Investing in Renewables - Escaping Commoditization

On August 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) hosted a webinar on the challenges and opportunities in equitable solar workforce development, efforts to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the solar industry, and potential ways for solar employers and labor unions to work together to ensure quality jobs and a stable workforce.

A roundtable discussion on the contributions solar energy is making to equitable energy access.

The installation of battery energy storage in behind-the-meter applications is poised for exponential growth over the next few years. Batteries can be combined with solar to form grid-connected microgrids meaning that these assets can be used for economic benefit when the grid is operating and then provide resiliency during grid outages. The key to making such hybrid systems economically viable is to stack revenue from multiple applications, such as peak demand charge reduction, energy arbitrage, providing ancillary services to the grid, and participating in demand response programs, among others.

The renewable energy market, primed with unique on- and off-grid solutions, is uniquely positioned for innovation in the form of FinTech digital finance, e-payments, and e-commerce. Africa’s enthusiastic embrace of transacting via mobile money, as witnessed with the advent of platforms such as e-wallet, is indicative of a continent ripe for electronic investment and funding solutions for infrastructure development.