This is your SolarWakeup for August 11th, 2015
Next Tuesday I will be speaking with a few hundred solar installers and manufacturers in Las Vegas for the Somo Conference. Somo stands for solar mounting, an interest of mine from my days in the roofing industry. Having the talk in Vegas is great timing given the tactics of NV Energy to kill solar in the State. Nevada currently represents one of the largest residential markets in the Country and I look forward to speaking with the group about the impacts this and the many other NEM battles have on their businesses. Come meet me and the many other solar folks at the show.
News
1 Utility Dive:
How renewable energy can save utilities money
2 PV-Magazine:
USDA to invest $63 million in rural renewables
3 Reno Gazette-Journal:
Solar lobby in Darth Vader, other villain garb to protest NV Energy
4 Forbes:
Foxconn Could Make India Its Next Manufacturing Base After China, Investments Suggest
5 Architectural Digest:
These Colorful Solar Panels Could Be The Wave Of The Future
6 Journal News:
Bright idea? Clarkstown seeks solar regulations
7 Las Vegas Sun:
Solar company Sunrun signals lawsuit against state for public records
8 Clean Technica:
These 20 Cities Account For 6.5% Of US Solar PV Capacity
Opinions:
9 Seeking Alpha:
MLM And Rooftop Solar Sales Abuses, Lessons In Regulatory Capture
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 10th, 2015
With oil commodity pricing at some of the lowest numbers, the refineries are operating at some of the highest levels. I have been driving an electric car for the past 3 years, averaging 100 mpg with my 10kWh battery pack. Most days, I use all of the energy that I bought from my utility, FP&L. On the other hand I only visit the gas station every 6 to 8 weeks. The fact that refineries are operating at such a high level shows me that the utilities still don’t see the future. They can take market share from oil companies for the first time in history and drastically increase customer demand. Meanwhile EV owners are complaining that there are not charging stations in their neighborhoods.
News
1 Energy Collective:
U.S. Refineries are Running at Record-High Levels
2 Utility Dive:
Is New Hampshire solar racing toward a brick wall?
3 Solar Love:
Minas Gerais Implements Tax Exemption For Large Solar
4 Grist:
Climate and energy feature heavily in national debate — in Canada
5 Sydney Morning Herald:
Power networks accused of seeking to slow solar growth
6 Boston Globe:
Governor Baker files bill to encourage expansion of solar power
7 NRDC:
Power Companies Respond Positively to EPA's Final Carbon Pollution Standards
8 Clean Technica:
SunEdison + NASCAR = Solar Hi-Tech Teamup
Opinions:
9 Las Vegas Sun:
New plan for solar users needs careful, expert review
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 New York Times:
Solar Deals Are Hot, but Investors Fret; Sunrun IPO Fizzles
2 Slate:
The Miracle of SolarCity
3 Bloomberg:
Wind, Solar Cheer as Coal Vows Battle on Obama’s Energy Plan
4 Greentech Media:
California Utilities Release New Plans to Replace Net Metering - Conflict to Come?
5 New York Times:
Obama to Unveil Tougher Environmental Plan With His Legacy in Mind
6 News & Observer:
Unintended negative consequences of NC solar farms
7 Motley Fool:
Are Utilities Finally Falling in Love With Solar?
8 Think Progress:
This Kind Of Electricity Provider Is Already Integrating Renewables
9 Solar Love:
Clean Power Plan Will Lower Electric Bills, Study Says
10 Forbes:
3 Things To Know About SolarCity's Financial Health
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 August 7th, 2015
Look into every Governor’s mansion and then look at the most connected friends, advisors and lobbyists. In many, many instances, the closest to the Governors are also very close to the regulated utilities in the State. Nevada is a great example of it. Here is the greatest irony in energy today. When a regulated IOU asks to build a natural gas plant the present a cost study to build and operate the plant including a forward cost curve for the fuel costs that are expected. But who takes the fuel cost risk? Not the utility or the shareholders but the ratepayers. This, my friends, is likely the largest energy subsidy in the energy markets.
