The Energy Show: By Barry Cinnamon The bad news about global warming continues unabated. This fall the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (fondly referred to as the IPCC) sent up an emergency flare. According to Amjad Abdulla an IPCC board member and chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, “The report shows that we only have the slimmest of opportunities remaining to avoid unthinkable damage to the climate system that supports life, as we know it.“ Obviously, small island states are at the most immediate risk. But if the earth’s warming trend continues, many populated areas … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent A new study from Environment America Research & Policy Center urges other states to follow California’s lead in requiring all new buildings have solar on them. If states would adopt such mandates, which California adopted earlier this year, the home solar market could triple by 2045. It would also cut carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production by more than 9% over the same time. [wds id=”3″] “Every home and structure built without solar is a missed opportunity,” said Bret Fanshaw, Go Solar Campaign director with Environment America Research & Policy Center. “Generating renewable energy from … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Commercial solar, one of the most underserved segments of the solar industry, is taking off in Wisconsin, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The driver of the push is falling solar prices, which takes the decision to add solar out of the realm of “it’s a nice thing to do” and into the realm of “from a business perspective, this is a must do.” In other words, the money-saving aspect of it has become so overwhelmingly compelling that there’s now an undeniable business case for it. As Larry Schmidt Jr., chief financial officer … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Earlier this week, Washington D.C. announced it had passed a law saying that it would produce all of its electricity from renewable energy by 2032. Though the bill still has to be passed on a second reading, signed by the mayor, approved by Congress and pro-coal President Trump – so who knows if it will actually get approved – it is the most aggressive 100% renewable energy mandate in the country. SolarWakeup decided to discuss the plan’s chances with someone whose offices are right in D.C.’s backyard – David Murray, executive director of MDV-SEIA. Here … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Nevada has long had a love/hate relationship with the rooftop solar industry. Despite having one of the highest insolation rates in the nation, it’s rooftop solar segment experienced a near-death experience when the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (NPUC) decided to eviscerate net metering at a December meeting in 2015. After nearly killing off the segment, the legislature and governor came to their senses and reinstate net metering under a modified program, but serious damage was done – such damage, in fact, that the rooftop industry is still recovering from it. On the other hand, the … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent SolarWakeup sat down with Dave Rosenfeld of the Solar Rights Alliance to discuss how the group came to be, what their goals are this year and where they expect to be in the year ahead. SolarWakeup (SWup): Tell us why you decided to found the Solar Rights Alliance. Dave Rosenfeld: Our Board of Directors and the leadership of the CA Solar & Storage Association should get the credit for founding the organization and seeding it with the resources to get started. I was brought in after they did that initial lift. Solar Rights Alliance was … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Donald Trump says he’s a big military supporter. He’s consistently and constantly talking about the importance of military budget and has said in the past that no one, including the generals, knows more about the military than him. Which is why an article from the ever-excellent McClatchy New Service’s D.C. Bureau – and reporter Greg Gordon specifically – caught my eye. It seems that the military, which under President Obama had worked hard to add solar power backup to its arsenal in case of enemy attacks, cyber warfare or destructive weather, wants to continue to … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent The investment tax credit (ITC) has been one of the most successful methods for supporting solar development at the federal level for nearly the past decade. Under its provisions, solar consumers can take a 30% tax credit on their tax returns if they install solar electricity (though under a 2015 extension, the amount of the credit starts to go down starting in 2020. As energy storage has become more of a factor in people’s decisions to go solar, however, there’s been a growing movement that would add energy storage projects into the ITC as a … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent After several years of fits and starts, Massachusetts yesterday began to accept applications to it’s Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, program. Billed as a successor to the state’s former solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program, the SMART program is designed to encourage solar development in the state within the context of its three major utilities. According to the SMART website: The SMART Program is a 1600MW declining block incentive program. Eligible projects must be interconnected by one of three investor owned utility companies in Massachusetts: Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil. Each utility has established … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent In the past five years, solar capacity in Georgia has gone through the roof. It’s grown so fast, in fact, that it is ranked as the 10th largest solar state according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s annual rankings. But just because it’s grown rapidly doesn’t mean it’s grown evenly. The growth Georgia has seen has mostly accrued to the state’s largest utility, Georgia Power, instead of individuals and businesses owning their own rooftop systems. One group – Solarize Middle Georgia – is looking to even the playing field a bit, at least according to … Read More →