Policy in solar has good days, and days where there is more work to be done. One of those days happened in Mass yesterday when the Senate and House couldn’t reconcile their bills. At the same time, after the PUC in Hawaii went awol and cut net metering. Now there is a public outcry for fairness. A new poll was released yesterday that showed 97% of Hawaii residents want more rooftop solar. When they were told about the PUC’s solar changes, 4 out of 5 respondents saw it negatively. These are battles in the ongoing fight for a fair energy market.
Yann
News
1 Mass Lives:
Senate compromise on Massachusetts solar bill fails to pass before winter recess
2 Hawaii Business Journals:
97% support more rooftop solar in Hawaii, new poll shows
3 Bloomberg:
California to Miss Deadline in Setting Home Solar Payments
4 Miami Herald:
A debate over how to brighten solar power’s future in Florida
5 Greentech Media:
Strong Funding for Solar Finance, Technology and Startups Despite Stock Market Carnage
6 Utility Dive:
The future of rate design - Why the utility industry may shift away from fixed charges
7 Clean Technica:
Australia Boosts Solar Financing To Scalable Levels
8 ILSR:
It’s not Doomsday, but Neither is Ending the Solar Tax Credit Good Policy
Opinions:
9 EDF:
Local Solar Can Be Good For All Neighborhoods
Have a great day!
Yann
It’s all about the public markets right now. Last week, I was ready to call a bottom and see the short squeeze kick in but hedge fund investors have been selling out some positions this week. Does anyone really know why there are currently more sellers than buyers in the market? I don’t. In a discussion with a public markets investor, there was a clear difference with other sectors because of the value of the assets on the companies’ balance sheets. All of this is made more convoluted by the yieldco ownership structures but we shall see how this plays out.
Yann
News
1 Greentech Media:
Solar Stocks Continue to Plummet in a ‘Bizarre Confluence of Contradictory Events’
2 Bloomberg:
Crashing Solar's Convertible
3 New York Times:
Silver Lake Is Said to Invest $100 Million in SolarCity
4 PV-Magazine:
Enel marks push into renewables with Enel Green Energy repurchase
5 Boston Globe:
Business groups make last-minute lobbying push to limit solar incentives
6 USA Today:
White House pushes community solar power as rooftop alternative
7 PV-Tech:
Intersolar India - Government to restore 30% rooftop subsidy after slow start
8 Renewable Energy World:
Carbon Rules Under Clean Power Plan Would Survive Republican President - McCarthy
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
Wind and solar beating conventional fuels on costs – Lazard
Have a great day!
Yann
During the panel yesterday, I asked each of the panelists if solar was mainstream already. To my surprise, 50GW annual market does not give them the comfort that the industry is “mainstream”. Here’s my takeaway, especially after listening to last week’s GTM podcast about the Keystone pipeline. Solar is mainstream, not because of the market size but because of the size of our labor and advocacy force. Much like the NoKXL movement, solar is able to fight against the anti-competitive market makers and negotiate a fairer marketplace. Top article today shows what has to be done to overcome a drop in ITC and it doesn’t look good, so call your Senator today!
Yann
News
1 Greentech Media:
Here’s What It Would Take for Solar Installers to Adapt to a World Without the ITC
2 Mother Jones:
The Republican Wall of Climate Denial Is Starting to Crack
3 Washington Post:
Why leasing solar panels may not be a good idea if you’re planning a home sale
4 Renew Economy:
Australia open to 1.5 °C climate target, “carbon neutral” in 2050
5 New York Times:
Summit in Philippines Sets Stage for Climate Action in Paris
6 PV-Tech:
SolarWorld and REC Solar reports suggest collapse of UK solar market in 2016
7 Energy Collective:
If You Like Your Time-Invariant Electricity Price, You Can Keep It
8 PV-Magazine:
Australia - Clean energy funding program attracts 2 GW of applications
Opinions:
9 Treehugger:
Solar bicycle lane's first year is "a great success"
Have a great day!
Yann
I’m on my way to Boston to lead a set of panelists to discuss investing in solar. Massachusetts has been debating the net metering cap allocations and a set of rhetorical questions meant to challenge the logic used in public debate. The logic I want to challenge is that putting solar on my roof is subsidized by my neighbors without solar. Here are two questions for you and others to answer. I use 30-50kWh a day to charge my electric car, by using that much more energy, am I not subsidizing the grid for my neighbors that don’t have an EV? Should my utility be collecting gas tax now that more and more people are using electric vehicles? Aren’t gas users subsidizing the roads for me and other EV owners?
Opinions
News
1 Wall Street Journal:
Will Solar Energy Plummet if the Investment Tax Credit Fades Away?
2 PV-Magazine:
India's Modi puts solar firmly on G20 agenda
3 Inc:
What Solar City's CEO Really Thinks About Climate Change and His Cousin Elon Musk
4 Vox:
It's easy to buy "green power." Making a difference is a little harder.
5 Utility Dive:
Why clean energy advocates are challenging SCE's historic storage buy
6 Energy Collective:
Will the Paris Agreement Be a Legally Binding Treaty?
7 Greentech Media:
6 Key Takeaways From an Upbeat Analyst Day at SunPower
8 ABC Las Vegas:
Dozens speak up against changes to net metering rates for solar
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
Ode to US Market Risks as Paraphrased from Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'
Have a great day!
Yann
