Last week the UNEP released its 2015 data and it largely corresponds to the BNEF data we saw a few months ago. $286billion was spent globally to build renewable energy, which is more than double the total investment in oil & gas. Renewable energy now accounts for 10.3% of globally energy (excluding large hydro). WaPo makes a good point that we need to move faster because the world still installed 43GW of coal. The last 5 years was a coal replaced by NatGas cycle but hopefully we enter the phase where we skip that step and just go fossil to renewable.
Have a great day!
News
1 Vox:
Wind and solar are growing at a stunning pace (just not enough to stop climate change)
2 CleanTechnica:
21% Solar PV Learning Curve To Continue, Report Projects
3 Solar Power World:
7 cool solar installations at U.S. airports
4 Energy Collective:
EIA Reviews and Enhances Data and Projections for Wind and Solar Electricity
5 Greenbiz:
The new clean energy powers
6 Republican Herald:
Rooftop solar becomes political football
7 Wall Street Journal:
Solar-Panel Installers Face Clouded Future
8 San Jose Mercury News:
Stanford Solar Vehicle team reeling over lost VW sponsorship
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Wall Street’s Retreat From King Coal
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 Greentech Media:
SunEdison Shares Plunge as News of Debt Restructuring Leaks
2 PV-Tech:
Terraform Global cancels 326MW deal
3 CleanTechnica:
Utility-Scale PV Projects
4 PV-Magazine:
New Jersey Senate passes 80% renewable energy mandate
5 Rocky Mountain Institute:
Market Price Risk and the “Hockey Stick PPA”
6 PV-Tech:
California utility SDG&E responds to protests regarding net metering reversal
7 Washington Post:
Why this new solar market could be set to explode
8 Greentech Media:
The Trump Energy Policy in Tweet Form
9 Las Vegas Sun:
Lawsuit seeks to overturn ruling on rooftop solar rates
10 Miami Herald:
We’ve got the sun — now let’s go solar!
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
The top stories today are about community solar. This market segment is now gaining large amounts of traction from a publicity and development standpoint. Legislators are gearing bills up to allow this practice but there are two points I’d like to point out. As the second story asks, how will regulators ensure that the pricing of credits are done fairly. This is key for the financing of the asset because if the language is nuanced or vague, investors will find themselves having a hard time getting debt or more importantly tax equity. With all of the traction, you’ve seen few get built to this point and the lack of regulatory certainty is probably behind some of the slow growth.
Have a great day!
News
1 Vox:
Love solar power but got no rooftop? "Shared solar" is coming for you.
2 Renewable Energy World:
Will Utilities Price Community Solar Subscriptions Fairly?
3 Think Progress:
Worldwide Renewable Energy Investment Hits A New Record
4 EDF:
Boost Investor Confidence and Watch America's Energy Market Transform
5 Greentech Media:
What Drives Utility Solar Growth in a Post-ITC-Extension World?
6 Utility Dive:
How Maine's power players are reacting to its pathbreaking new solar proposal
7 Huffington Post:
Energy Co-ops in America
8 Grist:
How much energy could the U.S. get from solar?
Opinions:
9 Washington Post:
Why this new solar market could be set to explode
Have a great day!
Yann
For independents in swing states, the key metric is “more likely to support.” These voters are the holy grail when it comes to campaigns and a new poll shows that an astounding 27% of independents in swing states are more likely to support a candidate that shows vocal support for solar. Solar is now a meaningful issue, we have already seen the support of subsidies by government but now the politicians that support those subsidies can benefit. This poll comes just a week after the utility group, formerly SEPA, released a push poll that showed that consumers like have robust net metering even after the utility pollster tried to influence their response. See the results here
Have a great day!
News
1 Solar Industry:
Poll - Candidates’ Solar Stance Could Sway Independent Voters In Swing States
2 PV-Tech:
Commerce dept. confirms Silevo decision pushed to April
3 Rocky Mountain Institute:
The Many Flavors of Community-Scale Solar
4 Greenbiz:
Despite politics, U.S. ahead of pace on Clean Power Plan goals
5 Utility Dive:
Updated - DC PSC approves Exelon-Pepco merger
6 New York Times:
Nuclear Plant Leak Threatens Drinking Water Wells in Florida
7 MIT:
Solar Is a Booming Business, but It’s Still Not Generating Much of Our Power
8 Seattle Times:
Solar incentives sunset as states grapple with tight budgets
Opinions:
9 The Advocate:
Letters - Nevada a case in what not to do in solar power metering
Have a great day!
Yann
