A slow April with 33MW for the month but 845MW for 2013 through April.  The feedback from everyone this week about the commercial solar sector and innovative financing was helpful and may offer a glimpse into where the logjam is for future growth.  Residential and Utility scale seem to be very competitive these days and developers are looking to the middle sized market for growth.  Issues as told by readers include: bankability, transaction costs, customer acquisition and regulatory barriers.  Have a great weekend!

News

• Forbes: Electric Power Politics: Net-Metering Gets Nasty
• Greentech Media: Republican Senator Praises Solar, Warns of Climate Change
• Solar Industry: Federal Report Says 33 MW Of New Solar Added In U.S. In April
• Greentech Media: How Hannon Armstrong Got the IRS to Approve Its REIT
• SolarPowerWorld: Why Did ABB Buy Power-One? Well, Let THEM Tell You
• Bloomberg: LDK Solar May Miss Payment After Scrapping Silicon IPO
• Reuters: Chinese media rejects accusation of pressure on EU in solar row
• Greentech Media: Cleantech Venture Investments Hit Lowest Point in 4 Years

Opinions

• Forbes: Solar Power Subsidies Were Too Large Too Fast

Have a great day!

Yann

Colorado passed the latest commercial PACE legislation following recent starts in Texas and pending in Arizona.  With C&I markets becoming more enticing, mostly because of how many customers are available, it will be personally interesting to see commercial PACE play a large part of the growth in this sector.  Plus there appears to be some movement on energy policy in the Senate.

News

• NY Times: Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels
• National Journal: Alexander Unveils His Maverick GOP Vision for Energy Future
• Greentech Media: Why Germany’s Solar Is Distributed
• Biz Journals: Snowmass senator’s clean energy bills become law
• Breaking Energy: Exxon CEO: Climate Change Poses Significant Risk
• Reuters: China’s top paper says EU solar probe “bean counting”
• NJ.com: N.J. regulators approve PSE&G’s $446 million plan for solar

Opinions

• UAE Minister: An Open Letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
• USA Today: Cities not waiting for next superstorm to hit

Have a great day!

Yann

During my day job, I have had many conversations about the commercial solar market and it seems to me that some contractors and developers are beginning to turn their attention to the sector.  What is the biggest obstacle for you if you operate in the space? Let me know.

News

• Greentech Media: 5 Cleantech Milestones Worth Celebrating
• NY Times: China Divides Europe in Fight Against Tariffs
• Dallas News: Despite growth, Texas lags far behind on solar energy
• CBS: Expert Stresses Solar Panel Safety After Webster Blaze
• PV-Tech: Eighteen EU member states vote against solar duties
• Bloomberg: EU Cites ‘Trade Justice’ in Tariff on China Solar Panels
• RenewEconomy: Graph of the Day: Super-sizing rooftop solar systems
• Gigaom: 5 lessons learned from bringing cleantech to China

Opinions

• Rocky Mountain: The Calm Before the Solar Storm

Have a great day!

Yann