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The Future Of Corporate Solar. On the day that Walmart announces another 23MW with SunPower, I am also thinking about the continued focus on serving corporate load from afar. Last week Google announced the work they are doing to match load with generation. Facebook is securing energy through special utility rate schedules. DG will always be the most interested and visible way solar is integrated but the density and offset will never be 100%. Expect more to come on entities that match load and generation in innovative ways. 
Making Solar A Debate Topic. On Sunday night during the Florida gubernatorial debate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum made solar a focal point about jobs and climate change. This comes n the moves that Tallahassee Electric built a solar farm with Florida developer, Origis Energy, the same time that Trump was announcing the departure from the Paris climate accords. This is a smart move politically given where consumers stand in their support of the issue and a good pivot from climate change to the popular issue appealing to both sides with jobs and consumer choice. 
Venture Nonsense. The often forward thinking venture accelerator, Y Combinator, has posted its request for startups in the seldom considered carbon removal technologies. I respect the initiative but why not focus on an established market and show the returns that one could make in the solar industry for example. Why not highlight and plan to invest in renewable startups to pick up the void that the SunShot initiative leaves after their shift to hardware?
Brazil Solar Turn Around. 3 years ago investing in Brazil was a non-starter. That has now changed which is the gentle reminder that some markets are one election or impeachment away from investment grade. 
ISO Storage Preview. Like ISO-NE, PJM and the NJ BPU are looking at energy storage programs that will start the market. ISOs will be looking to integrate energy storage across their markets and solar developers will look to see how to take advantage of it. The key question for regulators is what problem do they want to solve and for developers the question is do they have the right money. All these questions will be asked during SolarWakeup Live! on November 6th. 

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Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

One recent project of mine was to edit a book for a client on climate change. The book focuses on promoting the policies that historically help clean energy in the hopes of showing policymakers what they can do to mitigate climate change on a global scale. One of the policies that continually came up was government investment in early-stage technologies designed to decarbonize different segments of the economy. In the Trump Administration, you would assume that such government investment would come to a screeching halt given their outsized disdain for technologies like solar and wind. And in fact, some of their actions (like their insane plan, now seemingly shelved, to bailout failing nuclear and coal plants) are in line with that disdain. Still, when the Trump Administration looked over the budget, they missed a Department of Energy program that has now awarded millions of dollars to support early-stage solar technology development. The U.S. Department of Energy announced selections for up to $53 million in new projects. Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, the Department of Energy will fund 53 innovative research projects that will lower solar electricity costs and support a growing solar workforce. “Innovation is key to solar’s continued growth in our nation’s energy portfolio. It increases our energy diversity and reinforces our ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “Developing new skills through workforce training is critical to expanding job opportunities in the renewable sector, which is why we are following through on our program to reach out to military veterans with new projects that will target this committed workforce.” These selections will advance research and development in photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP). While PV materials convert sunlight directly to electricity, CSP concentrates the incoming sunlight to heat that then generates electricity like a traditional power plant. The projects announced today span across 21 states plus the District of Columbia, and include PV research to increase grid resiliency in Puerto Rico. Selections are in the following areas:

• Photovoltaics Research and Development: $27.7 million for 31 projects that will support early-stage research to advance new PV materials, like perovskites, which can essentially be painted on a surface to generate electricity. More innovation is needed to achieve high efficiency and stable performance over a long-time.
• Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development: $12.4 million for 15 research projects that will advance the high-temperature components of CSP systems such as heat exchangers. These projects will develop materials and designs for collectors, power cycles, and thermal transport systems that can withstand temperatures greater than 700 °C while being corrosion-resistant. Next-generation CSP systems operating at higher temperatures will be able to store more heat and dispatch solar electricity at any time, day or night.
• Improving and Expanding the Solar Industry through Workforce Initiatives: $12.7 million for 7 projects that will pursue initiatives to grow and train the solar workforce. These projects will support training and curriculum development at community colleges and advanced training for a more digital electric power system, which includes communications technology. This includes programs to prepare veterans and interested transitioning military personnel to join the solar workforce, building on Department of Energy’s pilot program, Solar Ready Vets.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As the Illinois market continues to unfurl, corporations in the state are starting to look for solar options to power their businesses. Now, one of the country's largest retailers has partnered with a U.S.-based solar provider to add solar to the roofs and the ground surrounding its facilities in the state. SunPower and Walmart announced an agreement with to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois. As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019. This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50 percent renewable energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the amount of anticipated annual carbon offset by this initiative will be equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 24,000 acres of U.S. forest in one year – the size of Elgin, Ill. “Solar is a vital component of Walmart’s expanding renewable energy portfolio,” said Mark Vanderhelm, vice president of energy for Walmart Inc. “Walmart plans to tirelessly pursue renewable energy projects that are right for our customers, our business and the environment. These planned projects with SunPower are moving us in the right direction toward our renewable energy goals.” Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Walmart will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system. “We commend Walmart for its leadership in driving corporate renewable energy adoption in the United States and for partnering with SunPower to deliver high-efficiency, high-quality solar to so many of its stores and facilities,” said Nam Nguyen, SunPower Executive Vice President, Commercial Americas. “As the top U.S. commercial solar provider and with over 30 years of experience, SunPower is well positioned to help Walmart increase its renewable energy investments in a cost-effective manner.” In Illinois, smart state policy and rising utility rates make solar a smart investment for commercial customers. These installations will represent a 25 percent increase in Illinois’ current solar capacity and will generate enough electricity to power nearly 30,000 homes. “Illinois Solar Energy Association is committed to advancing solar locally, enabling companies like Walmart – with stores and employees across our great state – to realize the economic and environmental value of renewable energy,” said Lesley McCain, Executive Director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. “These projects will create hundreds of jobs for Illinois’ growing solar workforce while reducing pollution across the state.”

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Solar Roofs Are Better. I came across this video on Twitter showing the damage at the Tyndall Air Force Base housing community. After the drone pans across the worst damage there is a row of homes that have solar installed. The surprising images show roofs completely removed on the non-solar portions while the shingles are virtually intact on the solar areas. Not reading too much into this except to say that when solar is installed properly into the rafters with the right rail spans, they will withstand tremendous winds even when installed right near the ocean. 
Facebook Must Do Better. It is good for solar that Facebook is using more of it, in this case adding a 100MW solar farm to its data center in New Mexico. Through its power and influence, Facebook was able to convince PNM to build the solar farm and sell it the clean solar energy through a special deal approved by regulators. The real way to drive change would be to require the utility to make the same available to local homeowners and businesses that don’t have the buying power and regulatory influence. What’s the advantage of Facebook being solar powered when the folks posting on the platform are doing so with fossil fuels. 
NJ Market Worries. More sentiments of worry coming from the market in New Jersey. With the BPU docket open to create a new SREC program and the SREC program coming to an end, the market participants want to make sure the transition happens smoothly to avoid a Massachusetts situation. The market is correct to worry because these legislative changes take time and often they take longer than expected. The ups and downs of the solar market rules are sometimes the biggest obstacle to our market and it is important to be educated on the process. 
Almost Sold Out. SolarWakeup Live! is almost sold out. With the regulatory changes and potential challenges, everyone active in the market is looking to get the upper hand or at least know what the competition does. Our interviews with the BPU President, SEIA CEO and power market traders will make sure you are up to speed. Head to SolarWakeuplive.com and get your registration today. 

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann