SunPower Closes On SolarWorld. Count me in as pleasantly surprised that the acquisition has closed. Nonetheless SunPower is already in process of putting new equipment into the Hillsboro manufacturing plant in Oregon. The plant will be producing P-Series cells and modules to be able to sell American assembled panels. The interesting side stories are now the relationship between Senator Wyden and SunPower, who were on opposite sides of the 201 arguments and how SunPower proceeds with the first two phases of the AD/CVD charges against solar imports. More to come I guess.
Another Day, Another Trade Group. During SPI there was a launch of the Solar Rights Alliance which is targeting the solar consumers to engage them for the policy battles across the Country. In many ways this is the actual implementation of the Solar Pledge which this platform launched to extend the ITC. The power of the crowd is real and SRA will likely be seen and heard from more going forward. Vote Solar is also activating the solar consumer with one of the best supporter lists in the industry. Lastly, you have a new group that aligns solar and wind industries at the trade group level. The Wind Solar Alliance will put the renewable energy giants in bigger rooms by merging the voice on some issues, I’d expect PURPA and FERC issues to be front and center for the group.
Industrials Unite In Storage. ConEdison and Johnson Controls are getting involved in energy storage together. Great headline but I am missing the key differentiator here. JCI is competent with energy savings contracts and ConEdison has tax equity/asset ownership capabilities plus a viable trading capacity. However, absent an acquisition for a real differentiator and pipeline, this may not be as groundbreaking as it is made out to be. Maybe an acquisition is in the works?
NAFTA -> USMCA = Where’s Climate? The headline says it all. Will see how Congress feels about USMCA.
Developing New Jersey. New Jersey is a State with both rural and urban centers and farm lands where the land is both sacred and valuable. Developing solar in New Jersey has a level of complexity unmatched across the Country. This is why we invited Jim Spano from Spano Partners to join me on stage at SolarWakeup Live! Jersey City. Jim has been as successful as anyone in New Jersey and has his finger on the political pulse. Join us on November 6th and register at www.solarwakeuplive.com 

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Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As wind and solar continue to grow as a percentage of U.S. electricity production, it makes sense for new groups to form to bring to bear the combined power of the industries in the political fights to come. That's why it's so exciting to see the formation of the Wind Solar Alliance (formerly the Wind Energy Foundation) to bring together the heavy hitters from both industries to work on mutually beneficial policy fights. Having led national wind-solar advocacy campaigns for several years through its “A Renewable America” program, WSA saw an opportunity for increased collaboration between the two sectors, compelling the re-brand. “There are many areas where the wind and solar agendas align,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “We’ve seen great benefits from working with the wind advocates on federal, regional, and state policies on the “A Renewable America” campaign, and in other areas, over the past several years. We hope to continue to expand these meaningful efforts going forward, with support from the philanthropic community.” “Accelerating the deployment of wind and solar technologies is one of the fastest ways to mitigate climate change while strengthening the U.S. economy,” said John Kostyack, executive director of the Wind Solar Alliance. “The new name reflects our view that wind and solar industry leaders and other energy experts are stronger working together on this shared agenda than apart. Our coalition effort is now well-positioned to reform the U.S. electricity markets, as well as transmission and utility procurement planning processes, and thereby to rapidly scale these two technologies.” Dan Shugar, NEXTracker founder and CEO, and Colin Meehan, First Solar’s Director of Regulatory and Public Affairs, join leaders from other solar-only, wind-solar, and wind-only companies on the WSA board. The American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) CEO, Tom Kiernan, also sits on the WSA board. Mark Alhstrom, President of the Energy Systems Integration Group and one of the nation’s leading experts on integrating renewable energy onto the electricity grid, serves as a board advisor. The Wind Solar Alliance will continue to focus on research, communication, and advocacy to raise awareness of the benefits of renewable energy. In addition, the organization will give increased attention to addressing the need for policy changes in the Independent System Operators, Public Utility Commissions, and other venues that determine whether renewables will be given a fair opportunity to compete in the electricity marketplace. WSA’s education and advocacy campaigns (the Grid Campaign, the Renewable Energy Jobs Tour, and Electric Nation: Powered by Wind) are supported with funds from major foundations, AWEA and SEIA, and leading wind and solar companies. The campaigns mobilize leaders from the wind and solar industries and other experts to deliver facts, data, and personalized messages to decision makers about how renewable energy is helping to improve our economy and environment.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

