Trump Tweet Commends “Clean Coal” Even As DTE Energy Continues To Shut Down Coal Plants

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Three months after announcing it would completely eliminate coal from its portfolio, Detroit-based utility DTE Energy announced on Friday it, along with partner Consumers Energy, was accelerating plans to increase its clean-energy portfolio to reach a generation target of at least 50% by 2030. The utility’s announcement came on the same day President Donald J. Trump tweeted that the United States has 250 years of “clean coal” in its energy mix and touted the fact he ended the mythical “war on coal.” DTE Energy’s announcement is further proof that the era of coal is rapidly … Read More →

New Marketing E-Book Targets Clean Energy Companies

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Tigercomm, a marketing firm with numerous clients in clean energy, released an e-book titled How Clean Energy Companies Can Engage Customer Prospects Faster in an Attention-Scarce World, which it says is designed to help companies market themselves better. As clean energy becomes more commoditized, the e-book argues it’s more difficult for one company to stand out from every other company. And with a finite number of legitimate customers, that can be frustrating. “Across clean economy sectors, sales and marketing teams we talk to share a growing frustration: It’s gotten harder to get customer prospects to … Read More →

11 States To Feel Sting Of Cypress Creek Retrenchment

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Though North Carolina will bear the overwhelming brunt of Cypress Creek Renewables’ decision to cancel 1.5 GW of projects in the wake of the Trump Administration’s tariff imposition, it isn’t the only one. In all, 11 states will feel the sting of what company spokesman Jeff McKay called the “lost investment opportunity” that will result from its pullback. “We’re projecting that the tariff will cost into the billions of dollars in lost investments,” McKay told SolarWakeup. “It’s no secret that the solar industry’s record rate of growth will be harmed by the tariff. We aren’t … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for May 18th, 2018

A lot is happening in solar and things are coming together after a tough year. Markets like Florida and Illinois are poised to be major going forward and we have to fight to maintain the traction we had in CT and MA. Change is hard for many, we’ll highlight some of that in today’s Wakeup. Remember, if there are stories that need to be covered in your neighborhood, send them this way. Together we make solar stronger. Have a great weekend!
Learn About Illinois. Don’t forget to mark your calendars and book your trip to Chicago. On June 21st the leaders behind the energy policy in this hot market will be giving the insight. If you are an investor looking to make your splash here, we have some great sponsorship opportunities that match you with developers in the market. You can register at solarwakeuplive.com
Corporate Solar America. Frank covers the reports from Deloitte on the attitude coming out of corporate board rooms. With the polled corporations saying that 70% of their customers expect them to drive action on the clean tech issues. That’s why I get excited when a corporate sustainability professional subscribes to SolarWakeup, it shows a level of dedication to solar.
2 Years Of SEIA, 20 Years of SEIA PAC. Let’s put one state’s utility lobbying spend in perspective. In Florida, the investor owned utilities spent $43 million in the past two election cycles. That is an understated amount considering the money that went to lobbyists, internal and external, plus the PR firms to shape the messaging. In comparison, SEIA would have funded more than years of operations and likely over a decade in SEIA PAC spending based on historical numbers. We will never outspend the incumbent market participants but we will outlive and outvote them. Half of the Florida spending went to a ballot initiative that failed due to the grassroots support for the solar industry.
Well Regulated Monopoly. John Grisham is going to move to South Carolina and write a thriller about backroom deals the utility. The plot will include a $9billion blunder and an attempt to hide the information from regulators who oversee the utility in return for double digit returns and a monopoly. Seriously though, how in the world can a regulator do the best for consumers if the corporation it is supposed to oversee refuses to comply with the oversight.
Thou Shall Not? Arizona solar numbers are on the uptick and large scale solar plus storage are coming online at amazing numbers. With the new APS RFP, it seems like APS may be stepping back in time against the sentiments of the corporation commission.

