Oklahoma Is Prime For Free Markets. The news out of Oklahoma is that the AG (not Scott Pruitt anymore) says that providers of third party solar contracts are not to be classified as utilities. The reality is that it’s Oklahoma and that the AG opinion may change as required by the politics. But, there is little that I want to see more than the State of Pruitt and Inhofe to have to wrestle with cheap solar and wind especially cheap solar and wind with cheap batteries.
A Step Backward. The politics of fossil fuels is really the politics of the incumbent markets. When we electrified the nation the deal was that monopolies were carved out and private capital was guaranteed a profit. The incumbency is the struggle here, not just the fuel source. The DNC wrestled with the wrong problem, which was not enough money, instead of wrestling with the issue of taking that money from the fossil companies solar subsidiaries. How great would it be to have a $10million donation from an oil company coming from solar company X?
SB100 And CA Lobby Day. California needs to show the nation and the world that the future is 100% renewable energy. Amongst other things, the California solar industry is coming to Sacramento this Wednesday to lobby for the local industry with CALSSA. If you are in solar it means you are likely doing business in California. Couple ways that you can help. First, come to Sacramento this Wednesday. If you’re not local and can’t make it then take the $1k that it would have cost you in time and travel and send a check. I’ll take that from you and deliver it to the CALSSA PAC that helps advance our market here. We talk about how we cannot compete on money but I’m not asking you for $10k, just $1k that you spend every time you travel for a meeting. Hit reply and I’ll give you the details. Let’s get at least $12k together today as a SolarWakeup team.
A Better Way To Splice. We all use rail to mount our modules but while most rail is created equal, there is a way to use rail to save money on labor. With the Quick Mount PV QRail you get an internal splice that requires not hardware that needs to be screwed in and the clamps won’t fall out when placed in the channel. Check out this quick video to see the difference!

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Baby steps. That's what you could call the Oklahoma Attorney General's recent opinion that says third-party solar contracts - PPAs, leases and loans - would not result in solar installers or consumers being considered utilities. This is a debate that has swept the country, and most recently occurred in Florida, where a decision similar to the Oklahoma one has led to a flood of residential solar companies into the state, including some of the nation's largest solar companies with names you know like Sunrun and Vivint. Could Oklahoma be next? Probably not, according to an article at NewsOK, but solar advocates in the state certainly see the attorney general's decision as a step in the right direction. Solar advocates told NewsOK:

"It has been viewed forever and ever that you couldn't offer (those types of agreements) in Oklahoma," said Tyson R. Taussig, president of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council. "I view it as casting a glimmer of sunlight on this issue," Taussig said. "If the opinion gets backed up, it will be a huge development because it will allow motivated, creditworthy individuals in our state to buy their own rooftop solar systems at a really reasonable price. It would open up a whole new market."

It certainly shouldn't be viewed as a done deal by any stretch of the imagination, of course. After all, Oklahoma is the heart and soul of oil and gas country, and a fight with traditional utilities and fossil-fuel interests is bound to ensue before solar gets too far off the ground. Plus, electricity rates in Oklahoma are dirt cheap. (Longtime solar advocates will recognize these arguments from Florida, where cheap electricity and powerful utilities scotched solar for decades.) But the fact that this decision could start a serious conversation about a significant solar market here is, in and of itself, newsworthy. Mike Teague, Oklahoma's Secretary of Energy and Environment, told NewsOK:

"Our goal is to find the right ways to do this," adding that the task force deliberately includes all interested parties in an attempt to avoid future legal entanglements or other issues. He said he expects its work to continue for years. "This is how you get progress without turning it into a fight, and I think that is what we need," he said.

More: Oklahoma attorney general opinion energizes solar enthusiasts

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

California's Assembly has a huge opportunity before it right now, and they should seize it posthaste. Before them is a bill to move the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 100% by 2045. It would match the most aggressive RPS in the nation (Hawaii) and put the world's fifth (or sixth, depending on who you believe) largest economy on a path to 100% renewable energy. And it would be a huge step forward for the United States because, as everyone knows, solar and renewable energy trends start in California and then make their way to other states in the country shortly thereafter. Have I mentioned the California Assembly should pass this bill immediately if not sooner? Bill McKibbon, founder of 350.org, wrote on the subject in The New York Times and said this:

If any place on earth can handle this transition, it’s California, home to some of the planet’s strongest sunshine and many of its finest clean-tech entrepreneurs.

McKibbon speaks the truth. The state has long been home to the most burgeoning solar industry in the country. And despite new challengers emerging each year, California remains atop the Solar Energy Industries Association's list of Top Solar States year after year after year. Its grid had already absorbed more solar and wind energy (though it is mostly solar in California, let's be honest) than any other grid in the United States, and they are well on their way to transitioning from net metering to whatever the next compensation plan for solar users is. And the results have been staggeringly positive. It's the perfect laboratory to show what happens when utilities stop fighting the Solar Revolution and embrace it instead, and they've shown the path toward rooftop solar coexisting with utility-scale solar and beyond. Why not take the opportunity to give it one last push over the finish line? The vote could come as soon as this month, and if it passes it could be historic. Let's make sure the California assembly knows we're behind them. Let's make sure they pass this law - and make solar history.

Nevada’s Story Of Solar Revival. This was the most contentious national solar fight a few years ago, documentaries featured the famous fight between solar and the Nevada PUC. Fast forward a few years and the market is thriving with the first NEM cap being hit at 80MW. Jobs are being created and supplies are flowing, helping the supply chain economy thrive as well. Nevada has become the market to point to and one that could be mirrored in South Carolina and other States that attempt to keep residential solar choice away from consumers.
Sunrun’s Steady Rise. Sunrun wasn’t always the flashiest residential home solar provider but they’ve reached the top now. Part of what makes the company unique is that it has stuck with the long path of policy centric market development, it’s rare to be at a legislative event or industry conference that a Sunrunner is not at. The financial presentation continues to tell Wall Street a narrative on how solar and public company accounting can coexist, while still be complicated for many. The company announced 91MW of solar deployed, 12,000 customers and an increase of $27million in cash over the last quarter. Congrats to the team.
Juicy PPA In Hawaii. Couple of highlights that I’d like to point out about the solar plus storage project in Hawaii. The project is 5MW of solar with 3MW / 15MWh of storage. The PPA is for $0.17/kWh over 22 years. At the core, this is a great project for the investor and likely for the consumer as well. At 5 hours of storage, the batteries have the ability to shift the entire day’s production even at the peak of summer (or very close to all of the production). This plant is the solar version of baseload to the extent that such a feature is needed on the grid. Dispatchable solar such as this is the future and creates tremendous opportunities for power players across the grid.
New FERC Commissioner. Damn the free market! That’s my paraphrase of the nominee’s comments at a July hearing when asked about market distortions being considered by the administration to bailout coal and nuclear plants. Commissioner Powelson voted against the FERC bailout for coal but McNamee seems a lot more willing to do the bidding required. Stay tuned.
Have You Seen The Rafter? In today’s edition of solar wall of shame, please see the following work of art. This is a direct deck attached flashing mounted on top of the shingle roof. Add some caulking and this installer is happy with the result. Make sure to send your shameful solar pictures alongside your beautiful images to be featured.

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann