Banks getting into the sector still makes news, which I think is great because it puts a name to the face. The face, of course, is the $150billion that came into the solar space in 2015. Bank of America is the brand that makes the rest of the market feel the competition for projects that are looking for the money. On Friday, BoA announced a new fund for SolarCity and has great credibility with retail investors. So as we enter a week of public failure in the solar space, remember the billions that fund solar projects every single week. The next step is to reduce the spread between project returns on where comparable real estate assets get funded.
Opinion
News
1 Renewable Energy World:
Banks Pledge $7BN to Scale Up Clean Energy Investment
2 Fortune:
Financial Turmoil at SunEdison Imperils Solar Projects Worldwide
3 Boston Globe:
Governor Baker to sign solar compromise
4 Breaking Energy:
China Gives Green Light For Green Bonds
5 PV-Tech:
SolarCity’s 1GW Buffalo fab using technology from Japan, Germany and Taiwan
6 Renew Economy:
WA takes lead and tells utility to close down fossil fuel generation
7 Think Progress:
Sorry, Feds - Kids Can Sue Over Climate Negligence, Judge Says
8 Star Tribune:
Report faults Xcel's handling of solar garden project
Opinions:
9 EDF:
Transforming the Electric System to Reduce Costs and Pollution
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 New York Times:
A Renewable Energy Boom
2 Greentech Media:
A First Look at Amazon’s New Drone-Based Solar Installation Service
3 Bloomberg:
SunEdison Plunges on Report of Plans to File for Bankruptcy
4 Mass Live:
Massachusetts House passes bill lifting solar net metering cap
5 Los Angeles Times:
Are you paying too much for a rooftop solar system?
6 FastCo Exist:
A Texan Solar CEO Who Wants To Eliminate Subsidies Is Now A Fox News Darling
7 Renewable Energy World:
When Will Rooftop Solar Be Cheaper Than The Grid? Here's A Map
8 Bloomberg:
Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels
9 Renewable Energy World:
Community Solar Tipping Point
10 PV-Magazine:
Solar takes center stage at BNEF Future of Energy Summit
The Top 10 is ranked by the number of SolarWakeup.com readers that clicked on the news article during the previous week. It is the poll of the most relevant solar news of the week as judged by your colleagues and competitors.
Have a great day!
Yann
Headlines are always tricky and we all fall for them. The days that you, the reader, doesn’t like the headlines you don’t read the news. I know because I see the traffic from email and website which can vary up to 40% up or down. Take today’s headline for example, I actually view less corporate activity as a positive sign for our sector because all of the data shows that project financing is up. I recognize that profits have yet to be fully understood and sized correctly but more project finance is good. The companies with the best ability to deploy capital, large sums of it, will be the leaders in the space.
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Hard times in corporate funding for solar during Q1
2 PV-Tech:
SunEdison bankruptcy risk won’t derail Indian solar targets, says government
3 Bloomberg:
Solar Energy Thrives in Face of Cheap Oil
4 Greenbiz:
Utilities push back against solar
5 Utility Dive:
Maryland Senate passes 25% RPS in clean energy jobs bill
6 CleanTechnica:
Carbon Pricing Is Necessary, But Has Limits
7 Renewable Energy World:
When Will Rooftop Solar Be Cheaper Than The Grid? Here's A Map
8 Huffington Post:
Bridge to Nowhere - California PUC’s Rubber-Stamping of New Gas Plants Holds Back Clean Energy
Opinions:
9 Greentech Media:
To Become Truly Mainstream, Solar Will Need to Cost 25 Cents per Watt by 2050
Have a great day!
Yann
David vs Goliath is a metaphor that we hear quite a bit about our sector. Well some good news in the discussion in Arizona because two solar advocates won board seats in an election for the 10 member SRP board. Two other solar advocates were not successful but even when you don’t have the majority, you can sway the rules of the game. Welcome to the hot seat! We appreciate solar advocates doing the hard work of getting elected. Let’s get more people involved!
Opinion
News
1 Arizona Central:
Solar advocates Paul Hirt and Nick Brown win seats on SRP board
2 Mass Live:
Massachusetts House passes bill lifting solar net metering cap
3 Bloomberg:
Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels
4 PV-Magazine:
Healthy competition - An interview with Jenny Chase, BNEF head of solar
5 Solar Power World:
New SEPA report details drivers for cutting utility-scale solar LCOE
6 Renewable Energy World:
Five Policies Blocking Microgrids (From a Veteran of Local Energy Wars)
7 PV-Tech:
Yingli fails to find agreement with bond holders as deadline nears
8 Greentech Media:
5 Quotes We Love From BNEF’s Future of Energy Summit
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
'Wake up worrying' - NextEra-Hawaiian Electric merger in doubt as regulators near decision time
Have a great day!
Yann
