Could Oklahoma Be A Solar Boom State? New AG Opinion Says Maybe

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Baby steps. That’s what you could call the Oklahoma Attorney General’s recent opinion that says third-party solar contracts – PPAs, leases and loans – would not result in solar installers or consumers being considered utilities. This is a debate that has swept the country, and most recently occurred in Florida, where a decision similar to the Oklahoma one has led to a flood of residential solar companies into the state, including some of the nation’s largest solar companies with names you know like Sunrun and Vivint. Could Oklahoma be next? [wds id=”3″] Probably not, according … Read More →

California Assembly Considers SB 100, Should Pass It Posthaste

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent California’s Assembly has a huge opportunity before it right now, and they should seize it posthaste. Before them is a bill to move the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 100% by 2045. It would match the most aggressive RPS in the nation (Hawaii) and put the world’s fifth (or sixth, depending on who you believe) largest economy on a path to 100% renewable energy. And it would be a huge step forward for the United States because, as everyone knows, solar and renewable energy trends start in California and then make their way to … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for August 10th, 2018

Nevada’s Story Of Solar Revival. This was the most contentious national solar fight a few years ago, documentaries featured the famous fight between solar and the Nevada PUC. Fast forward a few years and the market is thriving with the first NEM cap being hit at 80MW. Jobs are being created and supplies are flowing, helping the supply chain economy thrive as well. Nevada has become the market to point to and one that could be mirrored in South Carolina and other States that attempt to keep residential solar choice away from consumers.
Sunrun’s Steady Rise. Sunrun wasn’t always the flashiest residential home solar provider but they’ve reached the top now. Part of what makes the company unique is that it has stuck with the long path of policy centric market development, it’s rare to be at a legislative event or industry conference that a Sunrunner is not at. The financial presentation continues to tell Wall Street a narrative on how solar and public company accounting can coexist, while still be complicated for many. The company announced 91MW of solar deployed, 12,000 customers and an increase of $27million in cash over the last quarter. Congrats to the team.
Juicy PPA In Hawaii. Couple of highlights that I’d like to point out about the solar plus storage project in Hawaii. The project is 5MW of solar with 3MW / 15MWh of storage. The PPA is for $0.17/kWh over 22 years. At the core, this is a great project for the investor and likely for the consumer as well. At 5 hours of storage, the batteries have the ability to shift the entire day’s production even at the peak of summer (or very close to all of the production). This plant is the solar version of baseload to the extent that such a feature is needed on the grid. Dispatchable solar such as this is the future and creates tremendous opportunities for power players across the grid.
New FERC Commissioner. Damn the free market! That’s my paraphrase of the nominee’s comments at a July hearing when asked about market distortions being considered by the administration to bailout coal and nuclear plants. Commissioner Powelson voted against the FERC bailout for coal but McNamee seems a lot more willing to do the bidding required. Stay tuned.
Have You Seen The Rafter? In today’s edition of solar wall of shame, please see the following work of art. This is a direct deck attached flashing mounted on top of the shingle roof. Add some caulking and this installer is happy with the result. Make sure to send your shameful solar pictures alongside your beautiful images to be featured.

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Have a great day!
Yann

A Confederacy Of Dunces: America First Energy Conference Insist On Anti-American Energy Policy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Sometimes, the dumb is so breathtaking it’s hard to put into words. Such was the America First Energy Conference, which Reuters reporter Collin Eaton dutifully reported on this week from New Orleans. If Reuters doesn’t provide him some hazardous duty pay for locking himself in a room with these people for a day, then there is something seriously wrong with the system. I’ll let Eaton’s lede stand on its own because, whoa boy, it sorta sums it all up: Pumping carbon dioxide into the air makes the planet greener; the United Nations puts out fake … Read More →

Nevada Comes All The Way Back, Bumps Into Net Metering Caps For First Tier

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What’s happening in Nevada right now is frankly amazing. If you had told most observers that Nevada would ever hit net metering caps after its Public Utilities Commission ended the program without warning at the end of 2015, they would have told you that you were crazy. And yet, three years (and a lot of mea culpas later), here we are, with the state’s installed and applied-for solar capacity hitting the cap for what’s allowed by law at full retail net metering rates. [wds id=”3″] What that means is that any rooftop solar installation will … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for August 9th, 2018

The Other Factors. It’s not all tariffs and duties when it comes to markets. CFIUS and other regulatory approvals can shape markets as well. This isn’t just a China topic, this is all foreign investment in renewables that could be impacted if CFIUS review takes too long. I don’t expect this to become n too big of a topic but keep your eyes on similar things that happen to your business and supply chain.
Tesla’s New Investor. Lost in the ‘funding secured’ tweet was the other story of Tesla’s day. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund has taken a significant position in Tesla, somewhere north of $2billion. Considering that the money was made on selling oil, you have to acknowledge the success that Tesla has had to show the world that electric cars have a future and oil exporters need to create a hedge by taking a stake in the market segment that will disrupt oil.
Making Local Decisions Count. When I asked Jon Carson how his solar development business was similar to the days when he activated local voters for Obama, he told a riveting story. In a classic way, he tells the story of the local ironworker sitting in an open house held regarding the solar farm. The solar project is the political candidate and getting local support means telling a local story. Thank you, everyone, for the feedback on this podcast, I am glad you enjoyed it thus far.
Opposition To Municipal Solar. This has probably happening in the past but it’s the first time I see it in writing. A utility lobbied a municipal government not to sign a solar contract that would save money. It’s the inside baseball that shows how local incumbent markets will get.
Bad Solar Exhibit A. Keep them coming! I got some great submissions yesterday on bad solar, have you seen bad installs and want to share? Send them my way and send a caption for this solar sail!

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Have a great day!
Yann

You Know Who’s Still Betting Heavily On Solar? Corporations, That’s Who!

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Corporate renewable energy procurement has hit a new record high in 2018, according to the Business Renewables Center, an arm of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Procurement levels reached 3.57 GW, beating the previous record of 3.12 GW in 2015 and increasing nearly three quarters of a gigawatt ahead of last year’s number of 2.87 GW. [wds id=”3″] Jon Creyts, managing director at Rocky Mountain Institute, said: The Business Renewables Center applauds the acceleration of corporate renewable energy procurement and the dedication these companies are showing to turn commitment into action. We are bearing witness to … Read More →

Utility Tries To Scuttle Knoxville, Iowa, Solar Plan At The Last Second, FAILS

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Knoxville, Iowa, has been working on developing a solar plan for the city that would save it nearly $400,000 over the lifespan of a 30-year power-purchase agreement (PPA). But when it came to the final vote, MidAmerican Energy – the city’s utility – came in and tried to lobby against it. The last-ditch attempt to keep solar from the citizens of Knoxville failed on a 3-1 vote, according to reports in the Knoxville Journal-Express. [wds id=”3″] Megan Suhr, a Knoxville council member, told the paper: Renewable energy is something I care deeply about, so I … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for August 8th, 2018

I’m Keeping SolarWakeup Private. If you missed the fun yesterday, Elon announced via tweet that he is thinking about taking Tesla private. The talking heads quickly went to SEC violations, Elon’s desire to burn short traders, or the ability for Elon to pull it off. But when you combine the shorts in the stock, the accounting nightmare that solar can cause to GAAP accounting and what Jim Cramer says about Vivint Solar makes you realize that Tesla would be much better off as a private company. Changing the world is hard and takes time, time that Tesla’s investors are willing to let the company have.
Talking Solar In Politics. I like all my interviews, but talking to Jon Carson was a personal high for me. Jon is now leading a solar development firm, Trajectory Energy Partners, which made the interview relevant for our audience. But prior to solar Jon helped elect Barack Obama to the White House and that’s a story I wanted to hear. Aside from his solar development tactics, which were great, I asked Jon about how solar plays at the highest levels of DC politics. Check out the interview here.
Maryland Forward Motion. Frank gives you some details about yet another pilot project in Maryland. Solar could be so much bigger than it is and yet Maryland still struggles with its politics that tries to play the middle. It’s time for the legislature to act on strong policies that enable a sustainable solar market which will lower the costs of energy for consumers.
Bring Your Solar To MS. A 9% increase in rates for Mississippi energy customers means they’ll pay an all in $0.139/kWh for electricity. In 18 months, expect rates to rise drastically once again which means that solar companies will see a great reason to go there now and build some solar homes with storage. Absent strong policies, use the technology price declines to enable MS residents to make their energy choices.
Solar Wall Of Shame. You’ve been sending me great solar pictures, keep doing that and make sure to add your logo to it and send it along. Some of you have been sending the worst of the worst as well. Let’s put some sunshine on the bad solar installs, I’ll be aggregating this and work with SEIA and others to make consumers ask the right installation questions. Send your worst of the worst install pictures and we’ll see who gets on the wall of shame.

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Have a great day!
Yann

SolarWakeup Podcast: Jon Carson, Obama’s 2008 National Field Director, Brings Solar To Illinois

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By Yann Brandt, Managing Editor In this episode of the Energy Wakeup podcast, we sat down with Jon Carson, founder of Trajectory Energy Partners, to discuss early solar project development in Illinois—and the politics of solar. Carson has spent nearly a lifetime in Illinois politics, first running Tammy Duckworth’s successful Congressional campaign and then was the field director and then national field director for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. So he knows a little about politics and how solar fits into our current political atmosphere. Carson discusses the importance of grassroots campaigning in early stage solar development—meeting with citizens in … Read More →