This is your SolarWakeup for January 11th, 2018

Solar From The People. Check out the Energy Future Project recently launched and run by an Obama/SolarCity alumni with a focus on building out the support solar gets from the American people. I often write about the 80%+ support we get from both sides of the aisle and tapping into that is exactly what this group is working on. Great write up from Frank Andorka, who brings some great coverage to the solar industry every day.

Cost And Value. I empathize with the sentiment. If a City wants to have 100% renewables that don’t carry any long term fuel costs and volatility, how does it weigh the cost of the upfront switch with the longterm benefits. Entering into contracts with a 3rd party is one way to do this but existing assets are sometimes beyond their breakeven point and only have to cover their fuel costs. So here is a hypothetical for you. In a City within a competitive power market, how would you provide 100% renewable energy and what would it cost if they gave you a 20 year contract.

Handout. The complaints from local solar companies eludes logic for me. I know that Florida’s solar market has been tough for them and watching a 20mw solar farm be built is painful especially if you are trying to make a living selling 50kw to the local business. Aside from the new argument that community solar is competitive with self generation, solar farms are not a business model for small contractors to work  on. Unless you have the bonding, balance sheet and safety records, you can’t compete with the general contractors that build these assets. This isn’t up to the IPP either, their lenders and tax equity investors require the contractor warranty to be something that can’t be found in a local contractor.

What The DPU. The DPU in Massachusetts is in the process of creating the new SMART program rules but is also tending to new business. Unfortunate to see Eversource ask for, and receive, demand charges for net metering customers. Step in the wrong direction according to policy advocates.

Storage In NY. Energy storage in New York is getting some traction in the news and legislation. Should it be part of the SolarWakeup Live! agenda? If so, what segment should be heard?

Sponsor New York. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, go below and support the SolarWakeup Live sponsors. Now that I’ve gotten you to see who they are, add your company to the list. Contact me to sponsor this and future events. Tickets are also available here, use code WAKEUP25 for a discount.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 10th, 2018

Coming Up. Catch me in New York as I host SolarWakeup Live! on January 31st though I will be in town for a few days before and after. Two weeks later, I will be in DC for some solar startup activities. Where should the SolarWakeup Live! after New York go? Best ideas please.

Who’s Coming To Jacksonville. Last week the news came out that a manufacturer was looking to build a factory and hire 1,000 Floridians. A local Jacksonville outlet has it reported that the manufacturer could be Jinko Solar. I’ve been asked by many if this is due to the trade case but I generally remain skeptical that the trade case is causing a 20 year investment. Jacksonville is a strategic port for Europe and has daily arrivals from China as well. Land and labor in Florida is pentiful but the Speaker of the House is on a crusade against economic development and is running for Governor. I would like to see the manufacturer opine on the JEA net metering pullback however, that would be a great incentive for the local community.

SEIA Trade Case. The pro-solar members of the 201 testimony met with Secretary Wilbur Ross of the Commerce Department yesterday in DC. The amount of time that some executives have devoted to helping thousands of solar jobs is commendable and I hope to give you a behind the scenes of the entire process at SolarWakeup Live New York with one of the folks that has been at every meeting from the start. Ross is said to have asked good questions and listened to the solar industry make their case. Ross is a capitalist, dubbed the king of bankruptcy, who is likely to read right through Suniva/SolarWorld attempts to screw over the American public based on the financial state of those companies.

Cause of NOpr. The no on the NOPR came from the audacity of the ask. This wasn’t about policy but about political payback for a few donor companies. Case in point is the pushback by Corey Lewandowski who called the FERC commissioners part of the deep state.

Blame Anyone. I don’t publish much from the Washington Examiner but they have a somewhat entertaining editorial about the 201 case. They call for Trump to reject the tariff (I agree) because SolarWorld is backed by a Democratic megadonor. Much like the Hannity ad, I don’t care what the argument is that gets through to Trump. I only care that the right side prevails, which is no tariffs.

NJ SREC Bill. With the NJ solar market reaching its solar goal a decade early, the legislature pushed for bigger goals in a bill that has now passed the legislature. While Phil Murphy will be inaugurated on January 16th, solar advocates are asked Chris Christie to sign the bill ASAP.

Presented by Mintz Levin. Mintz Levin is an Am Law 100 law firm with a nationally recognized Energy & Sustainability Practice that has completed more than 500 transactions across energy sectors totaling over $7.5 billion since 2006.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 9th, 2018

New Pod. See and hear my interview with Axios Reporter, Amy Harder. Amy is the author of the column, Harder Line which covers all the most relevant energy topics. She’s not a focused solar reporter and wasn’t afraid to give the feedback to the solar industry we need to hear. I asked her if the job data matters to politicians, what is going on with the coal tax credit and if the Goldman Sachs contingent in the White House would help solar in the trade case. Listen or watch the interview by clicking here and sharing it far and wide!

