take: Interest rates have doubled in the past year, so all car sales are slowing from their prior peaks.

3. 💨 Wind power: Financial troubles threaten Biden's offshore wind power plans, with companies seeking additional funding for projects in New York, New Jersey, and the Northeast.

4. ☀️ Solar power: First Solar plans to construct its fifth American factory with a $1.1 billion investment, benefiting from the Inflation Reduction Act.

5. 🇿🇦 South Africa is experiencing a surge in solar panel installations due to frequent blackouts. In the past two months alone, the country added over one gigawatt of solar, a 31% increase compared to the previous six months.

❤️ Enjoying today’s email? SHARE ACCLIMATE WITH A FRIEND 

TODAY’S DATA

$32m

The DOE is providing $32 million to develop domestic rare earth and critical mineral production from coal-based sources. In other words, using non-renewables to get essential materials to get renewables deployed.

ACCLIMATE RECS

• Listen: Taking a closer look at carbon capture

• The government is basically burning trash to pad its climate stats

• The tech tycoons sucking carbon out of the sea and air

• The rising role of battery storage for renewables

• There’s no way to slash airline emissions without greener fuel

POLL TIME

What nations do you care about when it comes to news and insights on the energy transition?

Want to reach readers like you? Sponsor Acclimate.

Send your feedback to [email protected], or reply to this email.