This is your SolarWakeup for October 7th, 2016
Update on the hurricane situation is positive, the South Florida region has been spared from the worst of the storm. So short of the loss of production today due to less than optimal conditions, everything is back to normal tomorrow. As I was waiting for my power to go out, I gave a lot of thought about adding storage to my house. Given that I have 70kWh already in the driveway, the easiest solution is still the car but I know we are not quite there yet. I’d love to understand the policy implications of load shifting solar in residential setting. Clearly the ratepayers benefit, it eliminates a massive amount of infrastructure required for the grid and consumers make an investment for themselves that also benefits the community. On the other hand, less infrastructure is required and less ratebase is required to be invested in. I call this a misalignment of interests but maybe someone else can clue me in on what I am missing.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 6th, 2016
It’s been over a decade but I spent the better part of the last two days getting ready for Hurricane Matthew. We’re hoping for a ‘miss’ which means that we have to deal with winds in the 70mph range and a ton of rain, half a foot is the forecast. So while I anticipate trying to do Friday’s SolarWakeup under generator power, it is not lost on me that the last time I had a hurricane I didn’t have kids. That is why I wasn’t so upset having to do the preparation on the day that the Paris Agreement was officially ratified by enough polluting Countries and goes into effect in 30 days. Paris doesn’t mean the end of Climate Change but it means that we will look to work together to begin to solve this problem we have. In the meantime, I am a bit annoyed that my 5kw won’t be giving me backup power in my home in the likely event of a power outage, maybe Tesla will send me a Powerwall from the marketing department?
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 5th, 2016
Solar always polls well and now we have another great data point from Pew. The highlight is that 89% of Americans want to see more solar but for me there is much more in the poll. Th biggest number on solar for me is that 41% of Americans have given serious consideration about putting solar on their home including the 4% that have already done so. Think about that. We have a known 10x at today’s point with really a limited educational standard across the Country. Moreover, 75% of people said that they are worried about the environment and their energy views reflect this. Surprisingly for me, fracking now polls as badly as coal while being in the same range as nuclear and offshore oil drilling. Solar more than doubles each of the other energy segments. Recall that earlier this year we saw that independents would use solar as a tipping issue to go towards one candidate instead of another. Here is the entire poll, the top story has the breakdown.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 4th, 2016
The regulators in Massachusetts pushed back emphatically against the cost increase requests by National Grid. Amongst other items, the commission did not find enough evidence to persuade them that a cost shift from solar to non-solar customers existed. Therefore, it struck down the large increase of fixed costs. Additionally, regulators did not find that that demand charges were avoidable or understood by the consumers in a residential setting. As an industry we focus on the losses (2) versus the wins (>40). Even ‘journalists’ at outlets like UtilityDive don’t count these types of victories, victories which is shameful. Our policy teams work hand in hand and shows what happens when competitors come together with trade groups to ensure a bigger market for all. To learn about how these things happen, listen to Tom Kimbis from our podcast yesterday.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for October 3rd, 2016
New York’s REV is getting into implementation phase and it is loaded with policy. It has been a long time coming and many solar developers have been in the market doing the early work for quite some time. Some have even left the State because it has taken so long. Now is the time to look back at the policy and get an understanding how it impacts the market. What do you think is the most important part of the policy? Where will developers focus and what market segment will pick up first?
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Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
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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.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 30th, 2016
Alongside the Sunshot Initiative, we need more venture capital to focus on the solar industry. The why is simple, $30billion industry in the US and the gateway to the home ecosystem. The problem is that solar is viewed as a hardware first industry that requires tons of money to commercialize. But that is changing, albeit slowly. kWh Analytics, for example, recently raised $5mm in their series A and there are plenty other startups doing well in their seed and angel rounds. Our ecosystem is still broken and part of that is that we don’t have that many accelerators, Powerhouse being the main and maybe only one. You’d be amazed how few startups pitch me to get into the blurb, those of you that have done it realize that it’s fairly easy. Our industry still fails on the role of advisors and networking outside of trade shows. Most accelerators have dozens of advisors that are there to help startups, give advice and impart wisdom on how to run a business.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 29th, 2016
Here is why this election is so important for all of us. If you work in solar and want to keep working in the sector, we have a very clear choice. Now that solar is synonymous with clean energy we have an important leadership role as a sector. The chairman of the Clinton campaign is John Podesta and he is a true supporter and leader of the solar industry. As President, the cabinet, sub cabinet and agency jobs are filled with like minded individuals. For example, the SunShot Initiative has a great new leader, Charlie Gay. Charlie has been in solar for a very long time and understands to get SunShot 2.0 to the next level. Yesterday he spoke with SolarWakeup and you get to hear it from the man himself. If you want leaders like Charlie Gay to keep their jobs after January, you know what to do when you vote!
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 28th, 2016
M&A is strong this year in solar, mostly due to the influx of Sunedison projects and pipeline that have hit the market. Minnesota community solar gardens are also entering into construction and operational phases, finally adding some MW in a new market. This M&A is still focused on development entities for the most part. The difference recently is that the development shops have some backers that could have the ability to lower the cost of capital, but that potential doesn’t appear to have happened quite yet. It doesn’t need to with the supply of pipeline creating plenty of potential. As corporates ramp up contracts, we may see some need to lower the cost of capital going forward.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 27th, 2016
Solyndraaaaa! It’s not a Presidential debate without mention of a ‘failed’ loan guarantee for Solyndra. I think Trump’s biggest issue with Solyndra isn’t the taxpayer funds, it’s that private dollars to the tune of $1billion were lost too. Let’s remember that the loan guarantee is going to MAKE the taxpayers money when it is all said and done. Hillary Clinton noted clean energy in her opening (#jobs) and then again when it came to creating prosperity in America (#jobs). Solar was named because at this point solar=clean energy and the jobs from dying coal and gas sectors are going to solar. We are providing good jobs and good pay for hardworking Americans across the Country. Solar is doing the job America needs us to and it was front and center during the debate. Trump didn’t even know Solyndra’s name, it’s an issue that didn’t work for Romney and it’s not working now…
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Yann