Energy & Sustainability

Earlier this week, GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association announced that the United States installed 7.3 GW of solar photovoltaics in 2015, the largest total ever and 17 percent more than in 2014.

Congress returns this week from the President's Day recess to a changed landscape with the death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia. The Supreme Court vacancy has important ramifications for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which was stayed by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new website for entrepreneurs entitled MintzEdge: www.mintzedge.com. This site is intended to function as a resource of useful information for building and growing new and disruptive businesses.

The bipartisan energy bill, which Congress has focused on since the start of the new year, has been put on hold following a disagreement over federal aid to address the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. 

The start of the new year has brought with it numerous opportunities for energy tech funding from the Department of Energy. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been or are being given out to companies and research institutions across the country – opportunities stretch a wide variety of focus areas, from solar energy storage to grid modernization.

In a press release last week, the analytics firm IHS predicted that the solar installation boom will continue in the United States in 2016 following the extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) last December.

Congress has spent a significant chunk of the new year focused on a bipartisan energy bill, which, if passed, would be the first broad bipartisan energy package in nearly ten years.

As our clients and friends know, each year Mintz Levin provides an analysis of the regulatory developments that impact public companies as they prepare for their fiscal year-end filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and their annual shareholder meetings.

Last week, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling affirming that federal regulators may encourage large electricity users to reduce consumption at peak times in exchange for price breaks, a practice known as "demand response."

President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (the “FAST Act”) on December 4, 2015 to address the nation’s infrastructure challenges. 

Are you working on or interested in advanced surface technologies? Look no further than the TechBridge Challenge on Advanced Industrial Surfaces! In collaboration with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, Fraunhofer TechBridge is using this Challenge to accelerate the development of new material formulations.

When one thinks of renewable energy and the growing movement to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the US military is not, perhaps, the first thing that comes to mind. In reality, however, the military is tied inextricably to the renewable energy movement - oil is its lifeblood and this dependence is a great strategic vulnerability.

Mintz Levin Strategies recently published its Washington Outlook for 2016, and it contained a variety of insights for the energy technology industry. 

Last month the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) 2016.”

The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded last month with the approval of a landmark climate accord that seeks to combat climate change on a global level.

Mintz Levin is very excited to announce the launch of “The State of the Cleanweb” report, which we are proud to support. Within, resources and energy are referred to as “software’s next meal” – and you’ll want to know why! The report was produced by SuperCollider with data powered by CB Insights, and is also supported by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Early Wednesday morning Congressional leaders reached agreement on a year-end spending and massive tax deal that would prevent a government shutdown and extend a series of tax breaks that benefit businesses and individuals.

Congratulations to our client, Bigbelly, for being recognized as one of BostInno’s 2015 “50 on Fire” winners. The 50 winners were selected from 200 finalists and thousands of nominations and represent a group of diverse individuals and organizations driving innovation in Boston and beyond.

Mintz Levin’s own Paul Dickerson was quoted in a Law360 article published last week regarding the past year’s M&A developments in the energy industry.

Last week the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a report highlighting the rapid growth in the use of solar energy by American businesses.  According to the study, the top corporate solar users now operate 1,686 solar systems producing 907 MW of electricity, enough to power more than 158,000 homes.