This is your SolarWakeup for September 26th, 2014
I believe in the circle of solar policy. Essentially it starts with utilities saying no to anything. Then after some battles it ends with solar growing and becoming more prevalent in a market. The utility execs then go back to the core, which is to get rid of net metering. You see this happening in MN and Austin with the VOST debate. Sounds pretty but it's a removal of net metering. NEM ensures that the generator owns the hedge provided by solar and provides consumers a choice in energy source. Don't be fooled by fancy new policies.
News
1 NYTimes:
Swiss Pilots to Fly Solar Plane Around World
2 CleanTechnica:
Citigroup Predicts 14 GW Australian Solar Market By 2020
3 PV Tech:
US tax authority to investigate residential solar tariffs
5 NationalJournal:
New York Schools Could Save Big by Going Solar
6 RE World:
Midwest Solar Market
7 BreakingEnergy:
Financing Clean Energy Infrastructure in Africa
Opinions:
8 NPR:
Solar Advocates Fight Utilities Over Grid Access
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 25th, 2014
You have to give credit to Elon Musk. Right after getting massive economic development help for the Tesla gigafactory, New York is going to pony up for the SolarCity manufacturing plant in Buffalo. After the news of the package went public yesterday, it is interesting to see that the plant has already broken ground.
News
1 PV Magazine:
California approves solar permit streamlining
2 PV Solar Report:
Utility-Scale Solar Poised for Continuing Growth Says LBNL
3 Gigaom:
SolarCity breaks ground on huge solar factory in New York, strikes deal with state
4 CleanTechnica:
Midwest Solar Market
5 Forbes:
6 Reasons For The Solar Boom
7 Slate:
We’re Watching You, Wisconsin Public Service Commission
Opinions:
9 Fox News:
The sunshine of other people’s money
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 24th, 2014
Solarworld is at it again. When the company isn’t busy trying to ruin solar with its trade wars, Solarworld has decided to go on a PR revisionist tour. While most manufacturers learned from past issues and saw great promise to get into projects downstream; Solarworld is busy warning about its earnings and selling product at little to no profit to grow volume. CEO Frank Asbeck may have a bronze lion on his desk but when it comes to being the king of solar, Asbeck and Solarworld are fooling nobody with their flawed sense of reality.
News
1 Rochester News:
State pledges $750M for Buffalo solar plant
2 PV Magazine:
US adds 1.5 GW utility-scale PV capacity in first 8 months of 2014
3 ABC:
US, California Release Roadmap for Solar Projects
4 NY Times:
Companies Are Taking the Baton in Climate Change Efforts
5 Motley Fool:
What You Need to Know Before Buying Vivint Solar's IPO
6 American Prog:
State Policies to Increase Low-Income Communities’ Access to Solar Power
7 PV Magazine:
Rockefellers dump oil, embrace clean energy
Opinions:
9 CleanTechnica:
Some People Are Still Skeptical About Solar. Why?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 22th, 2014
I’ve long thought that if the energy industry doesn’t adapt to the coming age of distributed energy, that grid defection would become a necessity for solar and others. Apparently the threat of grid defection has now overcome the “threat to growth” as Edison Electric Institute puts it. Why? Just this week, the Executive Vice President of EEI came up with a different talking point about solar. No longer is the group against cost shifting, just “unreasonable cost shifting”. There must be more to it and why the change in tune.
News
1 Gigaom:
Apple CEO speaks out on climate change, calls new HQ “greenest building on the planet”
2 Venture Beat:
The coming era of unlimited — and free — clean energy
3 RE World:
One Solar Installation, Five Stocks
4 Solar Industry:
Major Asia-Pacific Markets Have 60% Of Global Solar PV Demand
5 CleanTechnica:
Solar PV Sector In Italy Mulling Legal Options After FiT Cuts
6 PV Tech:
European solar sector wants to capitalise on EU energy transformation
7 PV Magazine:
Solar customers may be better off using self-generated power
Opinions:
9 PV Solar Report:
Biggest Climate Action Ever Sets the Stage for More Solar
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 22th, 2014
Yesterday brought together upwards of 300,000 climate warriors to the streets of NYC. Some reports had the number closer to 600,000 marching for climate. The People’s Climate March included people of all walks of life and all ages. For most of us in solar, the environmental piece most always gets brushed aside but I wonder if that is about to change. Will homeowners and businesses make a climate decision to go solar? What do you think, let me know!
News
1 Think Progress:
Congressman
2 RE World:
Canadian Solar Joins China Solar Financing Club
3 PV Magazine:
It's about the fossil fuels, stupid!
4 Benzinga:
The Blackstone Group - Vivint Solar IPO
5 PV Solar Report:
Wisconsin
6 Guardian LV:
White House Says U.S. Will Train Veterans to Install Solar Panels
7 LA Times:
L.A. launches streamlined permitting system for solar panels online
Opinions:
8 Breaking Energy:
Infographic
Have a great day!