News

Have a great day!
Yann

Solar To Surpass Wind In 18 Months, Become Fourth Largest Energy Capacity In The World

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Look out, wind – solar is about to catch you. That’s the headline from Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis Global Power Industry Outlook, 2018, which posits that solar will surpass wind in global energy capacity starting in 2020, making it the fourth largest source of energy generation behind coal, gas and hydro. Less than a year ago, solar surpassed nuclear energy to reach fifth place. The report says increased battery energy storage capabilities, surges in merger and acquisition activities, and disruptive energy start-ups are the primary reasons the renewable energy sector is seeing this surge … Read More →

Deloitte Says Businesses Want To – And Are – Fighting Climate Change

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Water wet. Pope Catholic. Businesses are trying to fight climate change. Go figure. According to Deloitte’s eighth annual Energy Resources Report, businesses and consumers are moving forward to create what it calls a “virtuous cycle” of sustainability, including moving to cleaner energy sources like solar. But the study also finds what instinct might tell you from watching American behavior over the past 30 years – businesses are leading the charge, and the people are following. [wds id=”3″] The survey questioned more than 1,500 residential consumers and 600 businesses on their energy use patterns and found … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for May 17th, 2018

Mainstream Climate Discussions. American Progress held its annual CAP ideas conference. One of the panels included Tom Steyer and Governor Inslee moderated by Axios’ Amy Harder. The entire discussion is available to view but we have your bullet point recap. Inslee has been seen and heard on the national stage selling the climate change opportunity and a carbon fee to solve the problem. Steyer was a bit more wonky, shocking I know. His commentary included a desire for more community solar and the actions he is supporting to increase the RPS in Arizona and Nevada.

Quality, Fast and Cheap. With over 10GW of solar going up every years in the US alone, including more than 200,000 homes, we have to create some introspection about the quality of asset we leave behind. Driving the price down upfront gets more solar in the ground but if the asset doesn’t last 25 or more years, solar is at risk of losing investor confidence in the long term. For residential that also means installing systems that keep the roof watertight for the duration of the life of the asset. I hear too many stories about installations done without quality racking systems with no regard for the quality homeowner’s roof. You can do it the cheap way to cut corners but if you do, you are going to get caught. So just do it the quality way which will make you more money with happy customers providing referrals.

Where Are The Jobs? In the case of Illinois, they are fast approaching. As I prepare for SolarWakeup Live! Chicago, every company I talk to is in the process of hiring and training personnel for all sorts of jobs. On the other hand, MA is losing jobs by adding demand charges to its customers and slowing the market down. In an economy of full employment, we are seeing amazing pay scales for solar professionals that make achieving prevailing wages possible and hopefully track with the diversity in the State. Solar can and should be a market of diversity and inclusivity.

Thermal And Efficiency. A new podcast from solar guru Barry Cinnamon with a solar thermal topic. Last week I announced the formation of the SolarWakeup residential solar advisory council and I’ve spoken to many of you. (You can still join, just send me an email). One of the interesting ideas is that solar installers are adding solar thermal and efficiency to help with savings. What unique tricks are you using to close deals?

News

Have a great day!
Yann

Who’s Behind This Anti-California-Ruling Media Blitz?

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: David Roberts, aka Dr. Vox, penned an article that essentially spent 1,000 words arguing for and against California’s “all three-story houses must have solar” ruling, only to end up with a shruggy emoji to say, “Who knows how it will go?” Since the article itself offers little in the way of serious argument (it’s a wordy listicle), I want to focus instead on the media blitz that has produced pieces like this. It will be interesting to see when it comes out – and it will – who is behind the slew of … Read More →

Panel Says We Will Win The Climate Change Battle (Their Mouths To Universe’s Ears)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: The Center for America Progress (CAP) held its IDEAS conference yesterday, and the most interesting discussion with Amy Harder with Washington Governor Jay Inslee, progressive activist Tom Steyer and Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization, Hip Hop Caucus Mustafa Ali. Washington State has one of the most progressive solar policy structures in the United States, and Inslee says he believes that progress will continue in the form of the first carbon tax, which is on the ballot as an initiative in his state. Steyer said – again – that … Read More →

The Energy Show: Best Ways To Heat Hot Water For Your Home

We’re talking about hot water this week. No — I’m not in trouble with my local utility again — just discussing the best ways to heat water for your home. Our focus is on domestic hot water (DHW). This is hot water that you use for your kitchen, bathing and laundry. In the U.S., the average home uses about 68 gallons of hot water a day, with huge variations based on the number and age of occupants in the home. Taking a step back, I counted six basic ways that people have been heating water since humans discovered fire. Deliberate … Read More →