News
1 Greentech Media:
Conflict Over How to Value Solar Flares Up Again in Nevada
2 Bloomberg:
Israel Solar Industry on Hold While Awaiting Government Policies
3 Utility Dive:
The other death spiral utilities are beginning to deal with
4 News & Observer:
Unintended negative consequences of NC solar farms
5 Deseret News:
My view - It could be the beginning of solar boom in Utah
6 Forbes:
How Obama's Clean Power Plan Will Fuel The Solar Industry's Rapid Growth
7 Atlas Obscura:
From Above Solar Farms Look Like Tetris Pieces Left Behind By Giants
8 PV-Magazine:
Germany’s second PV tender oversubscribed three-fold
Opinions:
9 USA Today:
Obama’s power plan worth cost. But is it enough? #tellusatoday
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 6th, 2015
Sunrun goes public and SolarCity goes South of the border. Solar IPOs have been following a trend. From SolarCity’s last minute save by lowering the pricing to $8 per share (now trades over $50) to today’s IPO pricing in the middle of the range and then an early drop. What seems to be happening is that solar savvy investors understand solar while the retail market is still struggling with it. Remember that almost all solar companies show a loss per share due to increased investments in assets to put on balance sheet. Over time this will even out when companies are able to rephrase what is actually happening. It’s all about marketing at the end of the day.
News
1 New York Times:
Solar Deals Are Hot, but Investors Fret - Sunrun IPO Fizzles
2 Fortune:
SolarCity eyes global expansion with acquisition of Mexican solar company
3 NRDC:
10 Ways the Clean Power Plan Protects Electric Grid Reliability
4 EDF:
Lights will Stay on with New Power Plant Pollution Rules. Find out Why.
5 Renew Economy:
Networks propose compulsory fees for all – to stop grid defections
6 Energy Digital:
Step-by-step guide to understanding Obama’s Clean Power Plan
7 Utility Dive:
Rushing to bring solar online, Hawaii approves 4 utility scale projects
8 Texas Tribune:
New Law Will Help More Texans Go Solar
Opinions:
9 Los Angeles Times:
Editorial Obama's Clean Energy Plan doesn't go far enough
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 5th, 2015
Huge day for solar! At 9:30am, the team from Sunrun will be ringing the bell at the NASDAQ as the stock is expected to price at around $14 per share. The first trade will be expected around 10am under the ticker “RUN”. It’s not easy to get a solar company off the ground and take it public, huge shout out to Ed Fenster and Lynn Jurich for leading their team to this latest round of financing. The celebration will not last long as you can see in the remaining stories today, net metering attacks in California, Arizona, and Nevada continue, some of the largest markets for the company and residential solar.
News
1 Wall Street Journal:
Sunrun Inc. Prices IPO at $14 a Share
2 Greentech Media:
California Utilities Release New Plans to Replace Net Metering - Conflict to Come?
3 Crain’s Detroit Business:
DTE supports updating Michigan's solar power net metering rules
4 Arizona Central:
Ruling could delay APS request for higher solar-user fees
5 MIT:
Clinton vs. Obama on Renewables
6 Solar Industry Magazine:
New York's Shared Renewables Order Removes A Barrier To Community Solar
7 Utility Dive:
With $1M given, NextEra among largest donors to Jeb Bush Super PAC
8 Reno Gazette Journal:
Solar industry trying to get around legislative process, Farley says
Opinions:
9 Tampa Bay Times:
Trigaux - TECO pursuit of solar despite potential sale is curious timing
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 4th, 2015
As the President launched the final Clean Power Plan, opponents of the plan fell all over each other to make their case against it. Funny thing about the Plan. Page 637, highlighted thanks to Politico’s Mike Grunwald, says it best. “Consistent with what their [renewable generation] trends would be in absence of the rule”, the economic drivers of renewables are a factor so great that solar would reach its growth regardless. Tomorrow is another good day for solar as Sunrun will be heading to New York City to celebrate its IPO according to the NASDAQ website.
