By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Days after announcing it would pay $110 million to get out of a contract that required it to buy power from an Iowa nuclear plant, Alliant Energy announced it was planning to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% and eliminate coal from its portfolio by 2050. The Madison, Wisconsin-based utility that serves Iowa in addition to its home state made the announcement in its corporate sustainability report. The company says it plans to spend $2 billion on new renewable investments including wind and solar, including doubling the number of wind sites from six to 12 (some of which, as we reported last week, will go to offset the retirement of the nuclear plant). They also pledged that renewables would make up 30% of the utility's total generation portfolio by 2030. Alliant Energy Chairman and CEO Patricia Kampling said:

Alliant Energy is acting today to create a better tomorrow for our customers and communities," said "We are transforming our energy fleet with an eye on customer cost, carbon reduction and providing cleaner and reliable power to the communities we serve.

One of the most interesting parts of the press release announcing the plan was this:

These actions will enable Alliant Energy to exceed carbon reduction goals pledged originally by the U.S. under the voluntary United Nations Paris Accord. While the Accord calls for reducing carbon 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, Alliant Energy's plans enable a 40 percent reduction by that time.

It also announced Dubuque community solar garden is the first Envision® Platinum-rated solar project in the nation. The bottom line is this: Clearly, President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Accord has not stopped the U.S. business community - including utilities directly affected by the greenhouse-gas emission targets - from continuing efforts to make sure those goals are met and (in the case of Alliant Energy, for example) exceeded. And the clean energy revolution, whether that's wind or solar, is continuing along below the surface without no signs of abating. Maybe it's time for the federal government to realize that it's time to stop fighting rearguard actions to save underperforming and ill-performing coal and nuclear plants. It's simple really; all they'd have to do is follow Alliant Energy's lead.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Look out, Minnesota. Illinois just landed another major residential solar installer - they just may be coming for your title as the leading solar state in the Midwest. Vivint Solar, following in the footsteps of its competitor Sunrun, decided to take the plunge into the Illinois market yesterday, citing low solar penetration numbers and high levels of governmental support as the reasons they joined the fray. Earlier this year, the Illinois Power Agency approved the Long Term Renewables Resources Procurement Plan (the Plan), which most observers believe will accelerate solar adoption in the state, including at the residential level. Vivint Solar CEO David Bywater said in a release announcing the move:

With a supportive regulatory environment and broad enthusiasm toward clean energy, Illinois is a very promising market for rooftop solar. In particular, we are thrilled to begin operations in Chicago, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. where we did not yet have a presence. We believe this state has tremendous potential to become a strong clean energy hub, and we look forward to helping residents embrace solar energy and enjoy greater control over their electricity costs.

The company added that it plans to add 100 jobs in the state within the year. Now about that Minnesota/Illinois emerging rivalry. Without question, Minnesota has long been the Midwest leader in solar development, particularly through its community solar program, which is among the best designed and executed in the country. But with the Plan now in place, Illinois is coming fast. As I wrote at the time of its passage:

As the Midwest has moved – often glacially – toward its own solar future, most observers have pegged Minnesota as the early leader that has stood clearly head and shoulders above all the other states in the region. But I believe that as the Plan moves forward that it won’t be long before Minnesota is looking over its shoulder to see Illinois quickly approaching.

Vivint Solar's decision to move into the Land of Lincoln just reinforces my belief that it will soon be competing for the title of most progressive Midwest solar state.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Residential installer Sunnova left the Arizona market when it decided the regulatory environment was too unstable for it to function effectively. Now it has decided to return with a solar + storage offering. SolarWakeup wanted to find out what made it change its mind and come back to the Grand Canyon State. SolarWakeup (SWup): What has changed about Arizona that has encouraged Sunnova to come back to the state? Kelsey Smith, Sunnova Director of Public Relations (KS): Two things: The first is that there is more regulatory certainty about how the state plans to value solar. We still believe credits for excess solar generation should still be at retail rate but, although credits are now slightly lower, we at least have a better sense of what they are. And the second thing is that batteries are quickly coming down in price and it makes a lot of sense to pair them with solar in Arizona to help mitigate the cost of things like time of use rates and demand charges. SWup: Why did Sunnova leave in the first place? KS: The regulatory uncertainty in the state and the lack of clarity about how utilities were going to compensate solar customers combined with SRP’s demand charges made it difficult to do business for a while in AZ. SWup: Does Sunnova think batteries are the solution for states that have dismantled/are dismantling net metering? KS: We do. Having a battery to store excess solar generation negates any need to use the grid to absorb that generation. At some point, we think that the majority of customers will have batteries, and utilities will be incenting them to use the grid more by offering net-metering. SWup: Have prices in the battery market finally reached levels that make it a good investment for your average homeowner? KS: Battery prices have continued to improve year over year and the answer to a good investment is really dependent on two different issues. 1) Price of electricity: if the cost for a kWh from the utility is high enough then it can absolutely justify the cost of a battery to defer solar usage during the home’s peak usage or during utility on-peak rates (for TOU). 2) the value a homeowner puts on reliability and peace of mind. So, yes, while the reasons may vary, we see solar plus storage as a solid investment for energy resiliency, independence and reliability in AZ. SWup: What does Sunnova's solar + storage arrangement look like? KS: In Arizona, we are offering our Sunnova SunSafe™ solar plus storage offering as both a lease and a loan, which both come with our 25-year Sunnova Protect warranty. SWup: What makes Sunnova think Arizona is ripe for a solar + storage revolution? KS: Arizona is a legacy solar market – Sunnova’s first solar market—and beyond that, it’s a sunny state with a healthy solar market. With the ongoing tumult in energy policy and pricing, we feel that energy storage provides the flexibility needed to respond to a rapidly changing energy environment. We know customers in Arizona want choices when it comes to their energy and we feel that we can provide them with just that while enhancing their energy service through energy storage as well as smart home products that improve efficiency and economics in the home.

Welcome to August and if you’re European, I hope you enjoy your vacation! Have a great weekend everyone!
Going 100%, Burlington’s RFP. Burlington, VT wants to become a true net-zero city and wants help to do so. The RFP reads like a checklist of legislative goals that are a great guide for other cities at the least and aspirational in the ways that Burlington seeks to achieve its future. Well done.
A PACE Securitization. Congrats to my friends at CleanFund for a $103million securitization of PACE assets that crossed borders and technologies. Most importantly it was rate AAA, which shows the strength that PACE can provide to financings in the C&I space.
Corporate Green Tariffs. Between utility offtake and community, solar/contract for differences in the green tariff. A rate schedule that allows corporations to use their leverage in an economic development process to grow the production of solar generation in the service area. I think that many states that don’t want markets will have to create a quasi QF program for green tariffs.
Public Company Updates. Tesla and SolarEdge filed their quarterly updates yesterday. Tesla short sellers are getting into some pain and SolarEdge continues to show the future of DG solar.
Thoughts On MA? What’s your feedback on the MA legislation that passed this week now that you have had time to review it? Let me know.

Have a great day!

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Have a great day!
Yann