By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Earlier this morning, SunPower filed its formal request to be excluded from the Trump Administration’s 30% tariff on imported solar modules, specifically

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Earlier this morning, SunPower filed its formal request to be excluded from the Trump Administration’s 30% tariff on imported solar modules, specifically

• Exclude solar cells based on copper-plated, IBC technology.
• Exclude solar modules based on copper-plated, IBC technology.
• Make the product exclusions described above retroactive to Feb. 7, 2018 (when the tariffs went into effect) and direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund any tariffs paid on the above-described products.

SolarWakeup’s View:  All we can say is that it’s about time. SunPower, a module manufacturer and one of the staunchest opponents of tariffs in last year’s seemingly endless battle, formally filed papers this morning to have their products excluded from the tariffs. Their argument is simple: Their products were significantly different enough from the silicon-based modules targeted by the tariffs to justify being exempt from them. To which we say: Bravo. Look, I have long been a critic of the tariffs imposed by President Donald J. Trump in January because I feared the law of unintended consequences would come back to bite the more innovative module manufacturers that have significant presences in this country. SunPower is one of the companies I worried about, and SunPower President and CEO Tom Werner warned the International Trade Commission that the tariffs would do irrevocable harm to the industry in general and SunPower in particular. The company has routinely been on the forefront of innovative and forward-thinking module manufacturers, and its dominance as the preferred supplier to the U.S. residential market speaks volumes about the quality of their products. Why the United States would want to punish a company that has done more than most to expand the industry that now employs more than 250,000 workers is beyond me. The next step is a 30-day public comment period (we are awaiting a link to where you can comment and will update it when we have it). Go comment and tell the government to support innovation in the solar industry. Exempt SunPower’s modules from these destructive tariffs. More Submit your comments to the request here

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Microsoft, in an interview with Greentech Media, explained why it was turning to approximately 60 MW of distributed solar to power its data centers in Singapore. Essentially:

Why Is Microsoft Getting Into Rooftop Solar?

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Controversial Kentucky House Bill (HB) 227 passed the House by four votes yesterday. Now the bill moves on to the Senate. It would

"I don't think anyone out there is forced to buy your excess inventory or excess product and pay you a price that will generate a profit for you. Yet that is what we are really doing," said [Republican Representative] Jim Gooch, the nincompoop who sponsored the bill.

Solar Messaging. This morning, most media outlets released their coverage of the 2017 solar market data which showed headlines of a 30% overall drop and drop in residential solar sector. So if your editor wants an Elon Musk failed or Trump kills solar headline, you could have written it with that focus. Coverage from Axios and CNBC, which don’t tend to have an anti-solar tweak didn’t come out with the most positive headlines. At SolarWakeup, I see what gets clicks and bad headlines are adored by readers so that’s part of the story but the other part of it was the messaging. 2016 was a banner year for political reasons and 2017 had 201 headwinds throughout the year. You’d have to get to the bottom of the press release to see that so while no-one in solar was surprised when I spoke with them, the non-solar worker reading mainstream headlines would think this space is struggling.

Scary Grid Stuff. Utility execs stay awake at night thinking about cyber attacks against the grid. Now the Trump administration is making he known unknown visible to the masses. Personally I don’t know what to do with the information except add it to the bullets on the slide of why the energy system needs more distributed generation and flexibility.

Trade And Manufacturing. China hawk Peter Navarro is telling Wall Street to ‘just relax’ regarding the tariffs. Saying that our trade deficits need to be stood up against. I have a question for Navarro. What would you say to the American worker that takes raw aluminum that is imported to the US and makes patented US manufactured solar racking products? Just relax? What do you say to the banker, lawyer and solar developer that just dropped a 20MW deal in Texas because of a solar module tariff? Just relax? Now that 201 manufacturing hype is coming back to reality, the cheerleaders of ‘new manufacturing’ are nowhere to be found because they are wrong, as wrong as most of them have been over the years on most things solar.

Weekend, Next Week. For the readers that joined our March Madness bracket, most of you are rooting big for UVA. For the two of you that picked Arizona to win it all, you will not be writing a SolarWakeup paragraph this year. Next week we will all get together with our friends from Vote Solar. It’s not too late for you to join me in San Francisco and lots of your solar friends. Reminder, if you spend $1,000 or more on tickets you get a space in this opening text. Just send me the receipt.

WAKEUP20. In 4 weeks, many of you will be with me as we bring SolarWakeup Live! to San Francisco to hear from leaders in venture capital, policy and CCA energy procurement. I’d love for your to join me as well, take 20% off an already very cheap ticket.

Have a great day!

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Have a great day!
Yann