By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:

• Enphase requested an exemption from the ridiculous Section 201 tariffs President Trump imposed last month.
• The inverter is attached to modules abroad and imported as a combined product making it subject to 201 tariffs.
• They hired a high-powered K-Street lobbying firm to lead their, well, lobbying efforts.

Solar Wakeup’s View: Enphase has been working to turn itself around after management shakeups and hiring of management consults. While focusing on internal issues, Enphase was caught in the middle of the 201 tariff without ever thinking they would be subject to it. Now the inverter manufacturer has to fight its way out of a 30% increase in their cost, which is already well above string inverter costs. First, they get credit for being the first non-module manufacturer to get actively involved in this fight. The fact they hail from another industry segment means the solar industry is coming to the realization that attacks on solar are attacks on all of us. Between this move and SEIA’s purported new direction, maybe the solar industry is finally going to fight back against those who want to destroy it. Secondly, Enphase’s decision to enter the fray emphasizes that a global settlement on this tariff issue is becoming ever-more critical. This is not a U.S. industry, or a Chinese industry or an Indian industry; this is a global industry. Therefore, the knuckleheaded decisions of one country can send shockwaves through the industry around the globe. Meanwhile, these tariff fights between countries distract us from focusing on the essential task for spreading the solar gospel around the world and trying to stop the planet from burning to a crisp. Well, that and there’s a lot of money to be made the bigger we get. Let’s not discount that. Lastly, Enphase has struggled in recent years to find its footing after competitor SolarEdge came into the market with a bang. I’ve always thought their response was timid. This news, coming as it does on the heels of a strong financial showing last quarter, means CEO Badri Kothandaraman is up for a good fight - and that could be good news for the company’s shareholders. More: Another U.S. Solar Company Seeks Exemption From Trump's Tariff (Bloomberg)

Big News At SolarWakeup. SolarWakeup will now be publishing original content. Veteran solar reporter, Frank Andorka has joined SolarWakeup as Senior Correspondent. He is bringing his multi-decade experience and passion for solar to this platform and to your inboxes. You can expect to get a breakdown of the news that matter. Part of his daily contribution is to review the article that was most clicked on by you and tell you why it mattered. Together, we will not shy away from advocacy and taking a stand for what moves solar forward. Our goal is to inform, advise and advance. Here is his intro article and please welcome Frank to SolarWakeup. You can find him at frank@solarwakeup.com and he absolutely loves scoops and tips.
What FERC Rule Means For Storage. This is the best breakdown of the FERC order that will establish new rules at the local RTO/ISOs for energy storage. It’s a positive move for storage and everyone in the market but don’t expect changes overnight. This is a discussion quite apparent at the energy storage conference in SF this week. Other than that, big topics continue to focus on revenue stacking and RFPs by the many utilities looking at combined solar and storage projects.
Unintended Consequences. I didn’t see this coming. Enphase makes their inverters and then ships them to Asia to be combined into smart solar modules. Now that 201 tariffs are in place, the Enphase cost is now considered part of the solar module and is taxed. Let’s get some rational action here. Suniva and SolarWorld need a settlement and so does the industry. Get something done folks. Happy to mediate if you all would like me to.
Local Solar Impact. I am often asked what solar workers can do for the industry outside of money. One of the easiest things to do is to set up a time to talk to a local legislator like a Congressman, State Rep, State Senator, Mayor etc. Take a few of your colleagues and spend an hour educating them about your work, don’t ask for anything but show them you exist and bring some pictures of your work. If you do this every month and everyone does it, think of the impact it will have. If this seems too difficult, tell me what could be done to make this easier for you.
Fun Times Talking 201. Did you listen to my conversation about 201? This was fun and great content. Please share with your colleagues.
Are You Coming? Get your ticket for SolarWakeup Live! San Francisco

Opinion

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Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Good morning, everyone. I’m Frank Andorka, and I’ll be your new senior correspondent here at SolarWakeup.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been in the solar industry now for seven years now, first as the founding editor of Solar Power World and most recently as a correspondent for pv magazine USA.

