Keep it Brief: 3 minutes, 703 words

Hi friends,

It’s Super Bowl Sunday. Even if football’s not your thing, enjoy the time with friends and family – after last week we all need it!

Before we dive in, the Intelis Capital team is headed to the Bay Area from February 18th-21st.

We’d love to connect with some of you during our trip! Please send me an email (kevin.stevens@inteliscapital.com) if you’re interested in meeting up next month.

Data-Driven

2 Million – A new analysis shows that each U.S. nuclear plant reduced carbon emissions by an average 2 million metric tons in its first year alone.

TCS: Nuclear energy is one of the more divisive topics in energy, but there’s little doubt it reduces carbon emissions. Natural gas has been the biggest benefactor of coal’s decline, but if we’re to hit emissions targets in the coming decades, nuclear must play a role.

40 – Electric vehicles are expected to carry 40 terawatt-hours of battery storage by 2050 according to the International Renewable Agency. (Forbes)

TCS: EV’s are batteries on wheels and why we haven’t seen more discussion around how they could solve eventual storage problems is beyond me. The biggest hurdle for V2G will be customer engagement. How do you incentivize drivers of EV’s to participate in demand response?

Our Latest Post

The Energy Transition in 3 Acts – We’re in the very early innings of what will be a multi-decade transformation of a multi-trillion dollar sector.  When we look back on how our infrastructure and consumption habits shifted in the first half of this century, I believe we’ll see 3-4 phases all marked by their own distinct characteristics.

Deep Dives

Duke Energy project delayed by company’s own red tape for solar connections – Call it schadenfreude for solar developers. Duke Energy Progress has delayed its proposed solar-storage microgrid because getting an interconnection agreement — from itself — is taking so long. (Charlotte Business Journal)

TCS: Energy is a small part of what is now called “climate tech” by some, and this story highlights why the rate of change will frustrate new entrepreneurs and investors to the space. Duke Energy’s renewables arm can’t bring a new microgrid online. Why? Duke Energy the utility has set rules that slow it down. Navigating regulation and bureaucracy is hard, even when it’s your own.

Dan Crenshaw (R) is right to say Republicans can’t afford to ignore climate change – With polls showing voters in both parties increasingly concerned about global warming, the move by Crenshaw and other young Republicans to acknowledge the threat and put forth a plan is shrewd politics, if nothing else. (Houston Chronicle)

TCS: The conversation around climate is changing, but both parties still have vary different proposals for attacking the issue. Crenshaw’s plan includes $50M for carbon capture which barely scratches the surface of what’s needed. It’s a start, but I’m still waiting on a candidate to land somewhere between “doing this for political expediency” and “if we don’t solve this in 10 years we’re doomed.” Real support for innovation without the alarmist language would be welcomed.

Larry Fink Isn’t Going to Read Your Sustainability Report – For most companies, sustainability has been an afterthought. They have instead relegated social issues to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) department or charitable foundation and published the results of their efforts in a glossy annual sustainability report. The problem is, investors don’t read sustainability reports. (Harvard Business Review)

TCS: Carbon and sustainability accounting is going to evolve rapidly in the coming years. Rather it be the financial markets or policy, I expect the space to become standardized soon. Companies are all defining impact and sustainability differently, if we are to tax or invest based footprint – we need to speak the same language.

Switched Off

This week’s non-energy related read. 

Meet the Dallas billionaire responsible for the Kansas City Chiefs’ resurgence – Clark Hunt is a low-key, erudite and collaborative guy. He was just 4 in January 1970, when his parents took him to his first Super Bowl. Now, his Chiefs are playing in their first Super Bowl since that day. (Dallas Morning News)

This newsletter is our side-hustle. We hope it equips you with data and insights on the energy sector to inform your decision-making process in the best way possible. If you have feedback, let us know!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Charging Station

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