Solar Costs Jump, More Offshore (And Onshore) Wind Woes, SMR Update, More H2 Cancellations

Koshkonong project cost jumps 42% in 19 months, GE Vernova takes $700M charge on its offshore wind business and will remove blades at Vineyard Wind, plus SMRs and H2!

Hurricanes are hell on solar projects. Photo credit: Duke Energy

The frequent flier miles are piling up. Last week, I was in Santiago talking about mining and hydrogen. This week, I was in Idaho Falls, speaking to the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium about the energy transition, SMRs, and high-voltage transmission. Next week, I’ll be talking about electricity demand growth, inflation, and grid reliability in Huntsville with my friends at the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association.

Amid all the travel, I’m doing my best to keep up with the news. And there has been a metric ton of noteworthy energy news over the past few days. Among the most important items are the continuing increases in solar prices, particularly at the controversial Koshkonong solar project in Christiana, Wisconsin, and the storm waves lashing the offshore wind business. This week, GE Vernova (GEV) announced big losses in its wind business. It also admitted that more of the blades at the Vineyard Wind project are defective. GEV’s announcement led me to dig up the lawsuit American Electric Power filed against it in June. That lawsuit, which I’ve posted online, suggests that GEV’s manufacturing problems are widespread. I also have updates to the SMR list and new hydrogen project cancellations.

But enough with the teaser. It's Saturday, there are football games on TV, and I’m ready to see Freddie Freeman hit another walk-off grand slam in the World Series, so let’s cut to the chase.