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This is your SolarWakeup for September 29th, 2014

As we enter the final stretch before SPI, it is apparent to me and others that solar is very global and very flat. (sorry for those that aren’t Thomas Friedman fans) We are brought together by technology into a large but tight community of solar professionals but it is the similar financial product by market segment that makes us flat. Each geography has its gold rush, most of the time focused on a segment like utility scale or residential. In the US those gold rushes have turned into markets, sustainable ones. What is left in the US? Small and medium commercial rooftops, that is where the next gold rush will be, who will be there first?

News

1 MIT:

A Promising Step Toward Round-the-Clock Solar Power

2 Reuters:

Taxes, fees

3 GTM:

How a Top Liberal State Is Creating an Electricity Market That Conservatives Should Love

4 Think Progress:

Following Customer Backlash, Wyoming Utility Withdraws Proposed Solar Surcharge

5 PV Magazine:

Sunrun announces expansion plans

6 PV-Tech:

US solar firms set to benefit from OPIC loan programme

7 RE World:

Washington DC Releases Proposed Community Solar Regulations

8 Breaking Energy:

IEA

Opinions:

9 Motley Fool:

Not All Solar Power Is Created Equal

Have a great day!
Yann

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

News

1 Think Progress:

Don’t Trust Climate Scientists, They’re In It For The Money

2 Forbes:

6 Reasons For The Solar Boom

3 Fox News:

The sunshine of other people’s money

4 Rochester Dem:

State pledges $750M for Buffalo solar plant

5 Motley Fool:

What You Need to Know Before Buying Vivint Solar's IPO

6 PV Magazine:

It's about the fossil fuels, stupid!

7 EDF:

Solar in Texas

8 CBS:

Are solar panels on your roof worth the expense?

9 Gigaom:

Apple CEO calls new HQ “greenest building on the planet”

10 CleanTechnica:

Some People Are Still Skeptical About Solar. Why?

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 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

4 SFGate:

Report

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

6 EDF:

Solar in Texas

7 Slate:

We’re Watching You, Wisconsin Public Service Commission

8 CBS4:

Doing the math

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

8 AZ Central:

Study

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

8 EDF:

Utility 2.0

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

3 CNN:

A brighter future

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

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

5 CNN:

A brighter future

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

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