The Answer. Some of you got the answer, Karla Loeb, from our trivia yesterday. Karla is the Chief Policy & Development Officer at Sigora Solar and the force behind some of the highlights that gave the company the forward-thinking installer award. Way to go Karla!
A WTO Look At Tariffs. In the exciting halls of the WTO, China has been attempting to work through the 2018 201 tariffs. While this is not the most likely way that the tariffs get resolved, there is a potential for the tariff to be reviewed by a panel after China escalated the complaint. The panel could require the US to rework the tariffs if they are found to be out of order. Don’t hold your breath!
Tesla’s Earnings. Tesla’s solar (formerly SolarCity) is still reducing the amount of solar it is installing, putting 29MW on the roof last quarter. This is still almost 2.5MW per week which is an impressive amount when compared to other installers. With mainstream media highlighting the balance sheet impact by solar assets, I would presume that the company may sell the projects or equity stake in the portfolio in the near future.
Power-One Gets Second Look. After initial headlines that ABB was getting out of the solar business, ABB announced that the inverter business was going to be taken over by Fimer. The Italian company is already in the inverter business but does not have exposure to the US market. ABB will hold the warranty costs through 2025 as part of the deal.
Storage Pod. With the sound levels fixed, you can go to the SolarWakeup Live! Podcast page and check out the latest interview between Marc Roper of Engie Storage and myself. Marc was in solar for a long time and is not developing and investing in storage projects under the Engie Storage umbrella. We spoke about some of the options available to him and how they partner with solar developers that want storage but lack some of the expertise and specific capital.
- PV-Tech: China, US lock horns over Trump-era solar tariffs
- Bloomberg: Tesla’s Solar Sales Slip as Comeback Eludes Ex-Rooftop King
- Solar Power World: ABB sheds more light on inverter transition to Fimer
- SolarWakeup Live!: SolarWakeup Live! With Yann Brandt
- ARS Technica: Ford shows off electric F-150 truck by towing a million pounds of train
- Greentech Media: The Safety Question Persists as Energy Storage Prepares for Huge Growth
- Axios: Troubles may loom for the battery supply chain for electric vehicles
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann