SRP is asking for a $50/month fee for homeowners that add solar. Ridiculous but let’s look down the road. If I were a utility exec then I would be worried to overcharge the solar fee, killing solar never really worked for anyone, eventually it will come back and hurt even more. $50/month is a great incentive for homeowners to go to the more drastic grid defection route because it makes more financial sense perhaps, but $50/month may be what is necessary to recoup the expense of ‘helping’ a couple utility commissioners get elected, let’s see.
Yann
News
1 AZ Central:
SRP's proposed rate hike targets new rooftop-solar customers
2 Think Progress:
Canada’s Green Energy Sector Now Employs More People Than Its Tar Sands
3 Renew Economy:
EU’s biggest utility dumps conventional generation to focus on renewables
4 Huffington Post:
Climate Meeting in Lima
5 Breaking Energy:
Most Rural Electric Cooperatives Are Working On Smart Grid Initiatives
6 RE World:
Energy Efficiency and Renewables Are Lowest Risk/Cost Investments for Utilities
7 Clean Technica:
Australia Wants Renewable Power And A Renewable Energy Target
8 PV-Magazine:
Young Germans more interested in renewable energy than pensioners
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Grains of Rice, Japanese Swords, and Solar Panels
Have a great day!
Yann
Greetings from Hamburg. Sometimes my timing of posts becomes a tale of future news articles. Take a look at the top story today that shows a German utility’s strategic move. My key takeaway was that this isn’t just a solar story, it’s about centralized versus distributed which I think is a great foreword for what the US marketplace will look like. We’ve already seen US utilities make moves for DG players, so don’t be surprised as it happens in the US.
Yann
News
1 Greentechmedia:
Germany’s Biggest Utility, E.ON, Is Divesting Fully From Centralized Power Plants
2 Bloomberg:
George Shultz Gone Solar. Now That's a Sign of Thawing in the U.S. Climate Debate
3 Breakingenergy:
Solar Power’s Stunning Growth
5 Reneweconomy:
For Abbott, G20 just a taste of what’s to come on climate
6 Cleantechnica:
France Reveals New 400 MW Tender For Solar PV Projects Over 250kW
7 Nytimes:
Why More Solar Panels Should Be Facing West, Not South
8 Cnbc:
Is solar a threat to utility stock dividends? Not yet
Opinions:
9 Scientificamerican:
Rooftop Solar Cost Competitive with the Grid in Much of the U.S.
Have a great day!
Yann
Let’s try to look at the positive in the Florida solar market. The regulators stopped the solar rebates, which many inside the TLH beltway would have expected. They were inefficient anyways because they were based on 2010 $/watt, but also because solar & utilities don’t communicate here. That being said, solar in Florida will grow, either through wholesale contracts with the utilities or utility owned solar farms as we expect the 2nd term governor to be open to doing cost effective solar.
Yann
News
1 RE World:
Why Aren’t Rural Electric Cooperatives Champions of Local Clean Power?
2 Npr:
Solar Energy's Popularity Increases As Rooftop Panels Get Less Expensive
3 PV-magazine:
Solar disrupts utilities out of their comfort zone
4 Dailymail:
Watch the world's largest solar power plant being built
6 Tallahassee:
Regulators scale back solar, energy efficiency programs
7 Cleantechnica:
Dubai Shatters Solar Price Records Worldwide — Lowest Ever!
8 Bloomberg:
China Solar Project Delays Mean Japan Could Be Largest Market
Opinions:
9 Fool:
The Best Solar Stock of 2014
Have a great day!
Yann
I am thankful for the growth in solar, the long term continuation of the ITC (maybe we can reuse this for the holidays), awesome solar public policy teams (they are some of the best marketing SolarWakeup has), and being able to work with some of the best 143,000 solar colleagues around (plus those outside of the US). Most of all that solar is mainstream (or getting there). What are you thankful for? (Programming note: SWu will be off until Monday December 1st)
Yann
News
1 PV-magazine:
TASC to appeal solar fees in Wisconsin
2 Theglobeandmail:
Bulk of solar installation growth to take place in emerging markets
3 Tampabay:
Florida regulators approve plan to gut energy efficiency goals, end solar power rebates
4 Theenergycollective:
Seeking Consensus on the Internalized Costs of Distributed Solar PV
5 Solarpowerportal:
DECC consults over feed-in tariff transferability for commercial installs
6 Cleantechnica:
What’s Cheaper
7 Grist:
World Bank to ditch coal for clean energy
8 Forbes:
How China Is Expanding Its Influence In Global Solar Market
Opinions:
9 Greentechmedia:
Former DOE Official
Have a great day!
Yann
