This is your SolarWakeup for March 30th, 2015
On my way back to California, this time to SFO for some company meetings but it’s a reminder that California is so far ahead of the rest of the Country when it comes to solar. Looking at financial models and costs of solar installations, it reminds me how crucial an ITC extension is for our industry and the Country. Listening to the GTM podcast on Thursday, it is amazing to hear that losing 100k jobs is okay for some, but let us reiterate that those that want the ITC to go away or are OK with it is a very small minority. Don’t get caught up in the noise and get ready to be involved because your job quite literally could depend on it. And don’t hesitate to push back on those that speak haphazardly about the ITC.
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Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
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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 March 27 th, 2015
Back in Florida, this week was a bit eye opening at the solar finance conference. For one, it was great to see how many of you were there and to meet you in person. This event was symbolic of the types of jobs that solar creates and jobs that cannot be outsourced to another Country, so it was great to hear a fellow panelist bring up the headwind of tariffs for 400 jobs in Oregon. For comparison, there were 547 people registered for this event. Also a great day yesterday for solar, with Solar Edge successfully listing on NASDAQ, selling for $18, first trade around $20 and then closing above $21. Congrats to $SEDG!
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 26 th, 2015
How much is the ITC extension worth to your business? At the conference I've been attending over the last two days, everything revolves around "before the deadline" or "post 2016". It's a bit tiring that all of the highly paid smart people in solar give up so easily. So I ask it in a different way, if someone asked you to write a check that could extend the ITC, how much would your company write? Reply to this email and let me know (if you care about the ITC).
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 25 th, 2015
After the first day at Infocast in San Diego, I have some initial thoughts. 1. There is no better place to catch up with people than these conferences, regardless if it is always the same people. Seeing people again is great and you end up seeing new opportunities. 2. You discover new buzzwords, like “the fourth pillar” which apparently refers to Community Solar (h/t to SunShare). 3. Solar has A LOT of service providers, engineers, lawyers and accountants primarily. 4. I wish there was more time to listen to the panels, I really enjoy learning the random thought I hadn’t heard before and I get that urge to challenge the speakers on many of their topics.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 24 th, 2015
Today’s top story is symbolic of some recent things we have seen in the news and in social media. One group, Solar Secrets, made its rounds in the solar circles on Facebook after having some door canvassers knock on the wrong door. That group is part of the conservative, anti-solar movement funded by Koch Bros and their allies. Interestingly, not all conservatives are anti-solar, some are very much pro-solar given free-market principles that resonate with them. A hire in solar that hasn’t become too public is a recent addition at Sunrun in the policy team. The team (which is A+) added Tyson Grinstead who comes to Sunrun as the former political director for Senator Lindsey Graham, a politician not entirely known for his ties to clean energy. Welcome to solar Tyson!
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 23rd, 2015
On my way to San Diego today for the Solar Finance and Investment Summit where I will be on a panel on Thursday. I can already forecast a week of talk regarding post-2017 and how grim things look (particularly for my panel on large scale solar farms). On the other hand, it will be a great event for matchmaking between projects (I want some) and money. So the question to start off your Monday, what part of the capital stack is most needed for you and how can it be fixed?
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Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
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 March 20 th, 2015
I think every President should only serve the last two years of their tenure (hard to do, I know). The focus starts to go in the direction that most people want it to and action starts becoming more apparent which in this case is great for the environment, our climate and renewable energy. DoD has already been saying for years that energy is a big issue for national defense, conservatives always wanted to reduce foreign imports of fuels, and no better way to hedge energy costs by eliminating fuel costs. I'm glad Obama is hitting his strides, and I hope everyone enjoyed Equinox. One last shout out to Amanda Brodbaek from Eco Branding for sending her receipt!
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Yann
Breaking Down The Top Data from GTM Solar Summit 2015
By Yann Brandt
By Yann Brandt Greentech Media’s Solar Summit 2015 (#GTMSS2015) brought together over 500 of solar’s brightest. The solar summit tends to be a bit different than many other conferences since the focus is on data and research, rather than products and services. The event kicked off with Shayle Kann of Greentech Media, who broke down the current state of the solar market and with some sharp analyses. For the full coverage on the presentation, see here. Utility Scale Solar Costs Decline and Offtakers Base Grows Utility scale solar is now consistently below $70/MWh and is being installed around the world … Read More