Two major thoughts for the day. If you have additional insight, please send us a note. Everyone should think about joining me at the Midwest Solar Expo next Tuesday and Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Florida Reaffirms The Law. On Friday morning, the Florida PSC voted unanimously to approve the declaratory statement requested by Sunrun. The request, which included a solar lease template, was to ensure that Sunrun wouldn’t be considered a utility if they marketed and contracted in Florida using this structure. More importantly, this was a preemptive defense before entering the market. What Sunrun and others couldn’t do is come into Florida, sell a lot of leases and invest millions just to face a complaint by one of the investor-owned utilities. Just the process of defending the structure without this declaratory statement is a corporate risk that nobody could take.

The Market Potential in Florida. It’s been 10 years since the PSC in Florida asked for a report to be issued on the technical potential for solar in Florida. Navigant reports showed that rooftop solar had a 52GW technical potential at 2008 solar module efficiencies. With barely any capacity installs since the report, Florida’s technical potential is still intact, maybe greater than it was a decade ago. A sidenote, Florida will have higher than every other State adoption. Every Floridian wants solar on their home and showing off to our neighbors is everything for the Floridian mentality. Even though our energy rates are low, don’t be surprised how quickly the market grows in Florida. This market could give California a run for its money.

Consumer Scare Tactic. An interesting quote from the Office of Public Counsel, OPC, the entity that represents the consumer at PSC proceedings. They say that the consumer will not be represented by OPC since Sunrun (and others) will not be considered a utility. What they fail to mention is that the DBPR (licensing agency) represents consumers for all licensed contracting work which this falls under.

SunPower’s New Power. It’s been several days since SunPower announced the acquisition of SolarWorld. Most of the coverage is about 201 tariffs and we first wrote about the potential this has on their business lines. Now that the CEO has given interviews, there is another topic that hasn’t been discussed. SolarWorld USA is the sole petitioner of the AD/CVD cases and the co-petitioner of the 201 case. SolarWorld USA is now SunPower which means that any global settlement talks are now represented by SunPower folks. Trump mentioned global settlements when he signed 201 tariffs and those could be ongoing with a new team in the room. A sidenote, Tom Starrs (of SunPower) is the Chairman of SEIA and director at SEPA and is based in Oregon according to his Linkedin profile. Has SEIA started to lobby its board chair to settle the tariffs?

Tom Werner’s Focus. With all of the moving parts, it is important to remember that Tom Werner’s fiduciary duty is to his shareholders, not the solar industry. I am optimistic, however, that pendulum of success swings farthest when the market thrives. Removing barriers to silicon trade could make SunPower’s supply chain more efficient since Hemlock is seeking access to the China market once again. Definitely, a lot more to come on this story.

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Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Five Congresspeople - two Democrats and three Republicans - have sponsored the Protecting American Solar Jobs Act (HR 5571).

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Five Congresspeople - two Democrats and three Republicans - have sponsored the Protecting American Solar Jobs Act (HR 5571).

If the bill passed, all duties and tariffs revert to previous rates and allow companies that imported any affected solar products under this new tariff to receive retroactive reimbursement.

Under the current leadership in the House of Representatives, it's unlikely the bill will even make it out of committee - but that doesn't mean the willingness to fight the noxious tariffs is insignificant.

SolarWakeup’s View:  Showing an unusual level of bipartisanship, five Congressman have introduced a bill that would repeal the current solar tariffs and reimburse companies that have been charged tariffs since their February implementation. Godspeed, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Sanford (R-SC), Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Steve Knight (R-CA). The Protecting American Solar Jobs Act (HR 5571) would enact tariff repeal for the duties imposed in February by President Donald J. Trump on all imported solar modules, starting at 30% this year and gradually decreasing over the next four until they would be eliminated entirely. Just discussing the tariffs for nine months last year created enough uncertainty in the market to cost the U.S. solar industry 9,800 jobs, and most estimates project overall job losses for the four years to be in the neighborhood of 23,000 total. So the solar industry should be doing backflips that this bipartisan effort is coming forth in a House of Representatives that has shown little ability to agree on anything else. In my opinion, this bill has little chance of even getting out of committee, let alone being allowed on the floor by outgoing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, whose willingness to stand up for American workers and against powerful lobbying groups has been, well, let's just say it's been proven a bit lacking in recent years. Still, what a great rallying cry this bill could be for an industry that needs unity now more than ever before. I'd urge all of you to reach out to your Representatives and demand they support this bipartisan tariff repeal. And when you're done making those calls, pick up the phone and demand your Senator sponsor a companion tariff repeal bill in their body of Congress. To paraphrase Emiliano Zapata Salazar, the hero of the Mexican Revolution, it's better to stand up and fight than die in the shadows. It's time to take to the battlements and fight for our industry. Start making the calls today. (It's worth noting that two of the representatives sponsoring the bill are from South Carolina, where the legislature just snatched solar's defeat from the jaws of its victory. I wonder if either of them will perhaps mention to their state-level counterparts that the solar revolution is happening whether they like it or not - and perhaps they should get on board or get out of the way.) More: Rep. Huffman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Repeal the Trump Administration’s Harmful Solar Tariffs Utility Monopolies Screw SC Solar After Sneaky Shift On Bill South Carolina Sends Solar Soaring With Cap Removal Bonus: The times, they are a changin' https://youtu.be/e7qQ6_RV4VQ

The Energy Show with Barry Cinnamon Public policies have a tremendous influence on the energy we use, as well as the condition of our environment. State and Federal legislators make these policies with input from private citizens and businesses. The solar industry quite frankly has thrived with policies in favor of clean renewable energy, and it’s no accident that California is a leader in solar and clean renewable energy. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) helps advocate for favorable business and citizen policies in Silicon Valley and they have made a tremendous impact not only in California but also in Washington DC.

The Energy Show with Barry Cinnamon Public policies have a tremendous influence on the energy we use, as well as the condition of our environment. State and Federal legislators make these policies with input from private citizens and businesses. The solar industry quite frankly has thrived with policies in favor of clean renewable energy, and it’s no accident that California is a leader in solar and clean renewable energy. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) helps advocate for favorable business and citizen policies in Silicon Valley and they have made a tremendous impact not only in California but also in Washington DC.