Featured in Gas busters – 09-2020

Outcompeting fossil fuels in the energy transition

Energy markets are not exactly free markets, and the replacement of existing generation is not entirely tied to price. There are artificial regulatory constructs and financial structures built into energy markets which can favor certain parties (utilities) and fuels (legacy coal, gas, and nuclear).

By

Eric Wesoff, William Driscoll

08 Sep 2020

Moss Landing Power Plant, a gas-powered generation facility near San Jose, California. A disused segment of the plant is now set to host one of the world’s largest battery installations. | Image: David Monniaux/Wikimedia

So, victory in the economic realm (which is increasingly the case with solar and solar+storage) is no guarantee of market victory if the regulations are still stacked against renewables. In addition to regulatory bias against renewable energy, one of the massive challenges of the energy transition is the need to equitably retire thousands of existing …

This article is part of pv+

Subscribe digitally to unlock exclusive investigative reporting, expert insights, in-depth analysis, and premium background coverage. Your subscription also includes full access to the digital edition of our magazine.