We've asked the NextEnergy team to share the industry-related news, stories and information that have grabbed their attention this month. We hope you find it useful!
Jim Saber, President and CEO
What he’s reading: Scale-up of Solar and Wind Puts Existing Coal, Gas at Risk
Source: BloombergNEF
Latonya Binford, Accountant
What she’s reading: Is a Pandemic the Right Time to Start a Business? It Just Might Be
Source: New York Times
What makes it interesting: It may seem like bad timing to start a new business during a downturn, but there are several reasons that indicate the opposite: hire than normal available work force, less competition for resources, uncharted customer needs, and lower interest rates on loans for start-up capital–just to name a few. While some industries fare better than others due to not needing to “gather” to generate and conduct business, as mentioned by Techstars co-founder, there is still hope for the restaurant industry, for example, that depends on customer gatherings. It boils down to some very basic questions that the business must be able to answer revolving around identifying new customer needs, funding, experience and qualifications. Most of these questions are found in most business models of past, but identifying new customer needs in the “new normal” is probably the most challenging of them all.
Angella Durkin, COO
What she’s reading: Ten cities that have redefined public transportation during COVID-19
Source: Mass Transit
What makes it interesting: Article provides a global look at how different cities adapted their mass transit system to meet community needs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Wayne Snyder, Director, Technology Development
What he’s reading: New CHAdeMO 3.0 aims to harmonize global EV quick-charging standards
Media: SAE International
What makes it interesting: EV charging has a new standard and it proposes to push the envelope even further. But I think the existing issue with today’s emerging standards remains; how will the smart grid be able to support extreme fast charging scenarios?
Eric McDonald, Director, Facilities & Infrastructure Development
What he’s reading: Amazon Deforestation Soars as Pandemic Hobbles Enforcement
Media: New York Times
What makes it interesting: Illegal clear cutting of the Amazon rainforest has increased since the onset of the coronavirus in Brazil. President Bolisonaro favors expanding commercial development into the Amazon and the Environment Minister in April remarked that he saw the pandemic as an opportunity to reduce enforcement on illegal logging.
What he’s reading: COVID-19 Crisis Reveals Turbulent Future for US Electricity Markets
Media: T&D World
What makes it interesting: Decreased daytime demand for electricity resulted in more stored renewable electricity to be used during peaks hours and less need to generate carbon based electricity.
Tim Slusser, Director, Smart Mobility Initiatives
What he’s reading: German government agrees on national hydrogen strategy
Media: ABC News
What makes it interesting: Germany’s announcement is reinforcing the fact that hydrogen is here to stay and will play a pivotal role in energy independence for many nations going forward.
