The chart below illustrates real-time grid pricing last Friday, August 15, at 12:45 PM ET. Note that pricing in the majority of the Central and Eastern US is above $125/mwh and above $225/mwh in many States. On hot days this Summer, this is not an unusual occurence. On the other hand in ERCOT and CAISO throughout the day, we're generrally seeing pricing in the $10-50/mwh range. So what lessons can be learned from this data and what are the near-term solutions for lower grid prices: 1) CAISO (California) and ERCOT (Texas) have substantial solar and storage penetration creating ample capacity during mid-day peak power needs. 2) The ample generation leads to lower prices in CAISO and ERCOT. In ERCOT at this time, Nat Gas was clearing at $18.85/mwh. 3) In MISO (Central US) and PJM (Eastern US), generation is not sufficient to supply peak demand and existing generators are able to generate windfall profits. MISO Gas was clearing at $301 and PJM gas was clearing at $120. So what are the solutions: 1) Eliminating the barriers to the rapid buildout of new generation for all types of generation. Barriers include permitting, interconnection, and tariffs to name three of the largest. Note: in Europe, solar module market prices are <$0.12/watt, while in the U.S. solar modules cost $0.30-$0.40/watt due to tariffs and a range of trade restrictions. 2) Pre-2030, the only generation types that can come online quickly are solar and storage, but the same logic should apply for eliminating barriers for gas, nuclear etc. understanding that gas and nuclear will take longer to come online. #RenewableEnergy #SolarEnergy @TomSteyer @JessePeltan @JigarShahDC @douglewinenergy @chamath @jasoncalcanis @elonmusk @tylernorris