But at various times during my glorious time in this industry, I’ve worked with the proprietor of this news analysis site and have enjoyed every minute of it. So when Yann Brandt asked me if I’d ever consider joining his team at the ever-expanding Wakeup Media, well, how could I possibly say no?

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Good morning, everyone. I’m Frank Andorka, and I’ll be your new senior correspondent here at SolarWakeup.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been in the solar industry now for seven years now, first as the founding editor of Solar Power World and most recently as a correspondent for pv magazine USA.

But at various times during my glorious time in this industry, I’ve worked with the proprietor of this news analysis site and have enjoyed every minute of it. So when Yann Brandt asked me if I’d ever consider joining his team at the ever-expanding Wakeup Media, well, how could I possibly say no?

There’s one thing you need to know about me straight off: I don’t hold back. I don’t pull punches. And I’m pretty opinionated. So when there’s an issue facing the solar industry that I feel passionately about, you can rest assured I will share it with you first.

More importantly, however, I’ve been a reporter for more than 20 years. I love breaking news and sharing it with my readers. And what I’ve always loved about SolarWakeup in general - and Yann in particular - is the context in which he puts solar industry news.

Based on my knowledge of what has happened in the industry over the past seven years (and the people I know who can tell me what it was like before then), I will be helping Yann put the news in the proper context for you - how it will affect you and your bottom line.

Because after all, any publication worth investing my time in should strive to serve its readers first. It should be the industry’s advocate when possible, its conscience when necessary and a place to have a little fun along the way.

You can reach me at frank@solarwakeup.com or hit me up at 216-272-2885 (I text at that number, and that’s probably the best way to reach me after email).

I look forward to helping Yann continue the important mission he has committed to at SolarWakeup, and I look forward to getting to know all of you, too. Thanks for reading.

Frank Andorka is a senior correspondent at SolarWakeup. You can reach him at frank@solarwakeup.com

Storage Week. Find me at the Storage Week event tomorrow to talk about how energy storage development is progressing and what type of contracts are making the rounds. In two weeks, I will be in Denver for the COSEIA conference to interview the founders of the Clean Energy Credit Union, a great new concept for solar. Most importantly, join me in San Francisco on April 10th for SolarWakeup Live and buy your ticket here. 

Discussing 201. This episode of SolarWakeup Live was recorded in New York. I go behind the scenes on the 201 tariff with CEO of PanelClaw, Costa Nicolaou. We debate the work that was done solar industry and where it went well and where it needs to be improved in future legislative fights. This was a fun conversation, pre-Super Bowl so you have to ignore my less than confident jabs at Tom Brady’s tactics. If you enjoy these conversations, please rate the podcast on iTunes.

SEIA News Making. The message is “solar going on the offensive” to execute on the newly states vision that SEIA released ahead of its board meeting. Newly elected board members are sitting for the first time to represent the solar industry. Members of the board tell me they expect to hear some ideas on changing things up a bit, even though some things will remain the same, namely the trade show partnership with SEPA. No details yet on what is happening at the board but if the latest media blitz is a sign of things to come, expect more Abby Hopper with a more aggressive tone. At least when compared to the first interview she gave last January right here with SolarWakeup. Stay tuned.

March Madness. Everyone’s dream is to write these words, I know. Now you have two different chances to do that. SolarWakeup is having the 1st annual March Madness bracket challenge and it’s free. Go to ESPN Tournament Challenge and search for SolarWakeup group. The password is GoSolar. The more folks we have, the more fun we will have. The winner gets to write the opening paragraph and promote their agenda, company or cause.

Sponsor This Space. When you sponsor our events, your message goes out to the readers for 4 weeks on this newsletter and you get to write your own paragraph. So if you are reading this right now, you see that it works. Email me for more details and pricing.

HUGE News. More tomorrow

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann