This is your SolarWakeup for February 10th, 2015
News of the day comes in the majority investment of REC Solar by Duke Energy. This follows a long stream of commercial solar developers purchased or majority owned by other utilities; NextEra/Smart Energy, NRG/Solar Power Partners, Edison International/Socore to name a few. Also Total’s large investment in Sunpower Corp. The question is what is the motive? And why is it always a purchase or majority ownership? It definitely isn’t always a distressed purchase so the reason must be something else and is it the best move for the utility?
News
1 Greentech Media:
Duke Energy Buys Major Stake in REC Solar, Aims to Invest $225M in Commercial PV
2 LA Times:
Minority groups back energy companies in fight against solar power
3 Motley Fool:
SolarCity and NextEra Will Triple Hawaii's Solar Power
4 Utility Dive:
How utilities think they will make their money in the future
5 RE World:
Former FERC Chief Jon Wellinghoff Speaks Out on Grid Security and Distributed Generation
6 NY Times:
An Incubator for Innovation
7 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Renewable energy advocates win court case on utility solar changes
8 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia House passes solar energy legislation, sends it to Senate
Opinions:
9 Forbes:
As Customers Disconnect From Grid, Wind And Solar Energy Are Threatened
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 9th, 2015
If you look back at the last 10 or so years in solar, you can see a ramp up of innovation followed by capital. The first phase was expensive capital into ‘risky’ ideas. The second phase was huge manufacturing plants funded by billions in venture capital, driven in large by the government policies that the capital was chasing. The third phase was the de-risking of solar and lower cost capital looking to invest in the sun. The next phase will be about solving the little problems, the problems we are largely ignoring because we have a status quo fixes for them. Part of what I hope to accomplish is finding the clean tech innovator that can improve my competitive edge.
News
1 RE World:
The Promise of Clean Energy Student Entrepreneurs
2 Greentech Media:
Solar Microinverter Startup Enecsys Now in Administration
3 Breaking Energy:
U.S. Solar Manufacturing Rising On The Horizon
4 Energy Collective:
Advanced Energy Technology of the Week - Utility-Scale Solar Energy
5 Solar Power Portal:
UK beats Germany’s solar installation record in 2014
6 India Times:
Drive for clean energy - Companies set to back 20,000 megawatts of solar expansion
7 Giga om:
Why Chile has emerged as a big solar market
8 CleanTechnica:
REsource - Get The Inside Scoop On Saudi Arabia Solar Power
Opinions:
9 USA Today:
Is solar poised for shale-like breakthrough?
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 PV-Tech:
Obama proposes permanent extension of solar’s ITC
2 Motley Fool:
Why Solar Panel Efficiency Matters More Than You Think
3 Bloomberg:
Seven Reasons Cheap Oil Can't Stop Renewables Now
4 San Diego Union-Tribune:
Solar power shines on apartments, renters in California
5 Huffington Post:
How to Finance an Energy Revolution
6 Hartford Courant:
NRG Home Solar Buys Northeast Operations Of Verengo Solar
7 RE World:
How Community Solar Is Finally Addressing Clean Energy’s Equity Problem
8 Huffington Post:
New Generation of Investors, New Generation of Issues
9 AZ Central:
SRP solar critic hits the roof
10 Grist:
Here’s how to make sure renewables keep getting cheaper
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 February 6th, 2015
(Event occurring at utility) An analyst walks into his lawyers office and says: I think we should rethink the way things are done and go after the oil business by giving every solar user an EV charging station. Lawyer (being the executive’s trusted advisor) says that’s not possible and that’s not how things are done. Let’s all work on getting lawyers and analysts to see things a little bit differently and figure out how to make the new things, the new normal. “Cheap oil does not affect solar growth. But solar growth affects cheap oil”.
News
1 Vote Solar:
EVs and PV - A Cleantech Peanut Butter Cup
2 Breaking Energy:
Utility Business Not As Usual
3 CleanTechnica:
Citigroup Report - 240 GW Global Battery Storage Market By 2030
4 Utility Dive:
Why community solar is exploding in Minnesota
5 Energy Collective:
Solar Business - A Renovators Dream?
6 PV-Tech:
USA needs ITC, if it’s going to back PV
7 RE World:
Big, Expensive Power Plants Undermine a Clean Energy Future
8 Greentech Media:
5 Questions to Ask When Deciding Between a Commercial Solar Loan and a PPA
Opinions:
9 Grist:
Score one for ALEC - West Virginia is first state to repeal a renewable energy standard
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 5th, 2015
Crazy fact: less than 5% of global electricity is produced using oil. So can someone please tell me why solar stocks and solar headlines are correlating to oil prices? Makes me hopeful to see the rise of value investors that don’t give up value for values. Instead millennials expect that business is profitable while being beneficial to society. Being sustainable or winning in politics requires capital, and capital seeks out profits otherwise it’s called a charity.
News
1 Huffington Post:
New Generation of Investors, New Generation of Issues
2 Grist:
Here’s how to make sure renewables keep getting cheaper
3 Greentech Media:
An Illustrated Guide to the State of America’s Clean Energy Sector
4 RE World:
The Solar Customer’s Hero’s Journey
5 PV-Magazine:
UK improves attractiveness of community solar investment
6 Business Journal:
Hawaii solar energy companies diversify in the face of Hawaiian Electric Co. gridlock
7 Utility Dive:
New PG&E program offers customers 100% solar option
8 Washington Post:
Report-Wind and solar energy have tripled since 2008
Opinions:
9 AZ Central:
SRP solar critic hits the roof
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 4th, 2015
Pipeline growth, geographic diversity, new market channels and the richest man in China. Today’s rundown is filled with deal news with companies looking for a way to compete in a more global market so they can flatten out the solar-coaster. The ups and downs within a market will have to continue to be looked at closely. For example, headlines in Germany seem disappointing but you have to look at the fundamentals. Self-consumption in the distributed market in Germany is growing nicely, more utility participants are getting involved which shows the stamp of approval solar is getting.
