From Renewable Energy World on December 30, 2016
Drones
Drones saw a lot of attention from the general public this year, and that attention will increase in the renewables space in 2017 as industry looks for ways to make this technology work in the field to improve project development and reduce costs of operations and maintenance. Here, expect to see the focus fall on improvements to the technologies housed on drones and the resulting modeling they can produce.
Storage in Energy Markets
Progress in the energy storage market took a major uptick in 2016, as storage technologies demonstrated their ability as multitaskers, supporting greater amounts of renewables on the grid and providing grid services. The conversation around energy storage, however, shifted this year to the idea that energy storage deserves equal policy treatment in energy markets. In 2017, expect advancements on this front from the U.S. and the U.K., as both countries look more closely at their energy market structures and begin to find ways to adjust policies to meet the needs of energy storage.
Corporate Renewables
Large corporations showed their power this year, building significantly on an already growing interest in obtaining their power from renewable resources. Not only did Google, Apple, Microsoft and other major companies like these big names make huge commitments to renewables in 2016, but the corporate community in May also came together formally under an alliance designed to find more ways for corporations to buy renewable energy. In 2017, expect to see large companies identify more creative strategies for sourcing renewable energy that go beyond power purchase agreements and direct builds.
Tesla
Tesla’s story this year was full of twists and turns, risk and excitement. Some believe Elon Musk goes too far in his dreams, and that the steps he is taking to build a new-age EV, solar and energy storage provider will bring down one of the most promising companies of the 21st century. That said, his supporters are not backing away. Musk’s work this year included securing home storage markets in the US and Europe; deepening ties with Panasonic; unveiling a grand plan to bring solar, storage, and charging together in an easy-to-buy package; buying SolarCity for a cool $2 billion; and unveiling a solar glass roof concept. What to expect in 2017 from this incredible company and its leader is anybody’s guess, but one thing is clear, Tesla will need to keep its stock on a growth track, ensuring that volatility it saw in 2016 stays in 2016.
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