The Hill has an interesting article about how one community in Puerto Rico installed a community solar project and restored power to the town for the first time in eight months. Setting aside the shame the rest of us should feel for leaving our fellow U.S. citizens in darkness for eight months, the story is inspirational and offers a window into how solar can help Puerto Rico improve the resiliency of its electrical system to build resiliency for future natural disasters. I'm going to quote the entire lead because it was so good:

Imagine living without electricity for 8 months. As the day turns into night, darkness overcomes the roads to your house. Hours go by, while you try to pass the time under the scant illumination of candles, gas lanterns or solar bulbs. Unbeknownst to you, almost 3,000 of your fellow citizens will eventually die, mostly as a result of the largest power blackout in American history. This was the situation faced by the residents of Toro Negro, a community in Ciales, Puerto Rico, after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, on September 20, 2017.

See what I mean? And then the community solar came to the rescue. Thanks to the work of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation, Toro Negro received a donation of solar modules and battery storage, and now 28 homes are sharing a community solar array:

Twenty-eight homes in Toro Negro now share the benefits of solar power obtained from their roofs and other nearby premises, and the residents operate their microgrid. The residents of Toro Negro will now begin a process to establish their own rate. By generating its energy from 100 percent solar power, the project will also have a positive footprint in the environment. Toro Negro will become the first fully operational community solar project in Puerto Rico, as well as the first “cooperative microgrid.”

As Puerto Rico goes through this year's hurricane season, it could learn a lot from the small town of Toro Negro. Let's hope that this is the first community solar installation of many in the island community.

Let’s Talk Illinois Policy. I’ve been saving the interviews from Chicago so that the live audience could get the heads up and it’s been a busy summer! After the much listened to interview with Jon Carson, here is the second interview with the director of the Illinois Power Agency, Anthony Star. Mr. Star is responsible for putting the wheels in motion and implementing the rules for the solar market that allow the market to flourish. If you are interested in working in Illinois this is an interview you will not want to miss. As always you can subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platforms and if you enjoy it, leave a review on iTunes. It’s always great to hear from you.
Second Chance In Power. In many ways the growth of the solar industry was missed by the incumbent and displaced market participants. You could also say that the early false starts caused many to take a step back too far. GE is a great example, they tried their hand in solar. With modules, with new technology investments, inverters and also financially with GE Current and GE Energy Financial Services offering tax equity. The financial divisions have done well but the technology has largely failed. That seems symbolic of the larger GE Power unit, where the division president was largely expected to be the next CEO instead the division didn’t elevate the CEO and it’s taking down the short lived tenure of the current CEO. Now the clean energy market is at a crossroads with solar and wind being the cheapest cost while EVs and storage are getting into the mainstream. GE, other industrials and oil majors need to get into the game and take another chance in power. My hope is that if they do, they don’t silo technology and financial services. Use the amazing access to low cost capital to drive the price of money down on technology deployment instead of thinking of both as different.
Come On Kansas. Demand charges are unfair to solar customers anywhere, but they are especially ill conceived when solar hasn’t had the chance to take off yet. You would think that a free market oriented market would think less of the monopoly than the consumer choice, energy saving solar installer but I guess that’s too ideological of me.
SPI Thoughts On Utilities In Solar. I always enjoy to hear what people are thinking about specific questions, I may even replicate this format. Here are 9 solar and storage pros commenting about the market and how utilities could improve. I’ll save you the number 1 improvement, work faster!
SEIA’s Thoughts On New Jersey. You’ll have to join me as I interview Abby Hopper on November 6th. Abby has been out in the open a lot more in her second year, making the rounds and working with the industry to get everyone into the advocacy game. We don’t agree on everything but that’s what makes this conversation fun and useful for the industry. Only the best interviews make it to the orange chair, this one is it.solarwakeuplive.com

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann