Solar Job Numbers Out. Here is your 2017 Solar Jobs Census from the Solar Foundation. Down almost 10,000 jobs but up in 29 States. California and Massachusetts lost the most jobs, 14% and 21% respectively. This is all due to the 201 uncertainty. Suniva and SolarWorld would never create 10,000 jobs and here is the impact they caused, backed by data. This is mostly before the USITC injury finding and definitely before the 201 decision. I’d love to hear from you how 2017 went for your company versus your business plan and how you are planning for 2018.
Blockchain In Solar. The first podcast from the SolarWakeup Live! New York discussions is out. This one was on a topic I didn’t know much about until I started planning. Blockchain is an intriguing technology concept that can help power markets in many ways and in a simplified explanation can become the net metering of the future. It will be some time before it gets integrated more fully but IT companies are already using it without your knowledge which will continue to increase over time. It’s a cool concept that was a popular discussion at the show. Catch the podcast here.
Oil To Solar, Saudi Style. It has taken years for Saudi Arabia to go solar but now it is starting, tapping ACWA Power to build the first large solar farm. Without the trade fights increasing the cost of solar artificially, we saw PPA offers sub 3 cents without subsidies. Keep your eyes on these new markets to push pricing down across solar and energy storage going forward. Scale matters on a global scale.
China To WTO. I guess we will have to watch the WTO process with multiple parties engaging the trade court with regard to the 201 tariff decision. Seems like the easier way would be for President Xi to pick up the phone and tell Trump to drop the tariffs and AD/CVD decisions as well. Sounds that simple to me, Trump feeling that he’s doing Xi a favor should do the trick.
Electrification Sources. Every utility is going to have a different fuel mix so if you have an electric car, the source will differ. There is going to be a direct link between EV drives and their adoption of solar on their home and business because they will want, if possible, get their energy from the sun. That is a lifestyle difference that comes up with the change in habits on the driving side. If you are selling solar to your customers, focus on those with electric cars, they are ready to make a deal.
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A New (Gas) Tax. If most new car sales are going to be electric in a few years then imagine what will happen to gas tax revenues. Those taxes are largely used to pay for the infrastructure needed to move those cars around: roads, bridges and highways. The gas tax is already lacking in sufficient revenues, when electric cars circumvent the tax we need to look at a tax on energy consumption. Some States are looking at annual registration fees which don’t track consumption. Also, an energy tax for transportation makes more sense because it tracks across energy usage. Utilities will fight against this but even a $0.001/kWh gas tax would make a big dent in infrastructure revenue shortfalls.
SAII. Solar As Infrastructure Investments. The experimental marriage between SunPower and First Solar looks to be on the way to the end. Capital Dynamics has announced that it is acquiring 8point3 from the JV partners. Capital Dynamics has been aggressive and winning deals in the solar market. With this $1billion investment Capital Dynamics is making it clear that doing infrastructure and investing in solar is not mutually exclusive. 8point3 still goes down as the most clever branding venture with the ticker of CAFD, it was a great combination of name and ticker.
Nuclear Group Showdown. Grab your popcorn, there is trouble in nuclear paradise. NextEra has filed a lawsuit against NEI, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the trade group representing nuclear power’s interests in DC. Both NextEra and Energy have apparently left NEI as of the end of 2017. Within the details of the suit, it comes out that NextEra pays somewhere near $860k in membership dues. This makes me wonder what NextEra pays SEPA to be a member. It’s definitely not $860k and probably not even 10% of that number. This seems like an opportunity for SEPA to review its fee structure as its members leave other groups in the changing priorities.
Good Luck With That. Company comes up with the idea to put solar on the Trump Wall. Trump likes the idea. Trump doesn’t use the idea in the sample walls. Company plans on suing Trump for the solar wall which now has a patent applied for. The wall appears to be making people act in ways that are counter intelligent.
Worried About Solar Scale? You can go down the line and count up the billions of investments that automobile OEMs are making into energy storage. Porsche is now adding $7.5billion to that total. We will soon discuss in greater detail the role that our solar industry plays in the e-mobility space.
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Getting To Minneapolis. The Super Bowl was last night and it was in Minneapolis. This will be the second most exciting thing in MN this year because I’ll be there during a special SolarWakeup Live! keynote interview with Connexus CEO Greg Ridderbusch during Midwest Solar Expo. Since some of the readers have lost their way as Patriots fans and I don’t want to lose any more subscribers, I will not be congratulating the Eagles or say Fly Eagles Fly.
Get Political. This is correct. The democrats have done a lousy job making solar a political issue. It’s a natural wedge issue, arguing for more jobs with higher wages. At the same time it lets politicians take a stand against monopolies. I always cringe when people tell me solar doesn’t do well in elections because I can count on one hand the political races that were impacted by solar as a issue. I want to see more elections where solar is a central topic while at the same time the argument against monopoly incumbents is made. That’s an issue talking point that works for voters, on both sides of the aisle.
Oil Convergence. Much is being made about oil companies going all in on solar. First off, couple hundred million dollars into solar is far from all in. Oil companies reported some $50billion in profits, last quarter. They also see the statistics on electric vehicles which will not get their energy from oil products. In order to keep that ‘market share’ they need to produce the new fuel, which is electricity.
100% Is Just Smart. A dialogue about 100% renewable energy goals is percolating and whether the goal is smart, achievable and politically motivated. The question to me isn’t whether 100% makes sense, it’s what the timeframe to achieve it is. A goal would be to push the envelope on doing it faster and while it will require capital investments, it will have very little exposure fuel cost volatility and create long term price transparency for customers.
Holy Electric. With Tesla Model 3 reservations in full delivery (I got my invitation to design last week) it will increase EV penetration by more than 30% monthly in the early months of 2018. What happens when the big OEMs get into this game? How much more energy will we need? How will we manage the additional consumption to the likely nighttime peaks it will create?
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