This is your SolarWakeup for December 4th, 2014
In an interesting "macro-grid" test case, NextEra appears to be ready to make the real life demonstration of what next generation (no pun intended) utilities could look like. By 'merging' Hawaii Electric, NextEra will seek to showcase a company with significant solar and storage capacity deployed.
News
1 Bloomberg:
NextEra Buys Hawaii’s Biggest Utility in Green Energy Test Case
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar plus storage becoming “new normal” in rural and remote Australia
3 Solar Industry:
IHS Predicts Reshuffling Of Top 10 Solar PV Module Suppliers
4 Midwest Energy News:
On utilities and solar, Wisconsin goes its own way
5 Seeking Alpha:
Why Solar Stocks Will Dominate The Future
6 Energy Collective:
Protecting the Environment without Slowing Economic Growth
7 EDF:
2014 Year in Review
8 Az Central:
SRP has a better solar-fee idea
Opinions:
9 RE World:
Solar Uniquely Positioned to Help States Meet New Regulations
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 3rd, 2014
SRP is asking for a $50/month fee for homeowners that add solar. Ridiculous but let’s look down the road. If I were a utility exec then I would be worried to overcharge the solar fee, killing solar never really worked for anyone, eventually it will come back and hurt even more. $50/month is a great incentive for homeowners to go to the more drastic grid defection route because it makes more financial sense perhaps, but $50/month may be what is necessary to recoup the expense of ‘helping’ a couple utility commissioners get elected, let’s see.
News
1 AZ Central:
SRP's proposed rate hike targets new rooftop-solar customers
2 Think Progress:
Canada’s Green Energy Sector Now Employs More People Than Its Tar Sands
3 Renew Economy:
EU’s biggest utility dumps conventional generation to focus on renewables
4 Huffington Post:
Climate Meeting in Lima
5 Breaking Energy:
Most Rural Electric Cooperatives Are Working On Smart Grid Initiatives
6 RE World:
Energy Efficiency and Renewables Are Lowest Risk/Cost Investments for Utilities
7 Clean Technica:
Australia Wants Renewable Power And A Renewable Energy Target
8 PV-Magazine:
Young Germans more interested in renewable energy than pensioners
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Grains of Rice, Japanese Swords, and Solar Panels
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 2nd, 2014
Greetings from Hamburg. Sometimes my timing of posts becomes a tale of future news articles. Take a look at the top story today that shows a German utility’s strategic move. My key takeaway was that this isn’t just a solar story, it’s about centralized versus distributed which I think is a great foreword for what the US marketplace will look like. We’ve already seen US utilities make moves for DG players, so don’t be surprised as it happens in the US.
News
1 Greentechmedia:
Germany’s Biggest Utility, E.ON, Is Divesting Fully From Centralized Power Plants
2 Bloomberg:
George Shultz Gone Solar. Now That's a Sign of Thawing in the U.S. Climate Debate
3 Breakingenergy:
Solar Power’s Stunning Growth
5 Reneweconomy:
For Abbott, G20 just a taste of what’s to come on climate
6 Cleantechnica:
France Reveals New 400 MW Tender For Solar PV Projects Over 250kW
7 Nytimes:
Why More Solar Panels Should Be Facing West, Not South
8 Cnbc:
Is solar a threat to utility stock dividends? Not yet
Opinions:
9 Scientificamerican:
Rooftop Solar Cost Competitive with the Grid in Much of the U.S.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 1st, 2014
Let’s try to look at the positive in the Florida solar market. The regulators stopped the solar rebates, which many inside the TLH beltway would have expected. They were inefficient anyways because they were based on 2010 $/watt, but also because solar & utilities don’t communicate here. That being said, solar in Florida will grow, either through wholesale contracts with the utilities or utility owned solar farms as we expect the 2nd term governor to be open to doing cost effective solar.
News
1 RE World:
Why Aren’t Rural Electric Cooperatives Champions of Local Clean Power?
2 Npr:
Solar Energy's Popularity Increases As Rooftop Panels Get Less Expensive
3 PV-magazine:
Solar disrupts utilities out of their comfort zone
4 Dailymail:
Watch the world's largest solar power plant being built
6 Tallahassee:
Regulators scale back solar, energy efficiency programs
7 Cleantechnica:
Dubai Shatters Solar Price Records Worldwide — Lowest Ever!
