The State of Solar: Record Installations, California Grid Breakthroughs, and IRA Uncertainty

In this engaging bi-weekly news roundup, host Tim Montague welcomes back John Weaver, "the commercial solar guy," to discuss major developments in the renewable energy sector. The episode highlights Bloomberg NEF's report of nearly 50 gigawatts of solar deployed in the US in 2024, a significant increase from the previous year that demonstrates solar's growing dominance over wind in capacity additions.John shares his analysis of California's impressive clean energy progress, where solar generation is up 34% year-over-year and recently achieved the milestone of meeting 100% of the state's electricity demand - remarkably in February. They discuss how battery storage deployment is revolutionizing California's grid stability and enabling more solar integration.The conversation takes a serious turn examining the Trump administration's executive order pausing IRA funding and its implications for domestic manufacturing, including the news that Freyr Battery (now T1 Energy) has canceled its planned US battery factory. Join Tim and John for this informative discussion on the triumphs and challenges facing the clean energy transition.Story LinksAlmost 50 GW of solar deployed in the USA in 2024 - go to Page 22https://bcse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-Sustainable-Energy-in-America-Factbook.pdfAssociated - California clean energy growth booming, solar way up:https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/02/21/california-off-to-a-strong-clean-electricity-start-with-solar-up-33-8/Project of the Week - 270 kWdc rooftop in downtown New Bedford - installed while wind chill near zerohttps://bsky.app/profile/commercialsolarguy.com/post/3lik32v2zfc2lTrump challenges to the IRA, including multiple pauseshttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/01/21/trump-orders-pause-to-ira-funding/Freyr Battery rebrands as T1 Energy and really doubles down on the US Solar and Storage Markethttps://t1energy.com/#t1-overview Support the showConnect with Tim  Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email [email protected] Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  [email protected] sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com