These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 New York Times:
Enemies of the Sun
2 Greentech Media:
Layoffs at SunEdison as Investors Question the Renewable Energy Developer’s Strategy
3 Fortune:
Solar startup to build big factory in upstate New York
4 Forbes:
SolarCity Claims New Solar Efficiency Record, Here Is What That Means
5 Motley Fool:
5 Technologies That Could Drive Solar Energy Growth for Decades
6 CNBC:
Utilities’ newest solar battleground - California
7 Denver Post:
NREL cutting four percent of workforce, lays off solar researchers
8 IEEE:
Arizona Utility Blinks in Bitter Battle Over Rooftop Solar
9 PV-Tech:
SunEdison reduces project completions guidance by 20% and exits UK market
10 EDF:
A Stealth Tool to Modernize the Electric Grid
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
Bill Gates has been pushing pretty hard on clean energy R&D. While I don’t think that is where a billionaire willing to spend it should focus, the news from NREL are disturbing to me. What is the cost of the 15 researchers at NREL to the Federal Government? Their reports and information is clearly NPV positive. Just recently, NREL focused on standardizing PPA contracts for solar which could be a driver towards lowering costs. So Bill Gates should think about funding the positions and more at NREL. Money well spent.
Yann
News
1 Washington Post:
The U.S. needs a solar energy revolution. But it’s laying off solar energy researchers
2 EDF:
Citibank - How Investments in Clean Energy can Save Trillions
3 Think Progress:
Now Is The Time For A Carbon Tax, IMF Chief Says
4 Renewable Energy World:
Investment Tax Credit, Clean Power Plan and What Solar Can Learn from Volkswagen
5 PV-Magazine:
UK - First round of solar job losses announced as FIT cuts bite
6 San Diego Union Tribune:
Solar workers rally at utility’s doorstep
7 Orange County Register:
Can a house charge an electric car? At Solar Decathlon it can, with rooftop solar power
8 Arizona Central:
APS estimate - Solar customers underpay significantly
Opinions:
9 Fresno Bee:
Larry Bettencourt - Solar benefits Valley farms
Have a great day!
Yann
Let's all take a breath. This talk about a global solar meltdown, emerging market collapse is a giant over reaction. SunEdison is leaving the UK not because of any internal problems. It is leaving because the Conservative party in the UK has decided to cater to fossil interests and eliminate all markets for solar. The stock price of solar stocks has come down because Wall Street operates on feeling and not reality. Who knows if the yieldco is the right strategy? But at the end of the day solar projects have cash flow and whether a cash flow comes from mortgages, airplane leases or solar plants, investors will want to own the cash flow stream.
Yann
News
1 PV-Tech:
SunEdison reduces project completions guidance by 20% and exits UK market
2 Fortune:
Solar startup to build big factory in upstate New York
3 Star Tribune:
Stalled Xcel solar garden program in Minnesota may end up in court
4 AZ Central:
Arizona utility regulators - We won't abstain from vote on APS solar fees
5 Denever Post:
NREL cutting 4% of workforce, lays off solar researchers
6 Seeking Alpha:
SolarCity's Threats Are Not A Huge Problem For Chinese Solar Companies
7 PV-Magazine:
Australia drops anti-dumping case against Chinese solar firms
8 Greentech Media:
SunEdison Seeks to Reassure Investors About Its Growth Path
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
3 Ways Public Dollars Can Embrace Risk, Catalyze Emerging Market Clean Energy
Have a great day!
Yann
What is the price of a bond? The answer mostly depends on the underlying entity providing the guarantee. Corporates will sit in the 4-5% range. Utilities are significantly lower and Governments often beat that even more. What is the cost of a green bond? A solar bond? Clearly higher, in some cases 50% higher. I have no idea why that is except that the market clearly thinks there is some sort of risk integrated in this. So we need to figure out how to rebrand bonds from green bonds to safer bonds. GM, with a bankruptcy just a few years back, is trading bonds at 6.25% for 30 years. That’s lunacy.
Yann
News
1 Renewable Energy World:
EIB Links Green Bonds to Projects in Second Push for Climate
2 Utility Dive:
Updated-DC mayor, Exelon announce official settlement on Pepco merger
3 Washington Post:
Wind and solar keep getting cheaper and cheaper
4 Greentech Media:
The IRS Plans to Issue New Regulations for the Investment Tax Credit
5 PV-Tech:
JinkoSolar freezes plans for module assembly plant in Brazil
6 Breaking Energy:
3 Ways Our Manufacturing Institutes Are Changing The Clean Energy Game
7 Clean Technica:
Africa Could Quadruple Renewable Energy Capacity By 2030
8 PV-Magazine:
South Africa announces 1.5 GW solar park plan
Opinions:
9 Digital Trends:
Here’s how many solar panels we’d need to provide power for the entire planet
Have a great day!
Yann
