This is your SolarWakeup for April 11th, 2017

Federal influences. I am happy to see the Federal NAACP publish this report on energy access and increased clean energy. All too often we have seen utilities coopt well meaning local chapters in ways covered a few months ago by major publications. Solar jobs are local jobs. These are jobs that cannot be moved to other areas and that extends beyond the jobs available to installers. Policy wonks pushing regulations at local city halls and State Capitols are likely to be local. Lawyers that understand the State laws are hard to find at a national level. NAACP understands that clean energy, in a distributed market, is good for the local workforce and local small business owners.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Find your dream (solar) job. Solar Foundation continues the important work of identifying the many jobs in solar and now has created a platform to connect employers with job seekers. Recruiting is one of the most important aspects in solar company management. Our work can be quite complicated so having access to more talent is always helpful. We even have some of the best recruiters working in our cleantech segment and I hope that this tool is helpful to them. Check it out at solartrainingusa.org
Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solarmarket.
The branding halo. The first version of Tesla’s solar tile is out and it looks like a version of everything that already exists on the market. A skirted standard racking system was released to the media with Panasonic branding. The reach that a Tesla press release has still amazes me today, and that comes after years of seeing it in effect. Tesla has become the most valuable car company in the Country and I don’t think Musk is anywhere near finished. But let’s slow our horses when covering the news.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for April 10th, 2017

More Solar Clickbait. For some reason, newspapers forget that the solar industry is a business. The solar market has a global impact and global supply chain. Silicon from the US that goes to China, cells and materials that come from Georgia that go to Asia for assembly, etc. Sometimes those businesses have to adapt to market conditions and jobs are realigned, which is always unfortunate. When Sungevity files for Bankruptcy, small family owned solar installers get more market share. When China drops the cost of solar modules, more lawyers, accountants, developers are hired in the US. More importantly it means cheaper energy for consumers and more clean energy for the environment. New York Times got this headline wrong, I’ll stay subscribed though.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Community Solar. Okay, community solar is going to be a thing. I still worry about the solar credits being under the control of regulators, and we have seen what regulators can do to change the rules of the game. That being said, we now have a community solar trade association and big companies like NRG going big with it. Maryland has spent the better part of two years working on their rules and now comes the execution. A municipal utility in Florida has signed a PPA and is selling the energy to its customers if they want to opt-in. Lots of new business segments to round this market out, would be nice to see larger pools though so we can avoid a boom-bust.
Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solarmarket.
Signals create liquidity. It’s no secret that California has a lot of solar. There are efforts to connect the CAISO with the Western States. All of this is important because the solar industry wants to move to a more flexible model, away from 20 and 25 year contracts. In order to achieve that, we need to connect our grids together in pricing and send clear pricing signals to solar and storage operators. Let traders place value of the potential value of capacity and available solar energy so that sponsors can generate revenues as if it was a coal plant.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for April 7th, 2017

The forgotten GW. As I spoke to software vendors and service providers at the asset management show last week, I kept trying to figure out where all of the GW were. At most, vendors had a portfolio of 15GW or so depending on how it was counted. With global capacity well above this, I kept asking the same thing, where are the remaining GW as they have to be managed somehow. The answer is that utilities, which own a large amount of the global GW, are doing almost everything in house. From writing their own software to hiring their own field technicians, few utilities are outsourcing the asset management or O&M functions.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Metaphor of the week. The coal mine museum goes solar. Makes sense, that’s the future for coal miners across the Country. Elon Musk should have donated it to them and now IREC should offer free training at the museum, located at a technical college in Kentucky.
Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solarmarket.
The budget to nowhere. Congress doesn’t like the cuts to the EERE division of the DOE. Some solar people sat down with the Secretary of Oops Energy, Rich Perry. First public comments was all political fodder but I want to know how the meeting really went.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for April 6th, 2017

