Two Sidesisms. There is a pushback on the solar mandate from California. It’s not coming from the solar industry but it is reaching the media and being spun as a solar versus solar fight. Requiring new homes to have solar makes so much sense to me. It eliminates customer acquisition and associated soft costs. Installing 10kW on 100 homes in a neighborhood is a lot cheaper than selling 10kW, 100 times. At the end of the day, homeowners will buy a house with 30 year low cost financing (mortgage) with an installed solar cost below the retrofit market price. The two markets work hand in hand though, because the labor force will be better trained to install solar and lower the market price. I am more worried and upset about the PR tactic that appears to be trying to divide the solar industry. Where is this coming from? How about talking about the tactics of Eversource in MA and CT? Eversource is seeking to increase the cost to ratepayers by lowering solar adoption rates through demand charges and net metering rule changes. That’s a story that the media should cover because readers love to hear about handouts to monopolies. It makes them pretty mad.

Matching Actions With Goals. I think Hawaii has done many things right when it comes to renewables. In general, it has juggled the island effect, growth of solar and utility interaction in a smart way. When it killed net metering, solar folks lost their jobs but the economy was good enough that most were able to find other work. With storage costs coming down, the intention was for the solar market to come back with a combined solar plus storage market for distributed generation. The market needs volume to kickstart, however. Everything on an island is more expensive. Hawaii had a great opportunity, which it missed this year, to drive volumes up for storage with a small incentive the same way it did with the solar tax credit. In order to get to 100% renewables there will be a balance of utility owned assets, 3rd party owners and the distributed generation market. Hawaii should revisit the growth of the DG market which can be incredibly helpful in the network.

Who’s Looking Out For DG? ILSR is all about keeping things local and they’ve got a great DG report out that’s worth looking at. The solar coaster has its ups and downs, but as long as we fight our hardest the future will remain bright. What’s great about distributed generation is that our wins benefit consumers. Every time dg gets cheaper and better, hardworking Americans get to benefit by producing their own energy on their own homes. It also translates to more competition like having the choice to buy retail energy from companies that compete. I like being on the underdog side of this fight, but I also relish winning which is why I often step out of the shadows and say what needs to be said.

Look Out For The Anti-EV Machine. A Tesla crash of any kind creates a news cycle unlike any other. My neighbors warn of risks with electric vehicles and Elon has to tweet about an accident resulting in a broken ankle. Electric cars are a better car and will drive the energy sector forward which is what scares everyone in the traditional markets. Trillions of dollars are going to shift over the coming decade, insurance, auto OEMs, utilities, and oil majors will fight a fight which will involve plenty of nasty PR.

Making Deals In Illinois. I’m excited for the Illinois market but every time I dig into a segment, whether community solar or large procurement, I realize that the regulatory environment leaves some issues resolved. I also talk to many people that are developing projects and looking for capital, whether developer or permanent. That’s why we are setting up a matchmaking network at the Chicago event on June 21st. Learn more here.

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Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Hawaii's energy storage incentive legislation - Senate Bill (SB) 2100 - was adjourned "sine die," or "without a day," meaning it will get no more hearings in the current session.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Hawaii's energy storage incentive legislation - Senate Bill (SB) 2100 - was adjourned "sine die," or "without a day," meaning it will get no more hearings in the current session.

The bill, which would have replaced the current renewable energy technology systems tax credit with tax credits for solar or wind energy systems and energy storage systems, would have been one of the first laws in the country to create an incentive for storage systems.

Without such legislation, it's fair to ask how Hawaii will reach its mandated goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2045.

SolarWakeup’s View:  Hawaii, with its abundant sunshine and high electricity prices - the penalty they pay for living in paradise - has made the island a hotbed for solar development since the industry's early days. With an aggressive goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2045, the solar industry has grown exponentially, and the Aloha State currently boasts one of the highest solar penetration rates in the country. But with that development has come speed bumps, including a sudden elimination of net metering that nearly strangled the industry, although development has continued, albeit more slowly, under other utility programs. Recently, the state has been trying to figure out how to integrate storage into its solar industry to encourage more self-consumption and less excess electricity export to the grid. One of the most recent attempts to integrate storage was Senate Bill (SB 2100), which would have changed the current solar tax credit system into a solar + storage tax credit system. Unfortunately, SB 2100 failed to get out of committee during this legislative session, postponing any hearings on the bill indefinitely and effectively killing any chance it had of passage. The problem Hawaii faces isn't entirely unique. It's tough to sell incentives in a market that has scaled so rapidly and where prices have fallen so precipitously - and continue to do so. But it's hard to imagine a world where the state can reach its goal of powering itself entirely by renewable energy by 2045 without something like SB 2100 in place. Let's hope that the bill comes back next session and that Hawaii sees its way clear to continue its clean-energy leadership by passing it. More: Hawaii Senate Bill 2100 (Adjourned Sine Die)