These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 Greentech Media:
Here’s What It Would Take for Solar Installers to Adapt to a World Without the ITC
2 Wall Street Journal:
Will Solar Energy Plummet if the Investment Tax Credit Fades Away?
3 Greentech Media:
Solar Stocks Continue to Plummet in a ‘Bizarre Confluence of Contradictory Events’
4 Inc:
What SolarCity's CEO Really Thinks About Climate Change and His Cousin Elon Musk
5 Bloomberg:
Crashing Solar's Convertible
6 Seeking Alpha:
Increasing Uncertainty In Rooftop Solar's Long-Term Business Model
7 Washington Post:
Why leasing solar panels may not be a good idea if you’re planning a home sale
8 Boston Globe:
Business groups make last-minute lobbying push to limit solar incentives
9 USA Today:
White House pushes community solar power as rooftop alternative
10 Slate:
How Solar Installations Could Be the Barn-Raisings of the 21st Century
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 November 20th, 2015
Policy in solar has good days, and days where there is more work to be done. One of those days happened in Mass yesterday when the Senate and House couldn’t reconcile their bills. At the same time, after the PUC in Hawaii went awol and cut net metering. Now there is a public outcry for fairness. A new poll was released yesterday that showed 97% of Hawaii residents want more rooftop solar. When they were told about the PUC’s solar changes, 4 out of 5 respondents saw it negatively. These are battles in the ongoing fight for a fair energy market.
News
1 Mass Lives:
Senate compromise on Massachusetts solar bill fails to pass before winter recess
2 Hawaii Business Journals:
97% support more rooftop solar in Hawaii, new poll shows
3 Bloomberg:
California to Miss Deadline in Setting Home Solar Payments
4 Miami Herald:
A debate over how to brighten solar power’s future in Florida
5 Greentech Media:
Strong Funding for Solar Finance, Technology and Startups Despite Stock Market Carnage
6 Utility Dive:
The future of rate design - Why the utility industry may shift away from fixed charges
7 Clean Technica:
Australia Boosts Solar Financing To Scalable Levels
8 ILSR:
It’s not Doomsday, but Neither is Ending the Solar Tax Credit Good Policy
Opinions:
9 EDF:
Local Solar Can Be Good For All Neighborhoods
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 19th, 2015
It’s all about the public markets right now. Last week, I was ready to call a bottom and see the short squeeze kick in but hedge fund investors have been selling out some positions this week. Does anyone really know why there are currently more sellers than buyers in the market? I don’t. In a discussion with a public markets investor, there was a clear difference with other sectors because of the value of the assets on the companies’ balance sheets. All of this is made more convoluted by the yieldco ownership structures but we shall see how this plays out.
News
1 Greentech Media:
Solar Stocks Continue to Plummet in a ‘Bizarre Confluence of Contradictory Events’
2 Bloomberg:
Crashing Solar's Convertible
3 New York Times:
Silver Lake Is Said to Invest $100 Million in SolarCity
4 PV-Magazine:
Enel marks push into renewables with Enel Green Energy repurchase
5 Boston Globe:
Business groups make last-minute lobbying push to limit solar incentives
6 USA Today:
White House pushes community solar power as rooftop alternative
7 PV-Tech:
Intersolar India - Government to restore 30% rooftop subsidy after slow start
8 Renewable Energy World:
Carbon Rules Under Clean Power Plan Would Survive Republican President - McCarthy
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
Wind and solar beating conventional fuels on costs – Lazard
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 18th, 2015
During the panel yesterday, I asked each of the panelists if solar was mainstream already. To my surprise, 50GW annual market does not give them the comfort that the industry is “mainstream”. Here’s my takeaway, especially after listening to last week’s GTM podcast about the Keystone pipeline. Solar is mainstream, not because of the market size but because of the size of our labor and advocacy force. Much like the NoKXL movement, solar is able to fight against the anti-competitive market makers and negotiate a fairer marketplace. Top article today shows what has to be done to overcome a drop in ITC and it doesn’t look good, so call your Senator today!
