This is your SolarWakeup for December 11th, 2014
"We all need to come together and fight for solar” is the message from NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton. I can’t agree more. One of the biggest takeaways from the great GTM conference this week is that success is leading some companies struggling to compete resorting to tactics of hoping for the death of the ITC. One company vowed to fight for a lower 10% of the ITC, with the help of the solar friendly Senator Ted Cruz. If you don’t like the ITC, get out of solar. If you can’t handle the tax equity market, admit the shortcoming and find a partner.
News
1 CNBC:
No, cheap oil will not kill solar power
2 PV Tech:
Xcel Colorado solar plan rejected
3 Gigaom:
Over one-third of new U.S. electricity came from solar this year
4 PV Magazine:
New strategies and portability may help PV-for-mining solutions cross financing hurdle
5 Greentech Media:
Off-Grid Solar Companies Closed $64M in 2014
6 Forbes:
First Solar Gives U.S. Residential Market Another Try
7 Solar Power World:
Solar Insurance
8 Huffington Post:
Climate Change and Investment in Fossil Fuel Companies
Opinions:
9 RE World:
‘Tis the Season for Winter Solar Marketing Info, Messaging, and Photos
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 10th, 2014
Solar is growing (adding another 1.3GW in Q3) and solar is disrupting the utilities (numbers seem overstated). But the best news in what may be the most ironic solar story of the year in 2014 is that the US Department of Commerce and US Department of Energy with BOTH Secretaries are leading a clean energy trade mission to…. (wait for it)…..CHINA! Are you kidding me? The US Government at the behest of select few is imposing tariffs on these guys and we’re going on a trade mission?
News
1 Greentech Media:
US Solar Growth Continues
2 Breaking Energy:
U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz Announce Business Development Mission to China
3 PV Magazine:
Cleantech disruption to reduce annual utility revenues by up to $123 billion
4 Forbes:
Solar Stocks Fall On Lower Crude Oil Prices, But Selloff Is Overdone
5 Oregonian:
Suppliers criticize proposed expansion of duties on Chinese solar panels
6 Solar Love:
Solar Power Could Replace Oil In The Middle East?
7 Motley Fool:
Solar Players Taking Very Different Paths to Success
8 NY Times:
Copenhagen Lighting the Way to Greener, More Efficient Cities
Opinions:
9 Adam Browning:
What Can Hawaii Expect From NextEra’s Purchase of Hawaiian Electric?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for December 9th, 2014
You all know how much I love talking solar. So let’s try a little solar crowdsourcing. Many of you know that I joined a new company, Conergy, a few months ago, to do some really great things. In the process of improving an already rockstar team, I am looking for someone to join my group. Focused on solar content and PR, we are redefining how solar talks to each other and customers. If you want to join, or know someone that is looking, and you/they are really good at what you’re doing, send me a note.
News
1 RE World:
ITC Hears Testimony on Expanded China Solar Dumping
2 PV Tech:
Hanwha to create 3GW cell giant with Q CELLS and SolarOne merger
3 Huff Post:
The DOE Loan Program Is a Winner
4 Think Progress:
Solar Technique Achieves Record-High 40% Efficiency
5 PV Magazine:
Global DG market to double by 2023, says Navigant Research
6 Solar Power Portal:
More than 60% of Brits unaware of solar subsidy support
7 Solar Industry:
Utilities Face Significant Revenue Losses From Growth Of Solar, Storage And Energy Efficiency
8 WRAL:
Duke Energy plans to invest $500 million in solar
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 NY Times:
Why More Solar Panels Should Be Facing West, Not South
2 Motley Fool:
The Best Solar Stock of 2014
3 Bloomberg:
NextEra Buys Hawaii’s Biggest Utility in Green Energy Test
4 Bloomberg:
George Shultz Gone Solar. Now That's a Sign in the U.S. Climate Debate
5 Energy Collective:
What Will Happen When the ITC is Reduced?
6 NPR:
Solar Energy's Popularity Increases As Rooftop Panels Get Less Expensive
7 NY Times:
The Next Tax Fight
8 CleanTechnica:
Dubai Shatters Solar Price Records Worldwide — Lowest Ever!
9 RE World:
Why Aren’t Rural Electric Cooperatives Champions of Local Clean Power?
10 Solar Industry:
IHS Predicts Reshuffling Of Top 10 Solar PV Module Suppliers
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 December 5th, 2014
Congress is debating a tax extenders package. The solar industry is pushing for a commence construction clause so that construction for solar projects doesn’t slow in early 2016. At some point we will have to start pushing for the ITC extension because solar is not ready for a drop to 10%. I fail to understand why every energy source should be propped up by development, mining and drilling tax credits while solar has to ‘grow up’. At the next conference, don’t let speakers get away with the thought that ITC could and should drop.
News
1 The Guardian:
Lawsuits, scams and whistleblowers
2 Breaking Energy:
Women Apply Here
3 Bloomberg:
Falling Oil Price Won’t Affect Solar Industry, SunPower CEO Says
4 NY Times:
The Next Tax Fight
5 Energy Collective:
What Will Happen When the ITC is Reduced?
6 CleanTechnica:
Animated Guide To The Solar Rooftop Revolution
7 PV Magazine:
One in five of all Australian households now using solar
8 RE World:
Preparing the Next Generation for Skilled Jobs in the Clean Energy Sector
Have a great day!
Yann
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
