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Solar Asset Management: 4 Best Practices From The Experts

By Richard Matsui

By Richard Matsui With the notable exception of Intersolar North America, it’s surprisingly rare for a major solar conference to be held here in San Francisco. So when Solarplaza extended an invitation for us to speak at its 2nd annual Solar Asset Management conference here in the city, we leapt at the opportunity. I joined fellow panelists Kent Williams (VP of Asset Management, Vivint Solar), Jimmy Bergeron (Director of O&M, SolarCity), and Matt Golden (Senior Consultant, IBTS) for a discussion entitled, “Challenges in effective management of small scale portfolios.” 4 Asset Management Best Practices From The Experts Measure twice, cut … Read More →

These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!

News

1 Wall Street Cheat Sheet:

3 Reasons Why Solar Energy Is One of America’s Hottest

2 Think Progress:

Arizona’s New Solar Charge Is ‘Unsupportable By Any Economic Analysis,’ SolarCity Says

3 PV-Magazine:

AES targets distributed PV, storage with purchase of Main Street

4 Business Journals:

Solar installer RGS Energy to cut 30% of staff, reorganize

5 Seeking Alpha:

Vivint Solar - Increasing Focus On Downstream Integration

6 PV-Tech:

Trina Solar to spin-off downstream business

7 Bloomberg:

Conergy Sees 450 Megawatts of Solar Installs in 2015, CEO Says

8 Renew Economy:

Carbon crash, solar dawn - Deutsche Bank on why solar has already won

9 Business Spectator:

Utility-solar gets a boost in the South

10 EDF:

Why solar panels are becoming a middle-class commodity

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 6th, 2015

Thank you to Pam Cargill of Chaolysti and Grant Draper from Browning and Associates for buying their Equinox Party Tickets. If you buy 5 tickets ($1,000) you get to write the column for a day. In today’s news you have the incoming tariffs in Canada on Chinese modules. A permanent ruling to come this summer but the preliminary numbers are rather high, Canadian Solar may be the winner here with good capacity in Ontario plus their great day on Wall Street with the pending yieldco announcement coming soon perhaps???

News

1 Globe and Mail:

Trade tribunal rules Chinese solar panels may be hurting Canada’s industry

2 Greentech Media:

Solar Advocates Launch a Targeted Campaign Attacking AEP

3 Giga Om:

SunEdison acquires battery project startup Solar Grid Storage

4 Midwest Energy:

Xcel seeks to put a brake on large community solar gardens

5 PV-Magazine:

Canadian Solar reports record-breaking year

6 NY Times:

Solairedirect Moves to File I.P.O. in Paris

7 Vox:

A major eclipse hits Europe this month — and it's a big test for solar power

8 WLTV:

Commissioner uses study to attack solar subsidies

Opinions:

9 Utility Dive:

What's behind solar price variability, and why utilities get the best deals

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 5th, 2015

Probably the best night in solar is Vote Solar’s Equinox Party. A star-studded affair every year and this time is no different so it is with pleasure that I ask you, the loyal readers, to do me a favor and buy a ticket to Vote Solar’s Equinox. It is happening on March 19th (in a few weeks) in San Francisco. If you can’t go, take this opportunity to make a donation to the group, they do the work to keep you in business so your salary/profits depend on them being able to do their job. If you use the link below to buy tickets, send me your receipt and I’ll give you a shoutout, if you buy or donate $1,000 or more, you get to write the column for a day. How’s that for a write-off!

News

1 PV-Tech:

Trina Solar to spin-off downstream business

2 Giga Om:

Do you want to own a solar panel in a farm far away?

3 RE World:

5 Solar Asset Management Predictions for 2015

4 Breaking Energy:

The Race To 7-Day Solar Is On!

5 PV-Magazine:

Five percent growth for global BoS, reaching $21 billion in 2019

6 Solar Industry:

Solar Leaders Look Ahead At COSEIA's Solar Power Colorado 2015

7 Bloomberg:

Brazil to Reduce Taxes for Distributed Solar Energy Generation

8 The Guardian:

Can solar power help bring millions out of the dark?

Opinions:

9 EDF:

Why solar panels are becoming a middle-class commodity

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 4th, 2015

Another IPP goes the way of acquisition. With 60MW of assets and another 100MW under development, Main Street isn’t the biggest player on the market but significant enough to get AES’s attention. I reiterate my question from a few weeks ago when Duke took the majority of REC Solar, what is the root of all the majority investment/acquisitions of commercial development paltforms. Of note, AES CEO says the transaction size was $25million which (if accurate) seems very small so something else was part of the deal, let’s see who digs into it.

News

1 PV-Magazine:

AES targets distributed PV, storage with purchase of Main Street

2 Giga Om:

SolarCity sues Arizona utility over solar anti-competitive practices

3 NY Times:

Japan’s Solar Power Growth Falters as Utilities Balk

4 Renew Economy:

Carbon crash, solar dawn - Deutsche Bank on why solar has already won

5 Energy Collective:

What is Prosumer Value to Utilities?

6 RE World:

To Shift Middle East Away from Nuclear Track, U.S. Should Invest in Solar Partnerships

7 Forbes:

Trina Solar Q4 Preview - Revenue Growth Will Continue, Margins Could Decline

8 Chicago Tribune:

Proposal would allow neighbors to share cost, credit for solar projects

Opinions:

9 CleanTechnica:

Can Brussels Deliver An Energy Union For Europe?

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 3rd, 2015

We often ask if solar has become mainstream and I can confidently say that it has. Wearing my daytime hat at Conergy, we proudly announced one of the best turnarounds in solar’s history this morning. With 300MW installed and nearly $500million in revenues, the team I get to work with every day brought profits back to a Company after many years of losses. The solar markets are flattening out especially for global companies reaching markets where solar is at parity and with investor’s appetite for more solar projects growing, we see a larger 2015 by continuing our partnerships with solar teams around the world.

