US solar developers are building projects around batteries, not panels. Federal tax credits for energy storage are reshaping the economics of new solar projects, encouraging developers to install larger batteries and allocate more capex to the storage component. The batteries can then shift low-cost solar power into higher-value hours. As energy storage reduces curtailment and generates revenue from services provided to the grid, batteries are becoming a defining feature of the next generation of US solar projects. On today’s show, Dana Perkins is joined by Cosmo van Steenis, an analyst from BloombergNEF’s solar and storage team, to discuss his recent notes “Solar and Storage Couple Up After US Tax Credit Cuts” and “US Tax Credit Maxxing Via Solar-Plus-Storage Projects.”
Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com
Links to research notes from this episode:
Solar and Storage Couple Up After US Tax Credit Cuts - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39961
US Tax Credit Maxxing Via Solar-Plus-Storage Projects - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39943

China Builds Nuclear Power While the West Reinvents It
39:39

Gas Is Letting Data Centers Grow Beyond the Grid
28:48

AI’s Edge in Hurricane Forecasting: Analyst Reaction
15:02