News
1 The White House:
Climate Change And President Obama's Action Plan
2 Bloomberg:
Wind, Solar Cheer as Coal Vows Battle on Obama’s Energy Plan
3 Grist:
Here’s what the presidential candidates think of Obama’s climate plan
4 PV-Magazine:
Residential solar market remains the most attractive, says Deutsche Bank
5 Utility Dive:
'Tipping point' for FL solar? Orlando utility buys at under fossil generation prices
6 Reno Gazette-Journal:
Net metering battle heats up as NV Energy proposes reduction in credits
7 PV-Tech:
TerraForm IPO price to generate US$675 million in proceeds
8 Washington Post:
Solar power gets attention in the oil kingdom
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Are Small Changes Eating Away at Net Metering?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 3rd, 2015
The President will be launching the final Climate Plan tomorrow which will be more aggressive than the proposed plan. Tomorrow you will see where industries stand when it comes to the 21st Century Energy economy. Utilities often speak of their “responsibility to serve”, covered by the guaranteed rates of return in the double digits by providing sub par customer service to millions of customers. I think the “responsibility to serve” will have to transition to the “opportunity to serve” for the evolution of the energy sector. Just take a look at the EEI statement on the topic. More to come about EEI this week.
News
1 New York Times:
Obama to Unveil Tougher Climate Plan With His Legacy in Mind
2 Solar Love:
Clean Power Plan Will Lower Electric Bills, Study Says
3 Think Progress:
This Kind Of Electricity Provider Is Already Integrating Renewables
4 PV-Tech:
Saudi Electric Company project dips under five cents per kWh
5 PV-Magazine:
Germany - PV tender extended rooftops above 1 MW
6 Bloomberg:
Wind and Solar Cheer as Coal Vows Battle on Obama’s Energy Plan
7 Slate:
The Miracle of SolarCity
8 Solar Power Portal:
Solar Power Portal launches ‘Building a British Solar Future’ campaign
Opinions:
9 Motley Fool:
Are Utilities Finally Falling in Love With Solar?
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 Forbes:
3 Things To Know About SolarCity's Financial Health
2 Vox:
Hillary Clinton is calling for a 700% increase in solar power. Is that realistic?
3 Vox:
Rooftop solar is booming. But it may be more vulnerable than you think.
4 Huffington Post:
Senate Finance Committee Puts Wind and Solar On Short Leash
5 Motley Fool:
Berkshire Hathaway Leads in Solar - World's Largest Solar Plant Now Operational
6 Vox:
11 maps that explain energy in America
7 Los Angeles Times:
SolarCity launches plan to bring solar power to small and midsize firms
8 Huffington Post:
The Secret Network of Fossil Fuel and Utility Backed Groups Working to Stop Clean Energy
9 Denver Post:
Battle of solar pits rooftop against utility-scale systems
10 Massachusetts Live:
Gov. Charlie Baker plans to propose solar energy legislation
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 July 31st, 2015
I like to think that the SolarWakeup community is pretty successful, I mean you all wake up each day and read the solar news and maybe even glance at my thoughts. My guess is that every reader either has or would like a Tesla. So let’s put the community to the test. One of our readers has been a Tesla Model S driver for a few years, yesterday he received the email from Elon Musk saying that if he gets 10 people to buy a Model S, and is the first one to do so, he gets a free Model X. You get $1000 off your model S, which isn’t too bad as the car keeps getting more affordable with each new edition. Here is the landing page for the referral, let’s win a Tesla for a SolarWakeup friend
News
1 Wired:
Facebook Is About to Test Its Enormous Solar-Powered Drone
2 Massachusetts Live:
Gov. Charlie Baker plans to propose solar energy legislation
3 Star Tribune:
CEO of Xcel Energy says the utility supports large-scale solar projects
4 San Antonio Express-News:
Solar democracy, or CPS monopoly?
5 Utility Dive:
ConEd will enter NY rooftop solar market through unregulated subsidiary
6 Renewable Energy World:
US Clean Power Plan Could Include Carbon Trading
7 Huffington Post:
Solarizing Greece Is a Way Out of the Crisis
8 Solar Love:
Official Figures Show China Solar Only Reached 7.7 GW In First Half Of 2015
Opinions:
9 Breaking Energy:
Energy To Be Front And Center For Decision 2016
Have a great day!
Yann
