This is your SolarWakeup for May 23rd, 2016
And this is what the future looks like. Late last week, MGM filed with the NV Utility Commission their plan to leave NV Energy as a generation customer. They will pay a one-time $90million departure fee and will go find its own power. The public comment on why is simple: "It is our objective to reduce MGM’s environmental impact by decreasing the use of energy and aggressively pursuing renewable energy sources.” This is another blow to Buffett’s NV Energy which has been using its political clout to kill off solar in the State but becoming a transmission and distribution utility is inevitable.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Vegas Casinos Plan to Leave Warren Buffett’s Nevada Utility
2 Rocky Mountain Institute:
New York’s Next Steps in the REV-olution
3 PV-Magazine:
Nigeria's solar hopes stall
4 Renew Economy:
Household solar + storage to meet most of peak demand, and keep grids stable
5 GreenBiz:
Electricity providers of the future - Not your grandmother's utility
6 New York Times:
New Solar Plants Generate Floating Green Power
7 Deseret News:
Utah aglow with new solar developments, rooftop systems
8 San Francisco Chronicle:
California’s next frontier - clean electricity for everything
Opinions:
9 EDF:
SolSmart - Helping Communities Go Solar by Cutting Costs
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 Think Progress:
Storing The Sun’s Energy Just Got A Whole Lot Cheaper
2 Forbes:
The Solar Story Is Just Beginning
3 Portland Press Herald:
Big solar worked to kill Maine solar energy bill
4 Greentech Media:
New York’s Full Value Tariff Could Be a Radical Departure From Net Metering
5 USA Today:
Lessons from a solar startup's failure
6 Rocky Mountain Institute:
Moving to Better Rate Design
7 PV-Magazine:
Solar PV can meet 25%+ of annual demand without major intervention
8 Greentech Media:
The Future of Solar, According to 500 Industry Professionals
9 Grist:
Clinton is making coal country a generous offer, but it’s not buying
10 Vox:
Solar power is already saving lives in the US. Here's how
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.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 20th, 2016
Some positive news in Nevada, public perception is making its way to the render the policy makers rational. The Governor’s task force has made the recommendation that existing solar customers should be grandfathered. It still requires the full vote of the task force and then will be presented to the Governor to propose to the legislature. Moreover, the task force needs to figure out a plan for net metering since they are adamant on changing it. Let’s see how this slow, long story plays out.
News
1 Utility Dive:
Nevada governor's task force committee recommends grandfathering rooftop solar customers
2 Vox:
Solar power is already saving lives in the US. Here's how.
3 PV-Magazine:
Argentina sets aside 300 MW for solar in its first auction
4 Renewable Energy World:
GE Looks to Power, Renewable Energy as Oil Slump Crimps Profits
5 Rocky Mountain Insititute:
The Business Value of Demand Flexibility
6 Advanced Energy Economy:
Full D.C. Circuit Hearing of Oral Arguments on Clean Power Plan
7 Greentech Media:
Slideshow - ‘The State of Solar’ From GTM’s Solar Summit
8 CleanTechnica:
Australian Power Purchase Agreements — Diving Into Digital Solar
Opinions:
9 Think Progress:
Trump’s Newest Enemy - Environmentalists
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 19th, 2016
The department of energy looked into how much energy demand could be covered by solar while integrating into the grid. The key was to test the grid reliability and maintain solar cost-effectiveness. The report shows that 25% of annual demand could be integrated without “major intervention.” Reports like this do not make grid operators and regulated utilities very happy because their “obligation to serve” continues to be their reasoning for keeping solar low on their priority list.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
U.S. DOE - Solar PV can meet 25%+ of annual demand without major intervention
2 Think Progress:
Storing The Sun’s Energy Just Got A Whole Lot Cheaper
3 Solar Industry:
Report - Renewables + Natural Gas Could Meet All Of Texas’ Power Needs
4 CleanTechnica:
Solar Ready Vets Transforms US Military Into Climate Change Fighters
5 Greentech Media:
The Future of Solar, According to 500 Industry Professionals
6 Grist:
Europe keeps hitting clean energy milestones
7 USA Today:
Lessons from a solar startup's failure
8 News&Observer:
NC bill takes aim at wind power and solar energy
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
Municipal Solar and Microgrids - A PV Market Outlook
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 18th, 2016
At the Solar Summit last week, a panel moderated by Julie Pyper about rate design and net metering was quite eye opening for me. The regulators around the Country have been abundantly clear that there is little reason to change net metering. Quite emphatically, solar has won about 95% of all the rate cases that tried to change solar policies including solar going 10-0 in 2016. Also, demand charges have had a hard time with almost no utilities, especially those regulated by PUCs, being able to push them through. Rate design is a sexy topic, but before we change anything, just take a look at the policies that solar has been winning including states like Oklahoma!
