Coal On Gas. Coal and natural gas are fighting to see who’s better on climate change, let’s give that some airtime.
ITC For All. The wind wants ITC for onshore projects, 30% upfront instead of a PTC. Great, let’s get the deal done, can you bring Senator Grassley along, please?
Read This Headline Again. I posted this story two weeks ago, it was silly then that we would be threatened with blackouts if gas plants closed. Today, we are living through a blackout BECAUSE we are too reliant on central power plants.
Lived Experience. How did you, friends or family members experience the blackout? Tell me your story.
The Muni Blowback. IOUs are making a media push to show the downside of municipalization of power companies. Several munis are looking to sell back to the monopoly. Watch this space.
Have a great weekend!
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Yann
Commence NorCal Blackout. It felt like the day after a hurricane in the Bay Area yesterday, Muir Woods and Oakland Zoo were closed as some 500,000 accounts were shut off in preparation for wildfire type conditions. As this newsletter hits inboxes, there is an expectation that another 300,000 accounts are impacted causing some 2.5million people to lose electricity. PG& E was woefully unprepared for the event, largely relying on Twitter to spread their message as their website and phone systems were mostly shut down. For a power company that is looking for safe, reliable and clean services to consumers (in return for a monopoly with a guaranteed return) PG&E has opened itself up for major critique. State legislators and the Governor have been quiet on this thus far except to say that it’s insane to think this is a new normal.
The Call For Solar (plus storage). In a well-timed op-ed in the local San Francisco paper, the CA lead for Vote Solar writes what we all know to be true, solar with storage is the natural hedge against this policy of shutdowns. Some corporate development folks at Generac are cheering their vision of why a generator company should get into batteries. There is a worry from my end that storage is a bit unprepared for this, costs are still high (but dropping) and inventory levels are not ready for this type of demand. This week should drive the demand and solution in a way where legislators ask themselves why solar can’t be put on every home?
A Judge Chimes In. As PG&E didn’t have enough to think about this week, they were also in bankruptcy court. The judge was not content with the company’s restructuring plan and opened it up for other parties to also get involved in proposing a plan. I hope that the Governor also chimes in on this as well as the parties that proposed a clean energy management team that would align itself with a vision for PG&E that is centred around being a company that makes decentralized, clean energy the mission of the company. If you think this entire newsletter is too focused on PG&E, look at the chain of events and realize that you can plug in any US utility with monopoly status into the storyline and visualize the same situation over the next 30 years.
Or Else Plan B. Just in case the monopoly thing was untouchable, the CCAs are right behind causing big changes to the demand profile. CCAs have their timing down, with super low solar plus storage available to meet consumer demand as well as CAISO requirements. CCAs are also serving their areas with financial products that make C&I solar much more profitable for the investors, through feed-in tariff type arrangements.
A Sunshine State Deal. Keep watching the Florida market. The Jacksonville utility is up for sale and NextEra is in the running (i.e. they are going to win) which should open up a major solar market inside the fast-growing Florida market. Vote Solar also led a major settlement for community solar for low-income consumers in Florida.
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Yann
Good Vibes. Read the good vibes and realize the work continues. Reach out to your rep and put in the work to extend the ITC. If your company joins the ITC Council, contact me and I’ll add your logo to the newsletter for a month.
Solar Sales This Week. This week and next will be the largest solar sales week in the history of the US market. I remain surprised that the politicians haven’t stepped in to stop the PG&E blackouts but I guess if they step in and a fire happens, then they’re done as well. In the meantime, some 800k customers which mean 2.5million people will likely lose power for a few days at least. The week following will have every homeowner in Northern California looking for a quote for solar plus storage. Tell me again how we don’t need the ITC and long term net metering/rate schedule certainty?
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Yann
Happy Birthday! 7 years I ago I came home and told my wife that someone should write a solar newsletter that covers the industry, not just press releases. She looked at me and said, “You should do it.” Those words still haunt her daily when I pull out the laptop every single night. Well, today is her birthday! (Don’t worry, she doesn’t read SolarWakeup)
600,000 New Solar Leads. 25 counties in Northern California are at risk to have their power shut off due to a potentially widespread wind event. This means 600,000 ratepayers are losing power, potentially for days. Guess what they’ll think about the moment that power goes out and the day after and the day after. I’ve lost power to my house for two weeks after a hurricane and I assure you that it causes permanent trauma. Couple that with the highest premium for home values in the US, this should shape up to be the solar equivalent of baby births after a major blackout.
The ITC Fight Page. Yesterday it was a well-sourced rumour, today it is a reality. SEIA has set up a fight page with three ways for you to get involved. First, you can join as a member. There are lower price levels for you to do so and get the SEIA membership benefits plus help fund the ITC. You can also join the ITC council. This is the $25k commitment to securing a future of the solar industry with a full 30% ITC. It may be rich for your company but how much profit will you lose if the ITC drops 4%? If you do over $1mm in deals, the ITC drop is worth $40k to your customers.
Three Lefts On Rick Perry. Back to the start for the Rick Perry saga, but don’t hold your breath. I would be surprised if he makes it to 2020.
Going Renewable At Home. Plenty of retail energy providers now offer a 100% renewable offering. CleanChoice Energy does it exclusively and gets involved in community solar projects as well. Axios’ Amy Harder writes about her personal experience joining Arcadia Power’s customer base while writing about renewable energy procurement.
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Yann