Today’s opening paragraphs are courtesy of Vinyasun and Generate Capital. Two companies that took me up on my offer and donated $1,000 to Vote Solar for Equinox. Vote Solar is doing important work that keeps many of us employed. Imagine a solar industry without the regulatory and legislative rules that exist today. Lucky for us, this isn’t the case. Also thanks to Kristin Ashwood and Blair Kendall for sending their donations!
Florida Solar Wakeup – Our largest utility is self-promoting 2GW of rate-payer funded, self-build, “universal-solar” power plants without a transparent bidding process. They are so big league they convinced the FLPSC to let them run a half-baked voluntary green pricing program, funded by ratepayer donations, while in parallel running a $20+ million-dollar opposition campaign against its own customer. The result, the sleeping giant is awake. In August, 73% -- over 1.9 million votes were cast to remove tax barriers to commercial solar and that have prevented affordable solar leases to the state's aging and middle-income population. What you might not know is that constitutional amendment was placed on the ballot through the legislature, passed unanimously with bi-partisan support. PACE is now available to 40% of Floridians, zip codes where a large amount of this country’s wealth is concentrated and contains a population greater than that of Massachusetts. Right now, our republican legislature is in the process of doing the will of the voter, implementing language to remove taxes from solar leases and commercial ownership. The Solar Foundation reported that solar jobs in Florida grew by 31% in 2016. Make no mistake - Florida is open for business whether the utilities like it or not.
Justin Hoysradt is the Chief Executive and Dir. of Public Policy for Vinyasun. A primarily residential, rooftop solar installer, strategically driving scale to make Florida’s once impenetrable grid more modern, distributed, and flexible. This paragraph was brought to you through a contribution to Vote Solar, the grassroots, non-profit, organization that has significantly helped drive the policy change that you have been waiting for in Florida. Donate to Vote Solar today.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
From Generate Capital. Generate Capital has announced a new facility to finance more than $250 million in energy storage and solar-plus-storage projects. As the largest private financier of behind-the-meter energy storage projects in North America, Generate Capital will initially focus on the upcoming SGIP rebate program in California with this innovative new facility. The groundbreaking program provides standard customer contracts for behind-the-meter storage and solar-plus-storage projects, offering project developers access to permanent, flexible capital in a burgeoning market. For more information about the facility or the SGIP program, contact Generate Capital at storage@generatecapital.com.
Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solar market.
First Solar Raising Money. Brookfield gets into the yieldco game and First Solar wants out. It is raising money to keep a decent cash position while replacing its manufacturing capacity and it also realizes that owning assets long term isn’t what the company is setup for.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for April 5th, 2017

The State Tour. This week’s EnergyWakeup. I’ve always been intrigued about the State chapters of SEIA. They are political animals that sometimes have a hard time to get going but when they do and the cylinders are firing, watch out. It seems to me that Oregon is in that position right now. Budgets have been drastically increased, fundraising is going well and a new executive director has been hired. Now add a well thought out Oregon Solar Plan and 115MW of new solar development coming to the State. Our conversation is wide ranging including the intricacies of how OSEIA works with SEIA. Plus an awesome new intro song!
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Winning over land owners. A Texas Tech Professor was on the Pod Save America podcast and she said something really interesting about her conversations with Texas land owners. Oil has been driving big revenues for them but it’s messy and intrusive to the property. Wind farms on the other hand are now bringing in $60million in revenues to land owners. Texas is on the edge of being a solar juggernaut and revenues will be interesting to watch.
Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solar market.
Going 100%. The content at Vox is quite good of late. David Roberts tackles the idea of going 100% renewables and if it can work. We work in this sector but what do the RPS’s really mean for our business, this is a great place to start.

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Yann

Jeff Bissonnette, Executive Director of Oregon SEIA on 10% solar, 115MW awarded and National SEIA

In this episode of EnergyWakeup, we speak to the executive director of Oregon’s Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), Jeff Bissonnette. Jeff has been working for OSEIA for over a year and comes to the association with almost two decades worth of energy policy experience. OSEIA has dramatically increased its budget and operation to bring Oregon back to the top of the solar leaderboard. Oregon used to have a business tax credit that led companies like Nike and Prologis to go solar almost ten years ago. Today the group is fighting for the residential tax credit crucial to the sector and implementing new policies like community solar. Recently, OSEIA announced the Oregon Solar Plan which aims to have Oregon’s energy supply at 10% solar in a decade, something that is completely feasible. Solar development is also advancing in Oregon, with 115MW recently announced to multiple developers taking advantage of a $5/MWh adder for production. Companies like SolarCity and sPower took advantage of the process. Jeff and I discuss the local politics and priorities for this year’s legislative session. Net metering is not directly under attack and Jeff tells us how it is being addressed. We also talk about how OSEIA works with SEIA and what State’s need to be able to become more successful in their work to move solar forward. You can find this episode on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher Radio. Make sure to subscribe and review the podcast. [soundcloud id='316082874' height='false']

This is your SolarWakeup for April 4th, 2017

Don’t tell me, show me. This goes hand in hand with the saying, in god we trust, everyone else bring data. In this case, we can use pictures to change hearts and possibly minds. There are some amazingly frightening time lapse documentaries on glaciers and their retreat. Of course these are the effects from human cause but they are also the cause of the weather effects we are seeing in whacky weather. Visual debate is very effective, that’s why I tend to like every picture of solar I see on facebook or linkedin. You hear non-solar people say it all of the time after they fly into a major hub, “why aren’t all of those roofs full of solar?”
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Realism in being contrarian? Many comments in the aftermath of the Trump victory have stated that renewables cannot be stopped at this point. Much of that is true and at the same time it’s the therapy we need to justify believing our own kool aid. I’m sure it’s a little bit of everything, meaning that a weak EPA and DOE with regard to renewables and the apathy by the White House is not helpful for the growth of our sector. At the same time, coal is still not going to make a comeback. Natural gas pricing will continue to be low because there is a lot of it and any upward pressure on pricing due to a desire to have drinkable ground water isn’t going to happen. Therefore, I agree with the overview, it’s not bad but it definitely isn’t good.
Make sure you listen to the latest episode of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup.
Another Nuke Deal? We discussed the potential for another deal around nuclear plants early this year after New York and Illinois both went this way. It looks like Connecticut may be pursuing a bill of their own. CT only has one nuke, owned by Dominion Power. The deregulated market has so much more potential for more solar, the existing solar market was well crafted but capped early. The bailout is done by doubling the RPS, funny right, since nuclear power is labeled as a renewable. Any solar folks working this bill?