News
1 Rocky Mountain Institute:
Moving to Better Rate Design
2 The Hill:
Department of Energy expands solar training for veterans
3 PV-Magazine:
Argentina to auction 1 GW of renewable energy
4 PV-Tech:
New Brazilian energy minister ‘open for renewables’
5 EDF:
3 Policies Driving Innovation in the Electricity Sector
6 Greentech Media:
It’s a Great Time to Be a Solar Manufacturer—How Did Yingli Stumble So Badly?
7 Utility Dive:
Yieldco problems - systemic or a speed bump?
8 Charlotte Observer:
Green-energy advocates will appeal ruling on solar sales
Opinions:
9 GreenBiz:
5 keys to debunking climate fatalism
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 17th, 2016
Yes, you will lose your job but you will gain your life, your health and your ability to provide for your family. You will not see the inside of a deep coal mine again, suffering from lung disease and instead will have the ability to improve the air and energy sector of your community. Coal is going out of style and coal miners are losing their jobs but they are welcome and able to come to the solar industry and enjoy gainful employment. The only thing in the way is the political will of their State leaders still clinging on the hopes of a dirty, dying coal sector. CoalWakeup.com will not be rising from the ashes but all their readers are always welcome here…
News
1 Grist:
Clinton is making coal country a generous offer, but it’s not buying
2 Greentech Media:
New York’s Full Value Tariff Could Be a Radical Departure From Net Metering
3 PV-Magazine:
Puerto Rico proposes changes to its net metering program
4 CleanTechnica:
Lux Research - Perovskite Solar Cells Technology Improving, Commercialization Likely In 2019
5 PV-Tech:
TerraForm Global rejects bondholders’ default warning
6 Renewable Energy World:
Germany Achieves Milestone – Renewables Supply Nearly 100 Percent Energy for a Day
7 Think Progress:
Renewables Are Leaving Natural Gas In The Dust This Year
8 Utility Dive:
Renewables advocates ask Minnesota regulators to streamline DER interconnection
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
A Vision for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 16th, 2016
There’s some solar policy spinning going on in Maine. On a national level, the solar industry has to play a long game. This means that at times we have to give up some short term market certainty for a better market in the long run. It is easy to blame the ‘big solar companies’ but I wouldn’t be so fast to judge. I’ve been in the room with the utility where they try to dole out some small incentives and get the buy-in from the local installer in order to maintain their lock on the Statewide market. At the end of the day, politics is not a spectator sport.