FERC Takes No From NOPR. You’ve probably already seen the headline and good news is that nothing will change. Nobody really knew how it would have played out if FERC went with the NOPR. On the other hand you can see how we want to cover the news over at SolarWakeup. When I read articles, I tend to get the first paragraph and move you. You aren’t much different from how you click on stories, especially when I summarize them. Everyone has a short circuit on patience to read even 300 words. I would love your feedback on the SolarWakeup View format.

Storage Data Nonsense. Solar and storage are different. Solar is easy to simply to per watt/per acre/per kWh and compare and contrast. Solar plus storage is completely different. The number of hours, cycle utilization, ratio to size of solar plant are just some of the variables that change the kWh rate. There will never be a cheapest storage cost equivalent to the cheapest solar cost headline. Reporters that don’t get this will keep writing it but nonetheless don’t buy into the simplicity that it intends to create. Storage is complicated because it is.

Two Weeks Out. SEIA sent a message out yesterday to its membership that it had met with the Trade Representative and senior White House advisors. All reporting is making it sound like a decision is coming soon, maybe before the January 26th deadline. Some have asked what happens if no decision is made by the deadline and I don’t have the answer to that.

Cost of Inaction. The cost of natural disasters is rising. Inaction is costly.

Presented By EnterSolar. EnterSolar is a leading provider of solar photovoltaic solutions to the commercial marketplace that is ranked the #1 solar developer in New York State and in the top 10 nationally.  We are currently hiring at our growing company.

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Yann

E032: Discussing The Current Energy Politics with Axios Reporter Amy Harder

By Yann Brandt What: Axios Energy and Climate Change Reporter, Amy Harder, Joins SolarWakeup To Talk Politics and Energy Markets Summary: Amy Harder joined Axios from the Wall Street Journal and writes the Harder Line, part of Axios’ coverage of the energy space. Amy is well versed on the politics of energy and has been based in DC for over 10 years. She joins Yann in this recorded interview from SolarWakeup Live! to talk about coal and nuclear bailouts, COP proceedings in Bonn and impacts of jobs in the solar debate. SolarWakeup View: Amy is not a solar reporter and … Read More →

SolarWakeup View: FERC rejects Rick Perry’s proposed rule, initiates new proceeding

By Yann Brandt What: FERC rejects Rick Perry’s proposed rule, initiates new proceeding Summary: Rick Perry had proposed a rule (NOPR) which would require regional wholesale power markets to pay subsidies to coal and nuclear power plants based on their ability to stockpile 90 day supply of fuel at the power plant. New FERC Chairman, Kevin McIntyre, had previously delayed the NOPR proceedings and with this ruling terminated it altogether. FERC has asked power markets to provide information on whether FERC needs to take additional action on resilience in build power systems. SolarWakeup View: We spoke to former FERC Chairman, … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for January 8th, 2018

Presented By Pfister Energy – Your only source for turnkey design-build renewable energy system solutions. We provide world-class power solutions for the commercial, industrial, and utility sectors with an emphasis on energy efficiency and energy management. Visit us at www.pfisterenergy.com.

SolarWakeup View. A few times a week, find SolarWakeup View executive memos to give you the information you need to know about the news. Nobody has time to read the fluff so we’ll give you the news and our viewpoint on a topic with background info if you want to know more. Check out EEI’s movement on Puerto Rico (finally).

Charging By US. Didi, China’s Uber, is now operating an astonishing 260,000 electric vehicles. This comes on the back of the news of an entire 17,000 bus fleet going electric while policies in China are drastically increasing access to EV charging (at every parking spot). Battery manufacturing capacity is also increasing at a rapid pace. The US is being left behind on several lanes here, from fleets to individual cars, just look at how many Uber cars are electric here.

Pigs and Hogs. I am not shocked to see coal, oil and gas companies arguing with each other to get as much as possible from the Trump White House. The energy market is often argued by politicians to not pick winners and losers but with the imminent trade tariff on solar modules, it is clear that the current administration has picked winners and is just focused on making them a fat as possible while the trough is open.

Cut The Permit Fat. Sungevity’s former CEO, Andrew Birch, whom I recently had the pleasure of meeting highlights the issue with solar in the US. There is too much time and cost in the permitting process which makes everything more expensive and less profitable for solar companies. Seems like he may be highlighting a market problem.

SEIA Docs. SEIA is out with some more standard documents, last week releasing two sets focused on C&I solar. One gives building owners an understanding of the value of solar and the other provides the documentation needed for solar companies to leverage PACE with 3rd party ownership. Solving credit in C&I is complicated and one way is to do it with PACE. Check them out.

Tickets. Get your SolarWakeup Live! NYC tickets.

