Author Archives: SolarWakeup

The Energy Show – Regional Energy Policy Leadership with Tim McRae

The Energy Show with Barry Cinnamon

Public policies have a tremendous influence on the energy we use, as well as the condition of our environment. State and Federal legislators make these policies with input from private citizens and businesses. The solar industry quite frankly has thrived with policies in favor of clean renewable energy, and it’s no accident that California is a leader in solar and clean renewable energy.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) helps advocate for favorable business and citizen policies in Silicon Valley and they have made a tremendous impact not only in California but also in Washington DC.

The Energy Show – What are Microgrids?

The Energy Show, a podcast by Barry Cinnamon is now available on SolarWakeup

We call our power system an electric “grid” because it is composed of a network of wires that move the power around from node to node – basically a combination of power sources (natural gas power plants, solar farms, nukes), wires (long distance transmission lines and local distribution utility poles) and controls. Microgrids are the same concept but on a much smaller scale.

One example of a microgrid is a complex of buildings on an island. The power plant on an island has historically been a diesel generator, which feeds power to buildings through a smaller network of relatively low voltage wires. More recently these island microgrids have an array of solar panels and batteries providing most of the power, with a backup diesel generator for extreme weather conditions.

New commercial and residential PV and battery storage systems function essentially the same way. These much smaller microgrids provide inexpensive solar power, maximize savings with batteries for when power is expensive, and function in backup power mode if the utility goes down.

The microgrid concept is becoming more popular due to the realization that multiple, linked smaller power grids are more reliable and less expensive than larger centralized grids. Note that microgrids do not carry the high management and investor overhead that utility grids require. These microgrids can also be deployed much more rapidly and take advantage of the latest technology.

Listen up to this week’s Energy Show to learn more about microgrids, and the importance they are playing in the changing landscape of central and distributed energy.

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This is your SolarWakeup for March 27th, 2018

Corporate, Startup, Research Partners. Great coverage of a corporate incubator being run by Wells Fargo. Wells was one of the first and remains an active tax equity investor in the solar space. It’s a quiet group but they get their MW done year after year. This incubator has an interesting tweak. It provides a grant to startups, most of which is used to leverage the team at NREL to provide research to the startup. No equity exchanges hands and the side effect is revenue to NREL which is always suffering from potential budget cuts.

Net Metering Works?! During net metering fights, we present studies and engineering reports that show distributed generation helps lower costs to all ratepayers. Studies are one thing, reality is another. CAISO is canceling over $2.5billion in transmission based on efficiency and distributed resources like solar. This saves all consumers money and proves our point. This also shows by net metering is fought against because it stops utilities from investing more into the rate base.

States And Cities. You can make the case that even when the Federal government is on your side, the States make the markets. Within the States you can argue that the Cities decide how good the market can be. Whether the market is within an IOU or a City owned municipal power company. If the muni is pro-solar or decides to go the opposite route. That is why I always argue that solar needs to focus on legislators that go from County boards to State seats, or attempt to. If they get away with being anti-solar at the local level to make friends with corporate influencers, they’ll do it even bigger. I’ve mentioned reaching out to your legislator, this doesn’t have to be your Congressman. Go meet with your City council member or County Commissioner, they’re very accessible to you and love to learn about local businesses, your issues and how they can help.

Gas, A Hope Or Pattern? Sometimes I write based on personal thesis especially when the headlines match my macro themes. Taking a step back, when facts fall into place several times over a pattern emerges. Everything around natural gas is moving so quickly, California pushes back on replacing peakers, Arizona moratorium, and suits moving forward. This isn’t about making a prediction around timing but I’d be hard pressed to see a future where gas isn’t replaced by renewables. I hope the regulators pause and review the trends.

Opinion

Have a great day!

Yann

SunPower Fights Back, Challenges Their Inclusion In Tariffs

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened: Earlier this morning, SunPower filed its formal request to be excluded from the Trump Administration’s 30% tariff on imported solar modules, specifically

  • Exclude solar cells based on copper-plated, IBC technology.
  • Exclude solar modules based on copper-plated, IBC technology.
  • Make the product exclusions described above retroactive to Feb. 7, 2018 (when the tariffs went into effect) and direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund any tariffs paid on the above-described products.

SolarWakeup’s View:  All we can say is that it’s about time.

SunPower, a module manufacturer and one of the staunchest opponents of tariffs in last year’s seemingly endless battle, formally filed papers this morning to have their products excluded from the tariffs. Their argument is simple: Their products were significantly different enough from the silicon-based modules targeted by the tariffs to justify being exempt from them.

To which we say: Bravo.

Look, I have long been a critic of the tariffs imposed by President Donald J. Trump in January because I feared the law of unintended consequences would come back to bite the more innovative module manufacturers that have significant presences in this country.

SunPower is one of the companies I worried about, and SunPower President and CEO Tom Werner warned the International Trade Commission that the tariffs would do irrevocable harm to the industry in general and SunPower in particular.

The company has routinely been on the forefront of innovative and forward-thinking module manufacturers, and its dominance as the preferred supplier to the U.S. residential market speaks volumes about the quality of their products.

Why the United States would want to punish a company that has done more than most to expand the industry that now employs more than 250,000 workers is beyond me.

The next step is a 30-day public comment period (we are awaiting a link to where you can comment and will update it when we have it). Go comment and tell the government to support innovation in the solar industry. Exempt SunPower’s modules from these destructive tariffs.

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Submit your comments to the request here