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In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • If Congress provides tax credits for the solar industry, it could grow rapidly by 2035.
  • First Solar breaks ground on a $680 million, 3.3 GW solar factory in Ohio.
  • UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

US solar’s future

The Biden administration and the US Department of Energy yesterday released an Issue Brief on “solar energy research, deployment, and workforce priorities.”

The brief states:

According to preliminary results of an upcoming analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to reach a largely decarbonized electricity sector by 2035, solar deployment would need to accelerate to three to four times faster than its current rate by 2030.

It also states that solar could supply more than 40% of US electricity by 2035 if Congress implements clean-energy-friendly policies, such as tax credits for solar farms and manufacturing facilities. Solar currently makes up 3% of US electricity.

Further, when it comes to job opportunities, it states:

A pathway to a largely decarbonized electricity sector by 2035 can add millions of new jobs across clean energy technologies, including potentially 500,000–1,500,000 people working in solar by 2035.

“Solar projects are currently eligible for a 26% tax credit that is in the process of being phased out. Biden has pushed for a 10-year extension, as well as new incentives for manufacturing solar components,” Reuters notes.

The Solar Energy Industries Association sent a statement to Electrek from its president and CEO, Abigail Ross Hopper:

The Biden administration’s report today on solar energy shows that with the right policies in place, solar will help tackle the climate crisis, build a strong US manufacturing sector and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. The Issue Brief clearly demonstrates the massive growth in solar over the last decade and charts a course for solar to grow market share and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

The report also makes it clear that meeting the Biden administration’s goal for a zero-emissions electricity grid will require billions of dollars of investment and market opportunities through 2050 across all clean energy generation, including energy storage, electricity delivery, operations and maintenance, as well as community solar and solar for low- and moderate-income communities.

President Biden also plans to extend the solar Investment Tax Credit, build US manufacturing, accelerate transmission and storage expansion and build diversity, equity, inclusion and justice goals into this transition to a clean energy economy. Good trade policy also will be critical to the president’s climate goals.

First Solar’s newest Ohio factory

US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh on a tour of a First Solar factory in Lake Township, Ohio, on August 17. Photo: First Solar

Tempe, Arizona-headquartered First Solar broke ground yesterday on its third factory in Ohio at a ceremony that was attended by US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh.

The new 3.3 gigawatt (GW), 1.8 million-square-foot, $680 million facility in Wood County, south of Toledo, is expected to open in the first half of 2023, near where First Solar’s two existing factories are already located. The company claims that the third factory will bump its total annual capacity up to 6 GW, thus making it the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing complex outside of China.

The new factory is expected to create more than 700 permanent jobs and 500 construction jobs for union tradespeople over the next 18 months. Walsh said:

Not only does this facility advance innovative manufacturing for a sustainable future, First Solar is also investing in its workers through skills training, competitive pay, and robust benefits. Empowering all of America’s workers is how we’ll build back a better economy and win the future.

First Solar is the only US-headquartered company among the world’s 10 largest solar manufacturers. It does not manufacture in China and uses a fully integrated, continuous process under one roof. The company says that its “eco-efficient module technology, which uses its proprietary Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor, has the lowest carbon and water footprints of any PV module available today.”

Read more: Toledo, Ohio, connects a solar farm with neighborhood reinvestment

Photo: Solar FlexRack in Utah


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Terror charge against Kneecap rapper cannot continue, court says

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Terror charge against Kneecap rapper cannot continue, court says

A terror charge against Kneecap rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh has been thrown out by a court.

The Irish rapper, who performs under the name Mo Chara, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on a single terror charge.

Giving his ruling, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said: “These proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null.”

The 27-year-old had been accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on 21 November last year.

He had been on unconditional bail since his first court appearance in June.

After delivering his ruling, the judge said: “Mr O hAnnaidh, you are free to go,” which was met by cheers in the public gallery and applause.

The levity was met with a stern reprimand, with the judge adding: “You can do your celebrating outside, but the court now has other business to attend to”.