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Yann

EEI Members Activate Help For Puerto Rico After 100 Days

What: EEI Members Activate Help For Puerto Rico After 100 Days, Barges With Trucks En Route Impact: Over 1million Americans in Puerto Rico have been without power since Hurricane Maria struck on September 20th, 2017. On December 11th, utility groups, EEI, NRECA and APPA, signed an MOU with PREPA to render aid for reconstruction on a not for profit basis. The MOU, signed on December 8th started the flow of equipment to Puerto Rico. Equipment from around the Country started their shipment to Puerto Rico on barges originating in ports across the Gulf and Eastern seaports. SolarWakeup View: Compared to … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for January 5th, 2018

FERC Report. The Government agencies are full of interesting reports and I found this note on the FERC November report quite telling. As I heard this week, facts are facts, and agencies are showing the data that coal is done and renewables can’t be stopped. It is also another reminder that we track distributed energy in a terrible way, mostly by not tracking it at all. In an era where distributed generation and self-production is growing exponentially, I would think that people want this data.
Applause For Florida Policy. Tallahassee is a strange place when it comes to policy, especially on energy issues. Nevertheless, a legislator covering the Florida Keys is proposing a pilot project to value the impact solar plus storage could have on the grid infrastructure. The Keys operate their own energy system and FPL is likely to stay out of public positions on this (emphasis on public) as long as the project stays in the Keys. I’ll be interested to see how this plays out as committee hearings start as the sessions starts in March.
Go Big CA. A Chinese bus fleet has been completely electrified and we still think that electric cars are niche in the US. Not in California, at least not anymore. A bill has been filed to ban all sale of fossil cars by 2040. This seems like a realistic goal given how much better and safer an EV is. Plus you wake up every morning with a full tank. This has energy ramifications, easily solved by solar and storage, including vehicle to grid initiatives (V2G).
Hype Not Needed. As long time readers can attest, I was very much alone screaming about the ITC extension in late 2014, before anyone was even worried about it. Many argued the impacts of an ITC not being extended wouldn’t be that bad, that the first two trade cases wouldn’t have a big impact and that this trade decision can be survived as well. First thing, solar will always continue from hereon out. BUT my worry is that I don’t want a single job to be lost and I don’t want executives hesitating on business decisions based on external factors that are manufactured by bankrupt companies. The up and down of the solar space causes much investment to be put aside and that is bad for the space and it hurts our future. Much of this is our fault as we are politically weak compared to similar, and even smaller, industries that invest in policy. Remember that story about a painter looking to become a journeyman? He/She has to spend 10 hours per month educating politicians about painting issues to get to the next level. But none of this results in make or break, we will never break - solar has already made it.
Community Solar. I am adding a panel on community solar for SolarWakeup Live! New York. Much of the conversation is about the opportunities to use VDERs as the credit and where the opportunity may be. If you have good ideas for speakers for this, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. New Year’s special code of WAKEUP25 to get your tickets here.
Get Your Marketing. Time to get your company in front of the solar crowd. When you sponsor SolarWakeup Live! events, you also get 4 weeks of newsletter and website visibility. The combination of the two ensures that the key players in solar see you on the daily, a value that you can’t deny yourself when you think ahead for your sales goals.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 4th, 2018

NY Promise. Governor Cuomo of New York is betting big on the energy transition to renewables. Community solar, energy storage and offshore wind getting big wins in New York which is a welcome development for the local solar market. We will be discussing REV, solar credit values (VDERs) and energy storage in New York with some of the leading developers at the New York SolarWakeup event on January 31st. If we sell enough tickets in the next week, we will get into a bigger space to make room for the discussion. Use WAKEUP25 to save 25% and get tickets here.
Hockey Curve. A few years ago, there was real pessimism about solar and renewables in Australia. The market has turned this around in a real way offering great ways for the grid to lower costs using solar pricing and large scale energy storage. It is foreseeable that the island grid can be fossil free in a relative short period of time. UK can present similar opportunities for grid flexibility systems.  
WSJ Bait. Data, when taken out of context, really create the headline that a reporter wants. With the 201 case in full swing for almost all of 2017, I find it intriguing that the Wall Street Journal sees increased imports of solar equipment only due to the trade case. Pricing for modules were low in the summer already and most companies I have spoken to have not offered to take retroactive tariff risk from the supplier, which suppliers are requiring. My only assumption is that imports are based on previous POs that are guided into existing projects that have been developed for years, in line with the sworn testimony by NextEra at the ITC hearing in October.
Nuclear Bailout. With SCANA failing with their nuclear ambitions and potentially on the hook for millions in consumer refunds, Dominion is making a bid to acquire SCANA over some fierce competition. Investors see big opportunities in these regulated monopolies, working a few regulators instead of the competitive market is much easier and a bit of a stain on the politics around the Country. Consumers should and are pushing back on the value they are getting from their monopolies and politically speaking, candidates should be talking about the raw deal they are getting.
Twitter Debate. About the talk of R&D in energy versus constant marginal improvements, where do you fall on the debate? Do you think that a technology invention could be commercialized in a way that changes the world or is there another way to do this? Let me know your thoughts.
Tips. Reminder - you are welcome to send me tips, anonymously on solarwakeup.com or by sending me an email at Yann@SolarWakeup.com 

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 3rd, 2018

Puerto Rico. There have been some developments over the holidays but over 1 million Americans in Puerto Rico are going on over 100 days without power. This is now a political failure at the highest levels, this has little to do with logistics and preparation at this point but more with money and power. It’s sad to see this happening and I’m a bit shocked that EEI and utilities across the Country let it go on this long. Imagine going 20 days without power, then quintuple that.

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Yann