20% growth for the 3rd year in a row, 1 in 83 jobs created was in solar and now the solar industry has 209,000 professionals in it. This is exciting for me, because I remember when we were well under 100k and growth was an uncertainty. Moreover, there is strength in numbers and as we grow into a profitable industry, it will be difficult to fight the combined strength of grassroots support, employment and businesses. The President didn’t fail to mention solar and even gave a shout out to solar + storage. The Solar Foundation continues their great work and here is their full job census.
Have a great day!
News
1 PV-Magazine:
U.S. solar industry surpasses 200,000 jobs
2 Bloomberg:
Nevada's Solar Power Fees Draw Ire of Silicon Valley Investors
3 New York Times:
Transcript of Obama’s 2016 State of the Union Address
4 PV-Tech:
Australia’s solar anti-dumping investigations resurrected
5 Vermont Public Radio:
Solar Companies Must Be Truthful In Marketing, Says AG
6 CleanTechnica:
Indonesia Plans To Set Up Renewable Energy Utility
7 Greentech Media:
10 Solar Trends to Watch in 2016
8 Utility Dive:
Solar moves ahead of wind, hydro in California fuel mix, toward 10% of state's power
Opinions:
9 Solar Server:
Oil price dumping improves mining companies’ position in long-term renewable energy contracts
Have a great day!
Yann
Solar may be a small part of the energy production but it’s already having the impacts. PV-Magazine in collaboration with GTM Research covered the bankruptcy filing by Arch Coal, the nation’s second largest coal miner. You can layer the regulatory headwind for Coal on top of each other but as reported, it is the cost of electricity production that is hurting coal the most. Running a plant and using the fuel has a cost before a return is made. If the value of the electron is too low, then the cost can’t be recovered which in turn creates bankruptcy situations. That’s in an open market however where generators have to compete (and consumers win) but the next step is for monopoly regulators to understand the same math.
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
What does solar have to do with the bankruptcy of the second-largest U.S. coal miner?
2 Bloomberg:
Nevada Solar-Law Author Concerned as Solar Companies Flee
3 Gizmodo:
A Massive Solar Power Plant Is Taking Shape in the Sahara Desert
4 Baltimore Sun:
Green energy - Baltimore's next manufacturing industry?
5 Think Progress:
The Little-Known Reason Renewable Prices Are Dropping
6 Greentech Media:
What Energy Efficiency Can Learn From Solar, Uber and Spotify
7 Mother Nature Network:
Why one church's use of solar panels matters
8 Forbes:
Is Good Faith Enough To Bank Our Energy Future On Renewables?
Opinions:
9 Huffington Post:
Is the Post-Fossil Fuel Era Now Inevitable?
Have a great day!
Yann
To see the impact of solar on politics, take a look at the short first article today. Hillary Clinton met with the Las Vegas Sun to go over Nevada electoral issues and the solar net metering/PUC topic was first on the list. She dodged the question a bit but also entered some knowledge into the record. It appears that the Solar Foundation’s job census is now on every campaign manager’s desk (hats off to them) about the impact of solar jobs in each state. Based on my count, President Obama will invite a solar professional to the State of the Union for the second time and may drop some more research in this year’s speech.
Opinion
News
1 Las Vegas Sun:
Q+A - Hillary Clinton shares stances on Nevada solar shake-up, Bundy saga and Yucca dumpsite
2 Greentech Media:
Nevada’s Solar Job Exodus Continues, Driven by Retroactive Net Metering Cuts
3 PV-Magazine:
Tax exemptions for solar components introduced in Brazil's legislature
4 Solar Novus:
Venture Capital Funding in Solar Sector Tops $1 Billion
5 Poughkeepsie Journal:
NY weighs rules that may limit rooftop solar panels
6 Quartz:
Pay-as-you-go solar power is bringing electricity to more people in rural East Africa
7 Renewable Energy World:
Fifteen Things to Watch Out for in 2016
8 Huffington Post:
"Obamas Invite Businessman Who Helps Low-Income Residents Afford Solar Panels"
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
What utilities need to know about solar growth after the ITC extension
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 New York Times:
The Conservative Case for Solar Subsidies
2 Forbes:
Why 2016 Will Be Solar's Year Again
3 Washington Post:
Wind, solar power soaring in spite of bargain prices for fossil fuels
4 PV-Tech:
Google expands online solar calculator to more US homeowners
5 Forbes:
What To Expect In Energy In 2016
6 Rocky Mountain Institute:
Top 12 Clean Energy Developments of 2015
7 PV-Magazine:
New York re-allocates $6 million in solar incentives
8 Renewable Energy World:
SunEdison Caps 2015 With Deals Boosting Balance Sheet
9 Las Vegas Review Journal:
Rooftop-solar company Sunrun says it is also exiting Nevada
10 Arizona Central:
Why we’re reaching out to the solar industry
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