News

1 Bloomberg:

Conergy Sees 450 Megawatts of Solar Installs in 2015, CEO Says

2 CNBC:

Solar energy's unexpected conservative backers

3 AZ Central:

Rooftop-solar billing issues far from settled

4 Seeking Alpha:

Vivint Solar - Increasing Focus On Downstream Integration

5 Utility Dive:

Beyond the substation - How 5 proactive states are transforming the grid edge

6 Ecowatch:

Solar-Powered Airplane Prepares for Groundbreaking Around-the-World Flight

7 Biz Journals:

Solar installer RGS Energy to cut 30% of staff, reorganize

8 Renew Economy:

Even at $10/barrel, oil can’t match solar on cost

Opinions:

9 Huffington Post:

Energy Technology - Deploy What We Have vs. Build Something New

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for March 2nd, 2015

Now that SRP has essentially killed solar through regulations, let us look at how they did it and what concessions were made. SRP always used the $50/month charge for new solar users to remove incentive for solar savings. How those numbers could make sense (they don’t) is beyond me, no way that a few kW of solar can cost SRP infrastructure $600/year. SRP board did however give a 20 year grandfather instead of 10 on existing customers though there may be a distinction for leased systems and increased the demand charge calculation to 30 minutes from 15, a small but significant change. Not to forget that SolarCity has promised a lawsuit against the new charge, so much more to come.

News

1 Think Progress:

Arizona’s New Solar Charge Is ‘Unsupportable By Any Economic Analysis,’ SolarCity Says

2 PV-Tech:

Australian audits uncover no unsafe solar panels

3 Business Spectator:

Utility-solar gets a boost in the South

4 CleanTechnica:

Despite Net Metering Veto, West Virginia’s Solar Industry Close to Collapse

5 Tampa Tribune:

Utilities, group square off on solar power

6 Wall Street Cheat Sheet:

3 Reasons Why Solar Energy Is One of America’s Hottest Industries

7 Greentech Media:

SDG&E’s James Avery on the Promise of EVs and the Pitfalls of Solar

8 Utility Dive:

NY regulators approve state's first CCA program

Opinions:

9 PV-Magazine:

PV Expo - Trina CEO says Japan key to “smart energy” rollout

Have a great day!
Yann

These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!

News

1 Forbes:

Solar Energy Delivers Too Little Bang For Billions Invested

2 Greentech Media:

Here Are 7 Ways the US Solar Market Will Change in 2015

3 NY Times:

Appraising Solar Energy’s Value

4 Renew Economy:

Solar at 2c/kWh – the cheapest source of electricity

5 Bloomberg:

First Solar and SunPower Plan to Form Joint-Venture Yieldco

6 CNBC:

Two industries are fighting over your power bill

7 Time:

See the World’s Largest Solar Plants From Above

8 Eco Watch:

Solar Industry Prepares for Battle Against Koch Brothers’ Front Groups

9 AZ Central:

SRP boosts solar charges amid threat of lawsuit

10 EDF:

Let’s Talk About Solar Power and Equity

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for February 27th, 2015

A municipal utility should work for its ratepayers who also happen to be shareholders which makes the news out of SRP in Arizona all the more interesting. With so much heat on solar in Arizona and given how dirty it has been, it makes me wonder who got to the leadership at SRP. So now that a $50/month solar charge is getting implemented in SRP, let the investigative reporters do some digging into who really wanted to send the message to the solar industry. So many munis have been leaders on implementing solar with innovative structures, don’t expect SRP to be the standard going forward and don’t let it stand!

News

1 AZ Central:

SRP boosts solar charges amid threat of lawsuit

2 Grist:

What will a solar eclipse mean for solar power?

3 Forbes:

The Storage Industry Learns From Solar - Third Party Financing A Growing Trend

4 Time:

See the World’s Largest Solar Plants From Above

5 Renew Economy:

Big utilities charge into distributed energy, one step at a time

6 CleanTechnica:

Are Utilities or States the Leaders in Renewable Energy & Efficiency?

7 Greentech Media:

Where’s the Solar? How Los Angeles Can Utilize All Those Empty Rooftops

8 LA Times:

Google invests $300 million in fund for residential solar power

Opinions:

9 Utility Dive:

Why utilities and solar advocates can't agree on what solar costs

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for February 26th, 2015

Before you send me your email being upset about today’s leading story, hear me out. First off, not everyone likes solar. It is getting way too cost effective and has no fuel cost volatility that can be traded around. Folks like the Koch brothers just can’t handle that so what do they do? They help fund the misguided few to setup a cleverly named 501(c)(4) non-profit. In this case, they are paying David Williams to run the ‘Taxpayers Protection Alliance’ $120,000 and house him in the National Taxpayer Union building in Virginia. Well here is my offer to David Williams, come talk to me or many others in solar about the facts, because you have fallen off your rocker.

News

1 Forbes:

Solar Energy Delivers Too Little Bang For Billions Invested

2 Sun Sentinel:

Women in Solar Energy - Nonprofit pushes for greater role in industry

3 PV-Magazine:

Germany launches new solar farm incentive scheme

4 Solar Industry:

Mining Companies Find Value In Solar And Wind Generation

5 Bloomberg:

By the Time You Read This, They've Slapped a Solar Panel on Your Roof

6 PV Tech:

Opinion split on First Solar and SunPower yield-co

7 Tech Crunch:

Y Combinator-Backed Bright Aims To Bring Solar Power To Mexico

8 SolarServer:

100 MW of U.K. PV projects at risk as March ROC deadline looms

Opinions:

9 Grist:

California communities seize control of their energy futures

Have a great day!
Yann

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