I too am amazed at the foresight in this law
@Usain . This is exactly what was necessary to create a path forward towards a cleaner, distributed grid. And it includes incentives that will provide a path to help fund that transition to solar + storage at the residential level too. And there are incentives in place to grow US production of the pieces/parts necessary to make that transition. Sounds great, right? That is all aligned with the original Green New Deal, and that is how both sides of the aisle and the media can get away with trying to reframe this legislation as The Green New Deal. But in the details it certainly isn't aligned in my opinion.
This administration ran on solving Climate Change. And the Green New Deal was already a widely recognized path to achieve that goal. And nothing happened for the first two years. That is a lot of time to tweak the language and goals of the original Green New Deal. In my 50,000 foot interpretation of what is different, the outcome is MUCH less 'different' than the original Green New Deal goals. Meaning the last two years of sitting on their hands wasn't just about letting Mary Barra and Ford and others try to get some pieces of their broken shells back together prior to the passage of this legislation so they would benefit more (although I believe that to be true as well). That two years was also sufficient to create a path that made many of the renewable transitions possible while finding a way to keep as many of the benefits of that transition in the hands of those that are in control of the existing paradigm that we will soon exit as a result.
We have all been discussing the tax benefits for our residential solar + storage increasing 4%, and we appreciate the benefits of storage-only projects becoming eligible for tax benefits going forward. But let's not kid ourselves. Grid operators have been desperate for a way to implement such projects for at least a decade now. Their bottom lines were already going red with O&M, a lot of Deferred Maintenance, and ever-increasing legal costs for power lines/easements/etc which can be in the $Billions for the larger operators. A Distributed Grid that reduces the need to expand or improve the existing distribution system is tremendously beneficial to their current hot mess. But until now, they would have had to pay for all of that with Electrical Rates and Electrical Rate hikes. So most of them did nothing (kudos to Vermont Green Mountain Power and others who leaned in anyways because it was both profitable and the right thing to do). And now, even though they did little more than resist net-metering laws, those efforts are in perfect harmony with the new legislation which will reward them with the ability to soon have a tremendous amount of solar + storage at the residential level across their grids, all capable of creating and expanding Distributed Grids, and they will not have to be paying for any of it because it will be paid by the feds with tax dollars under this new legislation. All why they still retain ownership of their grids. Yes, I too am "amazed at the foresight of this law".
In my opinion the most important concepts of the original Green New Deal that have been successfully removed in the course of the two year sidelining of any Climate action are the following:
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Build enough renewable energy generation capacity for the nation’s growing needs. Currently, four federal Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) and the Tennessee Valley Authority generate and transmit power to distribution utilities in 33 states. We will create one more PMA to cover the remaining states and territories and expand the existing PMAs to build more than enough wind, solar, energy storage and geothermal power plants.
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The renewable energy generated by the Green New Deal will be publicly owned, managed by the Federal Power Marketing Administrations, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Tennessee Valley Authority and sold to distribution utilities with a preference for public power districts, municipally- and cooperatively-owned utilities with democratic, public ownership, and other existing utilities that demonstrate a commitment to the public interest.
So while we are still moving in the same direction as the original Green New Deal by growing residential solar + storage, the original concept plugged a huge hole in how this energy would be owned and distributed. And yes, I am implying that the Texas grid among others is 'a huge hole'. But so is every Grid operator all the way down to the local PUD level that is not in harmony with the concepts and values of net metering and of an integrated Distributed Grid that benefits all residents across the country by improving efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability IMO. But now we now have a path to spend our tax dollars to improve the existing fractured grid for all of the existing grid operators to continue to operate going forward, and in many cases without them having to provide net metering or other incentives as a result. Rewarded for fighting change.
"Meet the New Boss...................Same as the Old Boss"
Yesterday
@insaneoctane asked a great question regarding how TMC members are considering life expectancy and warranty of equipment when choosing their new renewable systems. I would offer that it is for all the reasons I mentioned above and Tesla's VPP as perhaps one of the only methods we have as consumers to help encourage grid operators to focus on grid and climate sustainability is why I have to give very strong consideration to Tesla Powerwalls over Enphase batteries for our project regardless of warranty or life expectancy. Even though the Enphase batteries likely allow more intelligent use of the generated solar, and the Enphase batteries allow the use of a generator or other power source on the system and Tesla's Powerwall does not, Enphase is not in pursuit of creating a VPP to the best of my knowledge. Which means if we chose wrong, we are simply making and storing power for our local grid for free with our tax dollars and with all our efforts and inconveniences to design and implement and operate the system.
(poetic license application pending)
