New POD, Solar Bill Of Rights. Last week a new solar bill was filed in California but this bill was focused on consumers’ rights and bipartisan. The Solar Bill of Rights is driven by the Solar Rights Alliance and I speak with their executive director about the bill and the focus of the SRA. The SRA needs you to think about how you can be helpful in this as well, please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast app. This episode is presented by UtilityAPI
Solar Tariff Fallout. Take a moment to read this article by Bloomberg on the topic of the steel and aluminum tariffs. In many ways, the factories (including the one at Quick Mount PV) are exactly the jobs that Trump seems to focus on. Many of the racking companies in solar use 3rd party contract manufacturers and many of those are in the US. With the tariffs in place, domestic commodity pricing has increased and importing parts and pieces has become more expensive than procuring finished products abroad according to the reporting. This means that the local jobs that depend on competitive commodity pricing are hurt by the tariffs causing the result to be the opposite of the intended effect of the policy in the first place.
Developing In Florida. Disney is going solar with a 50MW project through their coop utility. There has been some quiet development out of the team from Origis like this project and the one in Tallahassee which was first discussed in 2008. Nice to see things happening in my former home state given the decade I spent joking that the only solar jobs were at the airport for those of us flying out of State. Now Florida is the second largest jobs employer and has their own “SPI”. I must have missed the phone call from the show producers :).
Missed TVA Opportunity. During the Obama years, the solar industry should have absolutely packed the team at the TVA and at the TVA board. This is also true for the regulatory bodies across the Country, the NJ BPU President was recruiting for staff at the last SolarWakeup Live! event. We need solar advocates to be working in the regulatory bodies, maybe a Federalist club version of solar where we provide internships and fellowships to folks that want to work in regulatory bodies.
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Diving Deeper Into GND. Following up to yesterday’s thoughts I wanted to get deeper into GND and the politics. First is the podcast, Pod Save America, which is about the most popular podcast in America bringing the topic to the mainstream and breaking down the reasons for the Green New Deal. Second is looking at a tweet from David Axelrod, courtesy of Jonathan Silver commenting on it so that I had it in my timeline. People are talking about climate change and environmental issues but forgetting about the renewable energy component of it, more on that to come.
SEIA’s Position. I wanted to see where SEIA was regarding the largest proposal that impacts our industry in DC. Here is the comment from SEIA CEO, Abby Hopper: “Climate change is real, and I am glad the Green New Deal takes a big and bold approach to deep decarbonization. There is no doubt that solar will play a significant role in slashing greenhouse gases. That said, any climate solution must have bipartisan support. We look forward to seizing this new momentum and working with members of Congress in both parties on policies that expand solar deployment, reduce electricity costs for hardworking families and help decarbonize the American economy.”
But, There’s A Shift. Right as I got this comment from SEIA, which is in line of my personal tendency to go towards the goal line (compromise), possible primary contender and GOP leader, Governor John Kasich, came out to tell the GOP to stop denying climate change. This wasn’t a philosophical or ideological statement and this is where we tend to be wrong on energy policy. The comment from Kasich was a political reality that voters support renewable energy policies and environmental preservation by enormous margins. Voting against solar is simply put, bad politics and that is the argument we should be making in DC and State Capitols. That is the message we should be sending about the GND, cutting red tape and getting rid of every restriction that stops solar from getting on homes is good for a politicians future and supporting incumbent monopolies is bad.
Where It Happens. If you want to see where politics of renewable energy play well, look at States and Cities, municipal utilities and cooperatives that are run by the consumer shareholders. They are the canary in the solar mine.
Companies Weigh In. Texas is a great example that shows where market driven decisions are applied. Wind and solar are the energy source of choice for America’s corporations, including the world’s largest oil majors.
What It Means. I will be doing a deep dive about the politics and what YOU can be doing to get involved. A new SolarWakeup podcast drops tomorrow and I will have political insiders at SolarWakeup Live! in Boston on March 26th. Get your tickets now, we have about 25% of the space left. solarwakeuplive.com
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Yann
Climate Leadership In Mass. The MA House Speaker has come out for a 10 year, $1Billion program to advance clean energy infrastructure. This is a long leap into the future for the legislature that is still pushing to advance net metering caps and is now running the SMART program. At the same time, solar is growing within corporate and community solar programs, many of which will be discussed at Live! Use DISCOUNT CODE SWLB20 for 20% off your ticket at solarwakeuplive.com
Insider’s View From Climate Coverage. I enjoy reading Amy Harder’s columns because as a well known reporter and journalist she covers things I find interesting. She also doesn’t shy away from giving her point of view as she does in this column about why writing about climate is becoming more interesting in this environment. Her column made the Mike Allen top 10 yesterday morning which means the White House is trying to learn about climate and energy journalism right now. That’s part of the interesting side effect of the politics of the Green New Deal and kids fighting for climate change policies, our market is talked about more than ever before. I think the solar industry actually does a pretty bad job of transcending the media landscape given the central role we play in all of this and the public perception/approval that the solar industry does. I think it’s time to see folks like Abby Hopper, Bernadette del Chiaro and Adam Browning on stage next to Al Gore, AOC or in studio at Morning Joe or Fox and Friends.
Tough DC Take On Huawei. The headlines have been brutal for Huawei, which has been working hard to enter the US with the inverter business. Most of the news coverage have been aside from the solar angle but that is now changed. Senator Cornyn wrote the letter which was signed by 11 Senators including Burr and Warner.
No. I wrote a few tweets about this yesterday because the one aspect of the Green New Deal that I have found liberating is the uncompromising approach it has. It’s 100% and it’s in 10 years. Most RPS either water down the percentages or take a long term approach. Why would a utility build another gas plant you ask? Because it is the best thing for the rate base today even though the utility could forward buy solar with storage at rates much better.
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Live! In Boston, DISCOUNT CODE. The agenda for SolarWakeup Live! Is almost final and we’ve got a very good and informative topics on deck. If you haven’t been to one of our events, you’ll get an inside look to the business and policies that make the market move. Use DISCOUNT CODE SWLB20 for 20% off your ticket at solarwakeuplive.com
Monday Thoughts. A short column this morning but here are some things I’m reading and thinking about. The green new deal is sparking a discussion in politics about how energy should be generated in America and what the policies around that should look like. The editorial board at the New York Times opines on the topic and David Roberts from Vox takes a deep dive on it. Intrigued about Kevin de Leon’s run for the Los Angeles Council as the next step, this could mean big changes coming to LA when he inevitably runs for Mayor. KDL was the driver of the SB100 legislation that drove California to 100% renewable energy. Yesterday Trump tweeted that he’s extending the deadline as the US and China negotiate a trade deal. Good news given the pending tariff increase that was slated for March 1st.
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Yann