News
1 Greentech Media:
Here’s What It Would Take for Solar Installers to Adapt to a World Without the ITC
2 Mother Jones:
The Republican Wall of Climate Denial Is Starting to Crack
3 Washington Post:
Why leasing solar panels may not be a good idea if you’re planning a home sale
4 Renew Economy:
Australia open to 1.5 °C climate target, “carbon neutral” in 2050
5 New York Times:
Summit in Philippines Sets Stage for Climate Action in Paris
6 PV-Tech:
SolarWorld and REC Solar reports suggest collapse of UK solar market in 2016
7 Energy Collective:
If You Like Your Time-Invariant Electricity Price, You Can Keep It
8 PV-Magazine:
Australia - Clean energy funding program attracts 2 GW of applications
Opinions:
9 Treehugger:
Solar bicycle lane's first year is "a great success"
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 17th, 2015
I’m on my way to Boston to lead a set of panelists to discuss investing in solar. Massachusetts has been debating the net metering cap allocations and a set of rhetorical questions meant to challenge the logic used in public debate. The logic I want to challenge is that putting solar on my roof is subsidized by my neighbors without solar. Here are two questions for you and others to answer. I use 30-50kWh a day to charge my electric car, by using that much more energy, am I not subsidizing the grid for my neighbors that don’t have an EV? Should my utility be collecting gas tax now that more and more people are using electric vehicles? Aren’t gas users subsidizing the roads for me and other EV owners?
News
1 Wall Street Journal:
Will Solar Energy Plummet if the Investment Tax Credit Fades Away?
2 PV-Magazine:
India's Modi puts solar firmly on G20 agenda
3 Inc:
What Solar City's CEO Really Thinks About Climate Change and His Cousin Elon Musk
4 Vox:
It's easy to buy "green power." Making a difference is a little harder.
5 Utility Dive:
Why clean energy advocates are challenging SCE's historic storage buy
6 Energy Collective:
Will the Paris Agreement Be a Legally Binding Treaty?
7 Greentech Media:
6 Key Takeaways From an Upbeat Analyst Day at SunPower
8 ABC Las Vegas:
Dozens speak up against changes to net metering rates for solar
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
Ode to US Market Risks as Paraphrased from Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 16th, 2015
Apple is really going for it. First a massive California deal, followed by China and now in southeast Asia. There is a common thread here. Apple originally went big with self-owned assets ON site at the NC data center. But every big deal since has been OFF site and 3rd party. Having participated in several panels on this topic, there is a trend here. Apple and other corporate executives can easily see their company 20 years in the future but don’t have the same ability with real estate assets.
News
1 Straits Times:
Apple plugs into solar power in Singapore
2 Utility Dive:
Pot power - How utilities and regulators are dealing with the budding marijuana industry
3 Renew Economy:
Home battery storage market expected to “explode” in Australia in 2016
4 Hartford Courant:
Connecticut State Government Failing To Use Solar To Cut Electricity Costs
5 Greentech Media:
More Than Half of US States Are Studying or Changing Net Metering Policies
6 Slate:
How Solar Installations Could Be the Barn-Raisings of the 21st Century
7 All Africa:
Kenya - Why Solar Energy Is the Next Big Thing in Kenya
8 Seeking Alpha:
Increasing Uncertainty In Rooftop Solar's Long-Term Business Model
Opinions:
9 EDF:
What One Conservative Texas Think Tank Doesn’t Want You to Know about the Clean Power Plan
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 Bloomberg:
SolarCity - Solar Energy’s Uphill Battle
2 Fortune:
This is Why Solar Panels Will Boom Early Next Year
3 Forbes:
The Biggest Solar Breakthrough You've Never Heard Of
4 News & Observer:
David and Goliath struggle over solar power
5 Bloomberg:
SolarCity Says You Shouldn't Need Great Credit to Get Panels
6 PV-Magazine:
Solarcity lawsuit against Arizona utility to go forward
7 Motley Fool:
Solar Energy Shakeup - What We Learned From This Quarter's Earnings
8 Miami Herald:
Donations pour in to utility-backed solar initiative
9 Greentech Media:
Rooftop Solar Brings Higher Home Appraisals
10 Solar Novus:
Grid Alternatives Announces Veteran's Training Program for the Solar Industry
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 November 13th, 2015
Credit for off-takers is one of my favorite topics. It spells the best market expansion in residential and C&I by growing the share of customers that can qualify for no upfront cost solar. But from a sales and development standpoint, credit expansion is even better. Underwriting goes faster and adoption grows exponentially. With the network effect that happens after someone goes solar, more installs means more sales which means more installs which means faster growth. Get the drift?
