Balcony solar systems consist of small, modular panels and a smart controller that can be connected directly into existing electrical outlets. Earlier this month California senators introduced Bill 868 to allow the connection of portable solar generation devices without utility approval. This would make California the second state after Utah to approve the use of balcony solar. These small systems offer the promise of bringing affordable solar to the masses, and cut through permitting red tape and delays. If uptake is anything like Europe, where systems have already been installed in millions of homes, even extensive battery implementation won’t stop the fattening of California’s duck curve. Foie gras anyone?

Unlike the US, where most regions are covered by a River Forecast Center, Canada still lacks a national flood forecasting program. However, there’s change in the air, with Canadian efforts to develop a national strategy for flood and drought forecasting passing their second reading in the House of Commons on December 3. Given the speed at which government policy turns into action, this means we can probably still expect a few more 1-in-100 year floods before anything concrete happens.

In a small win for the struggling offshore wind industry in the US, on Monday a federal judge ruled that work can resume on the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Based on the recent actions from the federal administration, we’re guessing this won’t be last hurdle for offshore wind this year.

It’s been a slow start to the winter pricing season in Alberta (AESO) where milder than normal temperatures have electricity prices down.

We wanted to explore how other factors have been impacting pricing in the market this winter. On January 5th, the spike in pool price to over $800 per MWh closely mirrors the patterns seen through the loss of more than 1800 MW of intermittent renewable generation.

With wind and solar playing an increasingly important role in markets around the world, accurately predicting both the timing and magnitude of these changes will become increasingly important.

CWRA Mid-Term Conference
📍Where: Moncton
🗓️When: January 29-30, 2026

CEATI - Hydropower Conference
📍Where: San Diego
📆When: March 17-18, 2026

If you’re attending any of these, let’s connect.

🇺🇸 Pittsburgh, USA - Clean Currents 2025

Our team travelled to Pittsburgh for the annual Clean Currents conference this year, which focused on the increasingly important role that hydro is playing with the growth intermittent renewables like wind and solar!

🇨🇦 Ottawa, Canada - IDEaS Showcase on Forecasting Emerging Threats

Our team was in Ottawa to present our results for the Forecasting Emerging Global Threats forecasting challenge sponsored by the Canadian Government.

🍁 Charlottetown, Canada - Growing our Team

We’re happy to welcome a few new members to our team! Welcome to Arjun, Mike, and Chhavi who are joining us in our Charlottetown office.

Thanks for reading. Keep riding the current and stay energized! ⚡

If you find yourself paralyzed by uncertainty about what’s to come, remember that it doesn’t have to be that way. Erode AI offers custom forecasting services for water, wind, solar, and many other weather-impacted outcomes!

Want to learn more about how Erode AI can help your team manage uncertainty and improve insights? Book a demo with our team! ⬇️

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