Both of O hAnnaidh’s parents were in court to support him.

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‘We’re right and you’re wrong’

O hAnnaidh: ‘We’re right and you’re wrong’

Speaking outside court, O hAnnaidh thanked his legal team and interpreter, before addressing his large crowd of supporters.

He said: “This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public, never about terrorism. A word used by your government to discredit people you oppress. It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up.

“As people from Ireland, we know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide. We have suffered and still suffer under your empire.

“Your attempts to silence us have failed, because we’re right and you’re wrong… We will not be silent. We said we’d fight you in your court and we would win, and today we have.

If anyone on this planet is guilty of terrorism, it’s the British state. Free Palestine. Tiocfaidh ar la [Irish for our day will come].”

The audience responded with cheers and chants of “Free, free Palestine”.

O hAnnaidh speaks outside court following the ruling
Image:
O hAnnaidh speaks outside court following the ruling

Judge says prosecution’s earlier arguments ‘defy logic’

At the start of the hearing, O hAnnaidh stood to confirm his name, date of birth and current address, speaking in Irish with his words translated by an interpreter. The judge then summarised his judgement for the court.

He made clear the purpose of the hearing was not to determine O hAnnaidh’s innocence or guilt, but about whether the court had jurisdiction to hear the case.

He went on to say he agreed with O hAnnaidh’s lawyers, who argued that the Attorney General had not given permission for the case to be brought against the defendant when police informed him he was to face a terror charge on 21 May.

Criminal proceedings are instituted when a criminal charge is first issued, not when the defendant first appears in court.

Protestors outside court. Pic: PA
Image:
Protestors outside court. Pic: PA

Concluding the reasons for his decision, the chief magistrate said: “I find that these proceedings were not instituted in the correct form, lacking the necessary DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and AG (Attorney General) consent within the six-month statutory time limit.

“The time limit requires consent to have been granted at the time or before the issue of the requisition.

“Consequently, the charge is unlawful and null and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge.”

Sweeping aside the prosecution’s previous argument that permission from the DPP and AG was not required until the defendant’s first court appearance, and that permission did not need to be sought in order to bring a criminal charge, the chief magistrate said such arguments “defy logic”.

Read more: Why are Kneecap controversial?

Following the hearing, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to understand the potential implications of this ruling for us and how that might impact on the processing of such cases in the future.”

Kneecap‘s manager Daniel Lambert said the rap trio were on the “right side of history”, and said in a post on X: “We said we would fight them and win. We did (Twice). Kneecap has NO charges OR convictions in ANY country, EVER.”

Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was business secretary.

Irish First Minister: ‘Kneecap used their platform to expose genocide’

Swiftly responding to the court ruling, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill said on social media that she welcomed the decision, saying: “These charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine.”

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald wrote on X: “Mo Chara spoke out against Israel’s genocide, for the people of Gaza, for a free Palestine.

“The charges were an attempt to shut him up, to silence protest. It failed. He’s free. Kneecap are not the story. Genocide is the story.”

The venue of the hearing had been changed at short notice, following a burst mains pipe at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

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Bob Vylan: BBC partly upholds complaints over Glastonbury set

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Bob Vylan: BBC partly upholds complaints over Glastonbury set

Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury Festival set breached BBC editorial standards when it was livestreamed, its Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has found.

During their performance at Worthy Farm in June, the punk-rap duo led the crowd in chants of “death to the IDF”.

The ECU received four complaints about the performance relating to incitement to violence, terrorism or ethnic cleansing, hate speech and expressions of antisemitism.

Its ruling, which was published on Thursday, was largely made based on frontman Bobby Vylan’s chants, as well as reciting the slogans, “From the river to the sea” and “Free, free Palestine”.

The ruling also referenced when the same group member described the boss of a record company “in the most abusive terms” and referred to “f****** Zionists” – as it breached the guidelines of harm and offence that describe using “unduly intimidating, humiliating, intrusive, aggressive or derogatory remarks aimed at real people”.

