SolarWakeup.com

Home » Page 318

This is your SolarWakeup for January 9th, 2015

What does Wall Street think of solar? Just ask any of the banks and they are really looking forward to continued growth in our market. Not just in the US but across the world. Investors see it as an asset class that is definitely investable but all sorts of funds looking for yield. Let’s start a dialogue about solar versus oil (no correlation) and solar versus treasury yield (lots of correlation). We need mainstream to see solar as a finance product and not a fuel.

News

1 PV-Magazine:

Deutsche Bank predicts growing solar margins in 2015, despite oil price

2 PV-Tech:

IHS remains cautious on PV market demand growth

3 RE World:

Colorado Utility Leads the Way for Community Solar

4 EDF:

2014-A Positive Sign of What’s to come in Clean Energy

5 CleanTechica:

Global Solar Investment Surged An Incredible 175% In 2014

6 The Verge:

A solar solution for 1.2 billion people without electric light

7 Business Journal:

Report-Rooftop solar already cheaper than utility rates in most major cities

8 Washington Post:

The tea party is pushing for solar power in Florida

Opinions:

9 ABC Hawaii:

Will 2015 be brighter for solar in Hawaii?

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 8th, 2015

The States continue to drive the existence (or not) of solar markets. California continues to lead the Country in what States could (and should) be doing instead of those listening to the dark money groups and corporate interests that want to deliver dirty fuels and frack their ground. Governor Brown announces the plan to get to 50% renewables while Texas suffers through 6 earthquakes in 4 hours. Texas may have cheaper electricity but which path would you prefer?

News

1 PV-Magazine:

US Commerce decision welcomed in China, American downstream market to benefit

2 Bloomberg:

Cheap Solar Power Emerges From Mineral Named for Russian Count

3 LA Times:

Gov. Brown's renewable energy plan could boost solar, wind industries

4 PV-Tech:

Solar cements status as low-risk investment in 2014

5 Breaking Energy:

Will Fracking, Climate Change, Solar Reshape US Security?

6 CleanTechnica:

A Refreshing Change In The API Annual Report

7 Motley Fool:

$4.3 Billion, the Cost of Good Solar Market Research

8 Greentech Media:

Bold Cleantech Investing Predictions for 2015

Opinions:

9 RE World:

How to Get Famous in the Solar Industry

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 7th, 2015

Hope from the White House. Reduced tariffs that for solar modules this time around which is welcomes news. Also yesterday, the President issued a veto threat on the Keystone XL pipeline. Not on environmental reasons but nonetheless a bold political statement. As Congress looks to wind back EPA and other regulations, it will be interesting to see how solar with its massive job and capital creation will play in the political football arena.

News

1 Bloomberg:

U.S. Solar Tariff Review Hints at Halved Chinese Cells Rate

2 Washington Post:

White House riles new GOP-led Congress with threat to veto Keystone XL pipeline bill

3 EDF:

Why 2015 is the Year for Clean Energy in the U.S. and China

4 Greentech Media:

PV in Hawaii 2014-The Roller Coaster Ride

5 CleanTechnica:

The Three Biggest Solar Charts of 2014

6 PV-Magazine:

Solar overwhelmingly popular in US, says Harvard scientist

7 Tampa Bay Times:

Republican-led group launches ballot petition to boost solar power in Florida

8 Seeking Alpha:

Residential Solar And The Intensifying Battle Over Net Metering

Opinions:

9 RE World:

Going Solar-From the Millennials to Baby Boomers

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 6th, 2015

I love those words: “Intellectual honesty”. You often hear utility executives use this saying during their conversations with politicians, regulators and ratepayers. While I agree that solar needs to police itself with regard to sub standard sales practices, I don’t agree with the fact that solar should turn down the rhetoric with regard to policy. Solar is constantly attacked with arguments from dark money groups that are not being, shall we say, intellectually honest. So let’s be loud about our message that solar is here to stay!

News

1 AZ Central:

Ariz. regulator chastises rooftop-solar industry

2 Forbes:

2014 Energy Story #1 - Collapsing Oil Prices And The (Non)-Effect On U.S. Power Markets

3 Greentech Media:

Cleantech Venture Capital - Why Are These Investors Smiling?

4 Think Progress:

BREAKING - California Governor Calls For 50 Percent Renewable Power

5 CleanTechnica:

The Seven Most Attractive Nations For Renewable Investments

6 PV-Magazine:

Huge interest in Egyptian renewable energy tender

7 PV-Tech:

Chinese solar firms boosted by reduced 2012 US trade tariffs

8 Seeking Alpha:

The Changing Political Climate's Impact On The Solar Industry

Opinions:

9 RE World:

Six Renewable Energy Trends to Watch in 2015

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 5th, 2015

Welcome to gameday! The first Monday of business as usual for 2015, and I am excited to get to work. It’s going to be a great year for all of us and for the solar industry. A new look for us today! Start your year by sharing new content and let everyone know your outlook for the year. Remember, SolarWakeup will publish your content (for free) and connect you to the right people (investors) for your business needs. If we help each other, we all win! Let’s go!

News

1 Greentech Media:

A Setback for SolarWorld and a Trade Case Win for Chinese Solar Manufacturers

2 Breaking Energy:

Utilities Should Avoid Over-Investing When Integrating Renewable Energy Into Their Grid

3 CNBC:

The Big Apple takes a bite out of solar energy

4 PV-Magazine:

India ups solar investment pledge to $100bn by 2022

5 CleanTechnica:

Renewables Over 13% of US Electricity Production Jan–Oct 2014

6 Biz Journals:

Solar industry welcomes order that leaves N.C. solar regs intact

7 Greentech Media:

The Sol-Wind IPO - Can a Renewable YieldCo Win MLP Benefits?

8 NPR:

Utilities Fight For Revenue Lost To Solar Power

Opinions:

9 NY Times:

Playing Dumb on Climate Change

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for January 2nd, 2015

Welcome to 2015! Time to dust off the old and kickstart the new year. On Monday, the homepage of SolarWakeup will have an all new look and an easier access to the news stories. What is your solar resolution for 2015? Let me know, I want to hear from you.

News

1 Seeking Alpha:

Will Chinese Solar Companies Be Able To Overcome The U.S. Tariffs?

2 CleanTechnica:

17.3 GW Of Approved FiT Solar PV Projects In Japan Being Canceled

3 RE World:

Goodbye to 2014 and 10 Things to Look Out for in 2015

4 NY Times:

Tracing the Roots of Pope Francis’s Climate Plans for 2015

5 Breaking Energy:

10 Renewable Energy Questions for 2015

6 Huffington Post:

States Work To Meet New Renewable Energy Standards

7 Greentech Media:

Grading Rob Day’s 2014 Cleantech Investing Predictions

8 Forbes:

What You Should Know

Opinions:

9 American Thinker:

Obama's Energiewende

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for December 31st, 2014

Welcome to the beginning of the last day of 2014. It’s been a pleasure spending a few minutes of our days together for the past year once again. Today’s top news are actually the top articles of 2014, they represent the collection of trends you found particularly interesting any given day. Expect the ITC to keep up the a trending topic in 2015 and the utility transition to prosumerism (Thank you RWE for the term). I wish each of you a happy and prosperous 2015, see you on the other side on Friday the 2nd!

News

1 SolarServer:

Obama Administration proposes increased energy R&D spending, big changes to solar tax credits

2 Forbes:

3 Utilities Most Likely To Fall In Death Spiral, According To Morningstar

3 Motley Fool:

SolarCity Is in for a Giant Solar Fight

4 News 12:

Solar panels collapse under heavy snow, ice at Bryant Elementary School in Teaneck

5 Washington Post:

Elon Musk’s five insights into solar energy

6 Grist:

The high cost of the solar middleman

7 Forbes:

Jimmy Fallon Makes the World's Best Argument Against Solar and Wind Energy

8 Motley Fool:

SolarCity Is Eyeing a New Solar Energy Market

Opinions:

9 CleanTechnica:

Solar Storage Scandal In California (In Depth)

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for December 30th, 2014

There is no shortage of irony in solar news. Transcanada, the company behind the desire to export an enormous amount of oil, bought a solar farm in Canada. Don’t get me wrong, solar farms with OPA contracts are great, but another oil conglomerate creating long term revenue through solar assets is ironic. Everyone sees it and is doing something about it but continues to see the business as usual scenario as the most hopeful outcome. Of course, NRG comes to mind as a US based contrarian to that statement.

News

1 EDF:

Amid Global Efforts, New York Plants Seeds for Energy Reform in 2014 That Will Bloom in 2015

2 Gigaom:

My 14 favorite energy stories of 2014

3 Solar Industry:

Utah's Solar Sector Showing Strong Gains

4 NY Times:

Why the US Will Power the World Economy in 2015

5 PV Magazine:

Motech to merge with Topcell forming 3 GW cell giant

6 Seeking Alpha:

Why Lower Oil Prices Are Positive For The Solar Industry

7 Huffington Post:

Transcanada Buys Ontario Solar Power Plant, Its 8th One In The Province

8 KTUU:

In rainy Southeast Alaska, a village experiments with solar power

Opinions:

9 CleanTechnica:

Tariffs-Smariffs, We Can Already Make the World’s Lowest Cost Solar Modules — Here In The US

Have a great day!
Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for December 29th, 2014

Looking back at what I wrote in 2014 to ponder on what will be in 2015. It wasn’t the most popular story but definitely my favorite, and also the one that seems to become the ‘most likely to be reality’ in a forward looking way: “Is Google About to Be Your Cleantech Utility”. The most popular SolarWakeup story was the breakdown of the Vivint Solar IPO. Most important aspect of the story was the news of the exlusive use of Enphase inverters which became a topic of conversation during the successful IPO. The top contributed original story came from Jonathan Silver titled “Wall Street and Main Steet Voted. Clean Energy Won.” Look to SolarWakeup for more original content in 2015, especially from contributors.

News

1 CNBC:

US-China trade war leave some solar firms reeling

2 PV Magazine:

AE looks at departure from inverter business

3 RenewEconomy:

How Pope Francis could tip the balance against fossil fuels

4 CleanTechnica:

Why Do Some US States Have Higher Rooftop Solar Installation Than Others?

5 Forbes:

Five U.S. Electricity Myths DeBunked

6 RE World:

Renewable Energy Review

7 Newsday:

Solar power is already growing rapidly in New York

8 Houston Chronicle:

Texas needs to incentivize solar power

Opinions:

9 Motley Fool:

Utilities a Growing Threat to Residential Solar Installers

Have a great day!
Yann

Solar Going Mainstream? 5 Projections for 2015

By Jason Kaminsky

By Jason Kaminsky Now that 2014 has come to an end and we’ve seen a preview of what 2015 has in store, we felt it was the right time to put together our projections for the year. We look forward to picking this back up in 2016 and seeing how many of these actually materialized over the course of the year. Utility rates will be restructured – impacting existing solar users: While states like Hawaii are proposing modifications to their NEM rate structures for new customers only, proposals in California and Arizona are establishing a precedent that rate design can impact … Read More →

Older posts

Newer posts