8 Bloomberg:
China Solar Project Delays Mean Japan Could Be Largest Market
Opinions:
9 Fool:
The Best Solar Stock of 2014
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 26th, 2014
I am thankful for the growth in solar, the long term continuation of the ITC (maybe we can reuse this for the holidays), awesome solar public policy teams (they are some of the best marketing SolarWakeup has), and being able to work with some of the best 143,000 solar colleagues around (plus those outside of the US). Most of all that solar is mainstream (or getting there). What are you thankful for? (Programming note: SWu will be off until Monday December 1st)
News
1 PV-magazine:
TASC to appeal solar fees in Wisconsin
2 Theglobeandmail:
Bulk of solar installation growth to take place in emerging markets
3 Tampabay:
Florida regulators approve plan to gut energy efficiency goals, end solar power rebates
4 Theenergycollective:
Seeking Consensus on the Internalized Costs of Distributed Solar PV
5 Solarpowerportal:
DECC consults over feed-in tariff transferability for commercial installs
6 Cleantechnica:
What’s Cheaper
7 Grist:
World Bank to ditch coal for clean energy
8 Forbes:
How China Is Expanding Its Influence In Global Solar Market
Opinions:
9 Greentechmedia:
Former DOE Official
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 25th, 2014
In an amazing twist of reality, it has come to light that a Wisconsin Utility regulator may have acted improperly and most likely unethically. Ellen Nowak, the deciding vote in a 2-1 ruling to place a fee on solar users, appeared on a panel with the CEO of WI Energy Corp. With possible ex-parte communications and other strange dealings, it is another sample of when regulators and companies get too close. Not all utilities act this way but this is a case gone awry…more to come (see the first story)
News
1 Bloomberg:
Wisconsin Utility Sought Solar Fees After Regulator Advised CEO
2 Nytimes:
Solar and Wind Energy Start to Win on Price vs. Conventional Fuels
4 RE World:
Renewable YieldCo Pricing Less Irrational, But Plenty of Opportunity Left
5 Greentechmedia:
Topaz, the Largest Solar Plant in the World, is Now Fully Operational
6 Reneweconomy:
Networks told they need to play fair with local energy, solar
7 Switchboard:
Three necessary steps for the Mexican energy reform to help boost clean power
8 Bizjournals:
Hawaii's largest solar energy market continues to suffer
Opinions:
9 Usatoday:
Solar power charging ahead in America
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 24th, 2014
It’s fun to watch solar at work. Last week at the Infocast conference you watch the panelists speaking kindly to each other but throwing hidden darts at the same time. Loans or leases, yieldcos or securitizations, david versus goliath (for the utility panel). Now Walmart goes out and gives a contract to SunEdison and SolarCity. That should be fun to watch.
News
1 Utilitydive:
Walmart inks solar contracts with SolarCity, SunEdison
2 Bloomberg:
U.S. Rejects Proposal for Solar Project in California Desert
3 PV magazine:
U.S. installs only 31 MW of utility-scale solar in October
4 Forbes:
Solar Ran A $40 Billion Surplus In 2013
5 Cleantechnica:
Keystone, Schmeystone
6 Solarlove:
US Could Generate 100 Times Its Electricity From Solar Power
7 Newsobserver:
Solar power backers
8 Fool:
Media Reports Another Solar Company Bailout, But They're Wrong
Opinions:
9 Huffingtonpost:
The Green Industrial Revolution
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 SolarWakeup:
A Behind the Scenes look at SolarWakeup
2 San Diego UT:
Here's who wants to sell you solar, and why
3 Solar Industry:
How To Make The Pitch That Owning Residential Solar Beats Leasing
4 Motley Fool:
How SolarCity and SunPower Plan to Dominate Solar
5 NY Times:
SunEdison and TerraForm Buy First Wind, Gaining a Toehold in Turbines
6 BRW:
Ten commandments of solar energy for business
7 ABC:
Huge Solar Plant Lags in Early Production
8 Breaking Energy:
Ivanpah's First Nine Months
9 Milwaukee JS:
Regulators agree to increase fixed charge on We Energies electric bills
10 GTM:
Celebrity Solar Installation of the Week Starring NBA Legend Bill Walton
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 21th, 2014
Let’s go back to the ITC conversation. A panel of tax equity investors at this week’s infocast conference surprisingly (some would say shockingly) said that the ITC move to 10% wouldn’t make it to the bank CEOs desk. They said that they would just have to do more flow to deploy more capital at the same returns. I am sorry but anyone that thinks that solar in the US will maintain the same pipeline with a 10% ITC isn’t thinking through the market constriction properly. My 2 cents…
News
1 Utilitydive:
Georgia is the nation's fastest growing solar market
2 Greentechmedia:
It Was $40 Billion Cheaper to Install Solar in 2013 Than in 2012
3 Fool:
How SolarCity and SunPower Plan to Dominate Solar
4 Breakingenergy:
‘The Number of Megawatts is Simply not Replaceable in the Short Term with Renewables’
5 RE World:
Green Benefits
6 Huffingtonpost:
Powering Cars With Sunshine
8 Cleantechnica:
US Ex-Im Bank Offers $1 Billion Renewable Energy Loan To India
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for November 20th, 2014
Believing is the key to accomplishing anything. Take solar’s #1 fan, Bill Walton, for example. There are few people in solar that believe in the opportunity and empowerment offered by our industry like Bill does. So it’s with pleasure that I share GTM’s take on his recent installation on his home. Let’s take that enthusiasm for everything we do like our 21-1 track record on State policy discussions and the pending ITC extension, more on that to come!
News
2 RE World:
A Look Inside Four Solar Labs Offers a Glimpse of What's New in PV R&D
3 Breaking Energy:
Ivanpah Solar’s First Nine Months
4 Clean Technica:
California’s Reserve Fund Won’t Lift The FHFA Boot From PACE’s Neck
5 PV Magazine:
Home-grown UK solar to be cheaper than gas
7 Solar Server:
Renewable energy commitment can improve the stock price of mining companies
8 Solar Industry:
How To Make The Pitch That Owning Residential Solar Beats Leasing
Opinions:
9 Renew Economy:
How Australian utilities will cope with solar and storage
Have a great day!
Yann