But while the investigation found that harm and offence standards had been overstepped, the corporation was cleared of breaching its guidelines relating to material that is likely to encourage or incite crime.

The ECU said: “In the context of a performance at a music festival, the chanting of slogans can be regarded as primarily an invitation to endorse a particular attitude.

“References to ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘From the river to the sea’, while viewed by some as implying the disappearance of the state of Israel, can also be regarded as no more than expressions of support for aspirations to a Palestinian state and do not of themselves threaten violent action.

“‘Death, death to the IDF’ is clearly more problematic, but it is directed at an institution rather than individuals, and one which is not defined by ethnic or religious composition.”

It further characterised the comments made about the record boss as “antisemitic”.

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What’s the Glastonbury controversy?

Read more:
Who are Bob Vylan?- the duo who led anti-IDF chant at Glastonbury?

The ECU said: “Although Bob Vylan referred to ‘Zionists’ rather than ‘Jews’, that appeared to the ECU to be a distinction with very little difference in this instance.

“The ECU therefore shares the view that the content of this act, taken in the round, can fairly be characterised as antisemitic.”

The ruling cleared the BBC of breaching its standards of impartiality, stating that the coverage of the festival is not in line with coverage of news and current affairs.

The ECU said: “While there may be festivals the BBC would not cover on account of their polemical character, a wide tolerance for expressions of opinion by performers or audiences would be in keeping with audience expectations for events it does cover.

“While recognising there is widespread disagreement with the political views expressed by Bob Vylan on this occasion, the ECU did not consider they represented a breach of the BBC’s standards of impartiality in this context.”

Following the performance the corporation issued an apology to viewers, especially the Jewish community, and promised to take action to “ensure proper accountability”.

In July, the BBC said they would no longer live broadcast “high risk” performances.

The corporation also suggested disciplinary action could be taken against staff who failed to halt the livestream.

Avon and Somerset Police also launched an investigation into the band’s Glastonbury comments.

Earlier this month, the band had a Dutch gig cancelled after their frontman made controversial comments over the death of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

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Jessica Chastain criticises decision to delay release of The Savant after Charlie Kirk killing

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Jessica Chastain criticises decision to delay release of The Savant after Charlie Kirk killing

Jessica Chastain has criticised Apple’s decision to delay the release of political thriller series The Savant after the killing of Charlie Kirk.

The actress, who is also executive producer of the show for the tech giant’s TV+ streaming service, said she was “not aligned on the decision to pause the release”.

In a post on Instagram, she said the programme, in which she plays a woman who tries to draw out potential terrorists online, is “so relevant” and she has never “shied away from difficult subjects”.

Chastain portrays a military veteran who works at the Anti-Hate Alliance, where she secretly visits 4Chan-like message boards and poses as a white nationalist to identify possible terrorists.

“‘The Savant’ is about the heroes who work every day to stop violence before it happens, and honouring their courage feels more urgent than ever,” Chastain said.

“I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon. Until then, I’m wishing safety and strength for everyone.”

She listed several acts of political violence in the US in recent years, including a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor Gretchen Whitmer, the attempted assassinations of Donald Trump last year and also the killing of controversial influencer Kirk.

Read more:
The string of bloody political violence in the MAGA era

Apple said it chose to postpone the show after “careful consideration” but did not give a reason why.

Kimmel’s comeback show brings in record ratings

Meanwhile, millions of people tuned in to watch Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday after he returned to TV after Disney suspended him for nearly a week after he made comments about Kirk.

Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late night show. Pic: AP
Image:
Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late night show. Pic: AP

ABC said 6.26 million people watched Kimmel as he said it was “never my intention to make light of” Kirk’s death. It was the late-night show’s highest-rated regularly scheduled episode.

Read more:
Explained: Why Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air

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Kimmel returns – and not everyone’s on same page

“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” he said as he choked up.

“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make”.

Kimmel had been accused of being “offensive and insensitive” after using his programme, Jimmy Kimmel Live, to accuse Donald Trump and his allies of capitalising on the killing.

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