Yann
These are the top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
News
1 CleanTechnica:
Solar Panel Prices Down 80%, Recurrent Energy Up For Sale…
2 NPR:
When The Power's Out, Solar Panels May Not Keep The Lights On
4 RE World:
Can the Voice of Matthew McConaughey in a Video Sell Solar for NRG?
5 Tech Republic:
State of the solar industry
6 USA Today:
White House unveils new solar, energy efficiency steps
7 Grist:
This green Tea Party star is fighting for solar
8 Motley Fool:
Have Hawaii and New York Reached the Solar Tipping Point?
9 NY Times:
Sun and Wind Alter Global Landscape, Leaving Utilities Behind
10 CalSEIA:
Flatter Rate Design Threatens Solar
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 September 19th, 2014
We published the Vivint IPO numbers you need to know a few weeks ago. Today we have the number you WANT to know about the Vivint Solar IPO. With 129MW of solar through the first half of 2014, the IPO is trying to value VSLR at 1.9 BILLION dollars. That’s a whopping $14.70/watt of contracted solar. Of course that doesn’t take into account growth and upside, but you get the point. Blackstone also retains 75% of the company once public!
News
1 Breaking Energy:
Solar Power Making Big Competitive Gains, New Studies Show
2 Pv-Magazine:
U.S. installed solar PV costs continue to fall
3 USA Today:
White House unveils new solar, energy efficiency steps
4 Reuters:
UPDATE 2-Blackstone-backed Vivint Solar IPO to raise up to $371 mln
6 Think Progress:
Putting Solar On Schools Could Dramatically Increase America’s Solar Capacity
7 Midwest Energy News:
Amid energy law freeze, Ohio solar market stalls
8 Bloomberg:
Why a Chinese Firm’s Solar-Panel Factory in Arizona Failed
Opinions:
9 Clean Technica:
Solar Lease or Solar Ownership? The Ultimate Solar Calculator “App”
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 18th, 2014
I asked, and you answered. While I appreciate the thoughts of concern about the hit rates, SolarWakeup continues to grow nicely but I think we are all ready to see a more global view on solar news. It also goes with what you told me in your feedback that an international view could help you locally and that is our goal, to make you more efficient.
News
1 NPR:
When the powers out solar panels may not keep the lights on
2 PV-Tech:
PV industry losing US$500m a year through supply chain - IPVEA
3 CleanTechnica:
Major Asian Markets Set To Lead Solar PV Growth
4 Bloomberg:
Brazil State to Have Solar Auction as It Seeks Local Panel Plant
5 Solar Server:
Ernst & Young
6 Motley Fool:
Want Solar to Succeed? Pay Your Utility Bill
7 RE World:
Can the Disembodied Voice of Matthew McConaughey in a Video Sell Solar for NRG Home?
8 Tampa Bay:
Crist pitches plan to invest in solar energy, space exploration
Opinions:
9 HuffPost:
Clean Energy Is a 100 Percent American Success Story
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 17th, 2014
A report has residential solar and storage growing to a massively large 625billion dollars in the next 10 years. With California clearly in the lead and Hawaii taking a strong look at storage, how will ALL homeowners have access to financing regardless of financial credit strength? At some point, someone needs to bridge the market we want with the market we need to get to 100% adoption, right?
News
1 Clean Technica:
Solar Panel Prices Down 80%, Recurrent Energy Up For Sale
2 The Energy Collective:
Vivint Solar IPO
3 Online Athens:
Georgia utility, solar industry to debate price of energy
4 Pv Solar Report:
Racing on Sunshine with Leilani Münter
5 PV Magazine:
Residential investment in generation and storage expected to top $625 billion by 2023
6 Environmental Defence Fund:
Momma Said ‘Time-of-Use’ Electricity Pricing
7 JS online:
Tea party official rips We Energies' plan to alter solar charges
8 Fool:
Have Hawaii and New York Reached the Solar Tipping Point?
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
Get in Line and Get Creative
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 16th, 2014
Duke announces a $500million rate base solar investment. It appears that that is comprised of 178MW of self owned and another 150MW of PPAs with project owners. This seems like a decent compromise for solar developers and building owners and an overall win for solar. The key is that most of these projects will be central solar farms, where utilities are comfortable with ownership whereas that line gets blurrier when the solar capacity is distributed.
News
1 Gigaom:
Duke Energy goes big on solar in North Carolina, plans to drop $500M
2 PV Magazine:
Massachusetts utility-scale PV sector in danger
3 PV Tech:
PV systems surpassing expected performance - Fraunhofer ISE
4 CalSEIA:
Flatter Rate Design Threatens Solar
5 RenewEconomy:
Rooftop solar future boosted as Labor pledges support
6 SolarLove:
Over 15,000 Businesses In Australia Have Installed Solar Power
7 Tech Republic:
State of the solar industry
8 Mother Jones:
There's a Place in the World That Is Fighting Poverty with Solar
Opinions:
9 Nasdaq:
Why Chinese Solar Companies Are Falling Behind
Have a great day!
Yann
