This is your SolarWakeup for March 6th, 2020

DC Is Watching. Folks in the White House and those trying to get into 1600 Penn read the same articles then we are. In this case, it’s the impact of climate change on the upcoming election from the perspective of the leaders at Axios. Agree or disagree with the opinion, know what the insiders are thinking.

A Missed Opportunity. Without many of your realizing, a major energy bill is gaining traction with the potential of passage. Senators Murkowski and Manchin brought together several dozen policy proposals that had bipartisan support and got that bill to be debated on the senate floor. Senator Wyden told attendees at an ACORE event that including tax credit extensions is highly unlikely. This means that less than a year after solar touted major inroads with republicans, it has no ability to get support on a bipartisan basis which means the ITC loss talking point is just that, a talking point. It also means that it is time to change tactics, because the methods of the past aren’t working. Second, the house could still scuttle the bill altogether by demanding inclusion of tax credits and building codes as a must have. While it kills some energy policies that are interesting, once those bills get passed it eliminates this vehicle in the future. If you are so inclined, call your member of Congress and have your voice heard.

Contactor Data. Solar installers now have a way to get themselves better data for their business while seeing how they compare to their local competition. Ohm Analytics tracks solar installations through permit data and recently released a contractor portal where you can sign up for free. Contractors provide confirmation of their data in return get to see what is going on in the market. Give it a look here.

Opinion

Best, Yann