News
1 Bloomberg:
SolarCity Says You Shouldn't Need Great Credit to Get Panels
2 Business Journals:
Solar PV permits on Oahu rise nearly 40% in October
3 Greentech Media:
Rooftop Solar Brings Higher Home Appraisals
4 PV-Tech:
California Renewable Energy Conservation Plan finalised
5 Christian Science Monitor:
How solar is turning American energy on its head
6 Breaking Energy:
Utilities Look For More Nimble Regulatory Practices As Electric Industry Evolves
7 Solar Industry:
Do Your Past Commercial Solar Projects Qualify For An Unused Tax Deduction?
8 Milford Daily News:
Solar, business groups battle as they wait for House bill
Opinions:
9 Forbes:
The Biggest Solar Breakthrough You've Never Heard Of
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 12th, 2015
I’m shocked, shocked to hear that the solar feud in Florida is funded by investor owned utilities. I can’t believe that a group of utility execs would use their war chest to push propaganda around an intellectually dishonest debate. Personally, I find the whole constitutional amendment process in Florida a bit silly. Service agreements go a long way here and raising the issue on the solar front seems a bit ahead of its time. That being said, the utilities are trying to memorialize a kill shot to net metering in their process. When organizations like Grid Alternatives is trying to help bring veterans into solar, I can only imagine how many opportunities are being crushed by big utilities.
News
1 News & Observer:
David and Goliath struggle over solar power
2 Miami Herald:
Donations pour in to utility-backed solar initiative
3 Greentech Media:
Tom Steyer Calls On Activists to Push for Clean Energy Solutions Post-Keystone
4 PV-Magazine:
UK - Energy Secretary comes clean about missing renewable energy target
5 Bloomberg:
SolarCity - Solar Energy’s Uphill Battle
6 Utility Dive:
How California is bringing DER aggregation to wholesale markets
7 Treehugger:
1000 US veterans to receive solar job training through Troops To Solar initiative
8 Las Vegas Review Journal:
Poll shows strong support for existing rooftop-solar program
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Historic Opportunity to Reduce Global Fuel Subsidies
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 11th, 2015
One of my favorite parts of the US solar industry is the opportunity to work together with our veterans. After doing the hardest job of all, it’s great knowing that solar can become a home for all interests. Whether the focus is finance, install, engineering or policy, our industry is growing on all fronts. So take time today and thank a veteran for their service and dedication. Most of all, if you see the opportunity to hire a veteran, take it!
News
1 Solar Novus:
Grid Alternatives Announces Veteran's Training Program for the Solar Industry
2 Utility Dive:
Coming soon to affordable housing - Solar-plus-storage?
3 Forbes:
The Opportunities And Challenges In The Chinese Solar Market
4 Think Progress:
Going Off Fossil Fuels Would Boost Disposable Income And Create A Million Jobs
5 PV-Tech:
Canadian Solar making substantial manufacturing capacity expansion in 2016
6 PV-Magazine:
Report - Germany will miss 2030 RE targets unless current policies change
7 Rocky Mountain Institute:
Yahoo’s Pursuit - New Business Models Offer Companies Economic Alternatives
8 Greentech Media:
What Does the End of Net Metering Mean for Commercial Solar in Hawaii?
Opinions:
9 Climate Central:
New Fees Seen to Weaken Demand For Rooftop Solar
Have a great day!
Yann