News
1 Greentech Media:
Canadian Solar Finally Acquires Recurrent Energy for $265 Million in Cash
2 Hartford Courant:
NRG Home Solar Buys Northeast Operations Of Verengo Solar
3 Bloomberg:
Sharp’s Energy Business Posts Loss Amid Declining Solar Sales
4 RE World:
How Community Solar Is Finally Addressing Clean Energy’s Equity Problem
5 Fortune:
Alibaba's Jack Ma dethroned as China's richest person by solar magnate
6 Energy Collective:
How to Regulate the Electricity Distribution Utility of the Future
7 PV-Magazine:
Germany added 1.89 GW of PV in 2014, stats show
8 Solar Industry:
Could This Be Solar's Breakout Year In Texas?
Opinions:
9 Dallas Morning News:
In Texas suburbia, solar not always welcome
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 3rd, 2015
Not everyone may agree with my position on the ITC extension and the premise of the #solarpledge. But after a slew of e-mails, I see that a lot of you agree and most importantly, the President sees a permanent extension of the ITC as a vital part of investing in the jobs of the 21st century. The ITC isn’t holding back solar development, it is enhancing the quality of solar projects and long term O&M. It is a job support mechanism that pays for itself many times over. It is a revenue center for the Country’s largest banks and law firms, and those industries tend to do well in Congressional negotiations.
News
1 PV-Tech:
Obama proposes permanent extension of solar’s ITC
2 Huffington Post:
The DC Disconnect on Climate Change
3 PV-Magazine:
U.S. Department of Energy re-affirms commitment to solar with $59m endowment
4 Greentech Media:
Can Microinverters Stabilize Hawaii’s Shaky Grid?
5 Solar Industry:
Managing The Ups And Downs Of Solar Tariffs Requires Agile Thinking And Deep Pockets
6 Giga Om:
Apple to build $2B solar-powered “command center” data center at Arizona factory site
7 Utility Dive:
HECO, NextEra file merger application, launch distributed energy tracking program
8 Treehugger:
The U.S. saw a 1,200% increase in 1MW+ solar plants between 2008-2013!
Opinions:
9 AZ Central:
SRP loves renewable energy? Well, not quite
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 2nd, 2015
Yesterday I mentioned on Twitter how bad it would be if the ITC is not extended, a point that was mocked and challenged. I personally think it will cost many jobs within the industry. According to Greentech Media (without taking into account State incentives) residential markets at the tipping point go from 14 States to 8, a 41% reduction. Utility scale deployment drops by an astonishing 90%. So companies will have to make a choice to lower volume (and cut workforce), lower margins (bad for EBITDA) or focus on fewer markets. I am not alone in this thinking, SEIA is pushing for an extension along with every other major solar association and some of the largest companies in the space. Don’t let “famous” people in solar give you false hope, the solar ITC should stay in place.
News
1 San Diego Union-Tribune:
Solar power shines on apartments, renters in California
2 Bloomberg:
Seven Reasons Cheap Oil Can't Stop Renewables Now
3 PV-Magazine:
China unveils 15 GW solar target
4 Utility Dive:
Washington state solar battle heats up, splitting installer trade groups
5 Solar Server:
World Bank Group launches “Scaling Solar” to create a market for solar power in Africa
6 CCTV America:
South Africa aims to power half of country with solar energy
7 Huffington Post:
How to Finance an Energy Revolution
8 Motley Fool:
Why Solar Panel Efficiency Matters More Than You Think
Opinions:
9 Indy Star:
Solar energy helps promote equality
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 SolarWakeup:
Solar Going Mainstream? 5 Projections for 2015
2 NY Times:
Worry for Solar Projects After End of Tax Credits
3 PV-Magazine:
One-third of SMA staff to lose their jobs
4 EDF:
SfunCube - Lighting the Way for Solar Innovation in California
5 Grist:
Now is the time to invest in solar, because people are stupid
6 Orlando Sentinel:
FPL announces huge solar expansion
7 Washington Post:
The best idea in a long time
8 Motley Fool:
A Surprising Move Could Save First Solar From Failure
9 Greentech Media:
‘Unconventional’ Accounting From China’s Hanergy Solar, Owner of MiaSole, Alta and Solibro
10 Renew Economy:
Why solar costs will fall another 40% in just two years
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 January 30th, 2015
I absolutely love today’s top story. I am biased because I think startups and entrepreneurship is where innovation happens. Every day I try to find out what the small group of risk takers are doing to solve the problems in my world, often browsing through Angel List to see what’s new. Are you a solar startup? Tell me how you can help fix our problems on a global basis. Thanks to SfunCube for doing what they do and bringing solar to the masses from the very beginning.
News
1 EDF:
SfunCube-Lighting the Way for Solar Innovation in California
2 Grist:
Now is the time to invest in solar, because people are stupid
3 Utility Dive:
How utilities can get in on the solar job bonanza
4 Forbes:
Hanergy Investors Shrug Off Skeptical Report-CEO Sees More Third-Party Business, Solar Gains
5 PV-Magazine:
Germany approves pilot tenders for ground-mounted PV plants
6 The Guardian:
Solar power in the UK almost doubled in 2014
7 Greentech Media:
Latin America’s Solar Market Grew 370% in 2014, Installed 625MW
8 Reuters:
Indian energy firm bars foreign bids for three solar projects
Opinions:
9 RE World:
Efficiency Is Not Effectiveness-How the Cost Reduction Race Hurts the Value of Solar
Have a great day!
Yann