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for April 3rd, 2017

Flat Earth Society. In this political environment, we take normal events that shouldn’t be news to be breaking news. Take Chris Wallace from Fox News as an example of just that. In an interview with Scott Pruitt, who does the bidding for polluting oil and gas companies, Wallace pushed back on Pruitt’s false comments on effects of humans on climate change. This comes in the wake of the disastrous cuts to the EPA and DOE programs that keep our water and air supply clean. If you look at pollution in some cities, drinking water in places like Flint and eroding beaches in South Florida, you would see that more work is needed. Keep up the good work Chris Wallace, maybe we should start a club for anchors that still think the earth is flat and convince them that science is real.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Legislative Agendas Across America. One week during legislative gives anti solar efforts in Indiana, Ohio and Missouri. Of course there are more attacks under way and efforts to enhance solar in some States. The problem is these policies are being argued in places where solar is yet to go mainstream. Local installers are there already but few on the national level are paying attention because it doesn’t drive their bottom line. I don’t know what the solution is, we used to have TASC and SolarCity with big budgets. We have to figure out a way that the bi-partisan support for solar is translated to local legislative fights. Legislators at the State level want to go to Congress and we should, as an industry make it clear to them that if they want to go to Congress, being anti-solar is going to make you lose your election.
Make sure you listen to the latest episode of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 31st, 2017

Back in the home office after a week in San Francisco. I went to cover the asset management event because I was curious to see how the 40GW of US projects are being managed. Still a very immature market but its filled with software platforms doing asset management, performance analytics and O&M ticketing. There are also established/larger companies like Mercatus getting into the space. Mercatus announced the expansion of its software adding an asset management to its project platform. That being said, a vast majority of the projects are still being managed in excel files which most vendors called their biggest competitor. Look for more content about this sector, I am officially intrigued.
Consumer Protection. This is the next big thing and it’s not just from the people going after solar. There are definitely forces being pushed and funded by utilities to protect the consumers but the solar industry is abuzz about this as well.  SEIA came out this week with a consumer education system and legislation in State’s like Florida is looking to add protection. I don’t have a problem with the concept but let’s not overreact and overextend. Ask your clients to give you good ratings on platforms like BBB or Google. Earn their trust and don’t let fast talking, fly by night sales people speak for the solar industry. This isn’t a solar problem, this is a problem caused by a few bad actors passing through our industry. Don’t you think there are bad mortgage brokers, roofers, plumbers, etc running around? Nobody in their industry is overreacting.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Raising money, the old fashioned way. First Solar has the biggest war chest in the solar industry with about $2billion worth of capital. Much of that is now going into rebuilding its manufacturing capacity for the Series 6 module. Making money through project development has been the leading way for the company to do as well as it has, riding the PPA contracts through product cost decreases. This time it’s another 250MW solar farm in Nevada.
Make sure you listen to the latest episode of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup.
Squeeze the lemon. Creating finality for SunEdison isn’t going to come without some more fighting. The unsecured creditors have filed objections with the bankruptcy court regarding Brookfield’s acquisition of the TERP and GLBL shares. I’m sure things will still end up the same way but this is part of the process regardless.

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Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 30th, 2017

We talk to Google about solar. Yesterday we spoke with Sam Arons from Google about the tech giants achievement to go 100% renewable energy. In this episode of EnergyWakeup, we go deep into how this works and how Google participates in the wholesale markets. In some markets, like North Carolina, Google has had to push utilities that own those markets into new ways for Google to get access to renewable energy. We talk about corporate PPAs and how solar gets a bigger piece of that market going forward. Don’t miss this episode and pass it on to your friends.
Help support SolarWakeup. If you are looking for investors or buyers of your projects, hit reply to this email and let us help you. Our expansive network is always looking to partner with you and helps us pay the bills to keep the newsletter free to you, as it has been for the past 4 years.
Solyndra times 20. Westinghouse, the nuclear power plant contractor, filed for bankruptcy yesterday. Huge news on its own but there is an interesting part of this. The cost overruns of the Southern Company/Oglethorpe Vogtle Nuclear Plant in Georgia had a lot to do with it. The Vogtle Nuke also received an $8.3 billion loan guarantee from the same program that Solyndra got money from. There is a nuance, Southern Company has apparently guaranteed the loan so even if the project fails, Southern will likely pay their portion. Nevertheless, a huge blow to the nuclear industry that is now lacking capable contractors to build plants. If you don’t like the Solyndra comparison, check out this side by side from the Nuclear Energy Institute justifying the loan.
Make sure you listen to the latest episode of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup.
Tariffs don’t work. Exhibit 542 on why protectionism doesn’t work. SolarWorld loses money again and doesn’t see profitability until 2019. How do protectionist policies work for you now?

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Yann