News
1 Portland Press Herald:
Big solar worked to kill Maine solar energy bill
2 Greentech Media:
AES CEO - Solar Is ‘the Future’ but Utility Buy-In Is a Must
3 PV-Magazine:
SunEdison delays quarterly filing, parts ways with CFO
4 PV-Tech:
Renewables on the rise for Germany’s ‘Big Four’ utilities, conventional generation suffers
5 CleanTechnica:
Debunking 4 Myths About The Clean Energy Transition, Part 2 - Excess Generation
6 Renew Economy:
Solar lobby targets marginal seats in election campaign
7 Advanced Energy Economy:
NEWS - An ISO for Hawaii? Utilities Double Down on Renewables
8 Utility Dive:
Major US companies launch Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance
Opinions:
9 Forbes:
The Solar Story Is Just Beginning
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 NJ Biz:
NRG streamlining, with renewed focus and some job losses expected
2 PV-Magazine:
Elon Musk calls for mass political mobilization and a price on carbon
3 New York Times:
As West Virginia Goes…
4 Bloomberg:
Riding the ‘Solarcoaster’ as Shares Plunge Even More Than Coal
5 Huffington Post:
Disrupting Solar
6 Bloomberg:
Once a Billionaire, Miao Is Latest Humbled China Solar King
7 Huffington Post:
Why Is L.A. Toxic?
8 Motley Fool:
Last Week in Solar
9 Renewable Energy World:
Massachusetts Utility Seeks to Stay “Ahead of the Game”
10 New York Times:
New York Plans to Make Fighting Climate Change Good Business
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.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 13th, 2016
Yingli is falling into issues as it missed another debt payment. It is very important for you to know how to manage your part of the value chain in the appropriate way. For example, if you sell widgets then you have to manage your receivables and margins while capital deployment platforms must remain debt free at the corporate level. Sunedison and Yingli are not examples that indicate an issue within solar, they indicate an issue with executives managing money inappropriately.
News
1 PV-Tech:
Yingli Green officially defaults on China bonds
2 Bloomberg:
Once a Billionaire, Miao Is China’s Latest Humbled Solar King
3 Renewable Energy World:
Massachusetts Utility Seeks to Stay “Ahead of the Game” with Solar Grid Penetration
4 NJ Spotlight:
PSE&G LOOKS FOR STATE APPROVAL TO SPEND $275 MILLION ON SOLAR FARMS
5 PV-Magazine:
Sunrun reports strong growth in Q1 results
6 Vox:
The US is badly underinvesting in electricity infrastructure
7 Utility Dive:
Utilities, greens still miles apart on solar valuation, new report shows
8 Economic times:
India plans to seek bilateral solutions to settle solar disputes US
Opinions:
9 GreenBiz:
One way to sell a tax on carbon - Cut other taxes
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 12th, 2016
Sorry to bring this up, I really wasn’t planning on doing so until maybe 2021 but Corey Honeyman from GTM asked a question at the Solar Summit yesterday that almost made me fall out of my chair. During the 1 on 1 chat with a SolarCity exec, Corey asked how the ITC cliff in a few years was being planned for. I am no policy professional but I play one for a few minutes through this newsletter but there is absolutely no part of me or anyone else in the room that was thinking about the step down of the ITC. We just got it passed a few months ago, in a series of political miracles against the will of some of the biggest players from outside and within or sector. Let’s drop the step down talk until the end of the next President’s first term. And I really hope that Hillary Clinton’s energy advisor doesn’t get this question tomorrow. I do have a question for the interview. When will the trade tariffs which are taxes on the consumers be lifted if Secretary Clinton is President?
News
1 New York Times:
As West Virginia Goes…
2 PV-Magazine:
SunEdison yieldcos TerraForm Power & TerraForm Global granted financial report extension
3 CleanTechnica:
Emerging Markets Oust Europe As Most Attractive For Energy Investment
4 Renewable Energy World:
Chinese Solar Manufacturers Dominate Market in 2015
5 Energy Collective:
Capacity Mechanisms - DG Competition and DG Energy Clash Over Future of EU Energy Market
6 GreenBiz:
Shareholders win proxy access - Now what?
7 Biz Journals:
Majority of Hawaii solar energy firms reporting job losses, report says
8 Utility Dive:
Better together - How an organized market can help clean up the western US grid
Opinions:
9 Mark Ruffalo:
Why Is L.A. Toxic?
Have a great day!
Yann
