Infrastructure Week Czar. Biden has brought in New Orleans Mayor Landrieu to lead the infrastructure bill implementation. The bill included $73billion for the power grid and $47billion for climate resiliency, both of which are close to Landrieu’s life experiences.
A Holiday Gift. SolarWakeup is working with as many of our friends to make Christmas come early for our readers, stay tuned to special emails coming your way to see how we’re going to make it an amazing end of the year for you.
A Solar Apprenticeship Program. IREC and SEIA are developing an apprenticeship program and want your input, register here to learn more.
Save California Solar. Governor Newsom wants to hear from you on why the solar industry is important to you. CALSSA has made that easy for you, please sign the letter and send it to your friends by going to savecaliforniasolar.org
News
1 Axios:
COP26 climate deal calls for historic shift from fossil fuels
2 Politico:
Senate likely to take up social spending bill in December as Dem slog continues
3 Reuters:
Insurers plan to up ramp up private market investments, BlackRock says
4 The Hill:
Biden taps former New Orleans mayor Landrieu to spearhead infrastructure
5 PV-Tech:
Array Technologies buys STI Norland in US$652m deal to create ‘world’s largest tracker company’
6 PV-Magazine:
PV distributor Soligent to be acquired by City Electric Supply
7 Canary Media:
Google and others have committed to 24/7 carbon-free energy. What does that mean?
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
Forget the Words of This COP26 Deal. Follow the Money
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Bloomberg:
Solar Firm Array Technologies Agrees to Buy Spain’s STI Norland
2 Solar Power World:
Commerce rejects anonymous petition to tariff solar panels imported from Southeast Asia
3 New York Times:
America Isn’t Ready for the Electric-Vehicle Revolution
4 Utility Dive:
Accelerated renewables deployment, electrification critical to cutting carbon emissions 50% by 2030, EPRI finds
5 Axios:
Rivian completes largest IPO since Alibaba
6 PV-Tech:
Tesla approved to supply retail electricity in Texas
7 Energy Storage News:
Q CELLS’ first step into large-scale battery storage is acquisition of one of Texas’ biggest projects
8 PV-Magazine:
Mississippi utility plans for 1 GW of solar, renewables in five years
9 Solar Builder:
City Electric Supply Co. acquires solar distributor Soligent
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
How Louisiana can become a clean industry powerhouse
Have a great day!
Yann
A New High-water Mark. In a landmark deal, the home alarm company, ADT, acquires Sunpro Solar the southeastern giant that has grown dramatically over the past few years. I may be biased, I’m a big fan of what Marc Jones and his team at Sunpro have done to build that company. Solar isn’t always the easiest business but ask any of his suppliers and manufacturer partners and you’ll find a consistent nod of approval. ADT knows how to sell a tough in-home product and utilities have been sitting on the sidelines worried about alarm companies getting into the energy business. The public markets also liked the deal, rewarding the stock price with over 12% increase on the day. ADT Solar will be knocking on a home near you, with over 100,000 field reps, how will that translate to a change in the solar landscape and what’s next in the market?
How Will The Market React? You’ve got a new benchmark for valuation in the space. Last month, SunPower acquired Blue Raven and now ADT buys Sunpro for a huge number. When you no longer need to sell on the future of a market, folks see over the horizon into the future and know they should be in this space. AAA launched a smart home, home alarm company, a few years ago, will they match ADT in this move? We already saw Vivint do it, but they separated those companies instead of leveraging the smart home environment. Look for new investments in this space now that exit opportunities can be reached, that should make it fun for everyone.
Looking At Generac Again. Last week, Generac acquired Ecobee, which makes not only a thermostat but also smart home products and alarm hardware. They don’t have the in-house sales force like ADT but there’s an overlap that’s becoming more obvious when you look at it on a more holistic level. What it means for consumers is a whole other question…
Opinion
News
1 Wall Street Journal:
ADT to Buy Solar-Panel Installer Sunpro Solar for About $825 Million
2 Reuters:
GE energy spinoff aims to capture interest in renewables
3 Yahoo:
In Glasgow, Pelosi touts Build Back Better as if it were a done deal
4 Bloomberg:
U.S. Faces Climate Dilemma Over China Solar Bans, Says SolarEdge
5 Utility Dive:
Southeast utilities confront extreme weather, new peak demand patterns to avoid Texas-style blackouts
6 Axios:
Obama's COP26 wake-up call
7 PV-Tech:
Georgia Power issues RFP for 1GW of new renewables
8 Canary Media:
Major firms pledge to start buying low-carbon materials and technologies
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Shipping problems for First Solar but production line expansion is under way
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Canary Media:
Solar power is a huge success story. A longtime solar champion explains how it happened
2 Axios:
Kimmeridge demands oil companies do more for carbon neutrality
3 Utility Dive:
'Imagine the unimaginable' - How the Pacific Northwest is trying to build a reliable grid in a changing climate
4 Bloomberg:
Australia Extends Solar Dominance With Panel Every 44 Seconds
5 PV-Tech:
Hawaiian Electric to deploy 50,000 rooftop PV systems in bid to reach 2030 target
6 Energy Storage News:
UK developer Harmony Energy’s IPO raises US$251 million for Tesla Megapack rollout
7 PV-Magazine:
Community Choice Aggregation provides leverage for better electricity prices, access to solar
Opinions:
8 GreenBiz:
The business of COP is business
Have a great day!
Yann
