This is your SolarWakeup for May 9th, 2014
Growth in solar means so much more than what it used to. It was 3 months ago that we found out that REC (residential division) was being acquired by Sunrun. You know that SolarWakeup is a curious bunch, so we sat down with Sunrun exclusively to learn more about how the REC acquisition is going, find out about the Sunrun & Sungevity partnership and what it all means to the solar market. Check out the story here.
News
1 President Obama Announces Commitments and Executive Actions:
2 Solar Progress Report:
Advancing Toward A Clean Energy Future
3 SolarWakeup:
Why Sunrun Acquired REC (resi) and Partnered with Sungevity
4 RenewEconomy:
Solar will do to utilities what Twitter did to media
5 Solar Industry:
Xcel's Solar*Connect
6 GTM:
Where Are Conservatives’ Big Ideas About Clean Energy?
7 WBAL:
Solar energy customers denied access to grid
8 PC Mag:
BMW Shows Off Solar Carport Concept
9 Mashable:
Sea Level Rise Visualization Shows Your Home — Underwater
Opinions:
11 NY Times:
Can the Kochs Hold Back History?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 8th, 2014
News
1 PV Magazine:
Arizona to impose new tax on solar lease customers
2 GTM:
Residential Solar Finance
3 RE World:
1603 Grant Data Lifts the Veil On PV System Performance
4 KHON:
Solar power advocates rally against HECO gridlock
5 Solar Power World:
The Solar PPA Plateau
6 Energy Collective:
Promise of Shared Renewables
7 GTM:
Do These Multi-Gigawatt Solar Projects Stand a Chance?
8 Heartland:
Solar Combines Taxpayer Dollars with Deceptive Practices
Opinions:
9 Salt Lake Tribune:
Dirty energy producers conspire against solar
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 7th, 2014
News
1 Red, Green & Blue:
Who Has The Best Job In Solar? Bet It’s Not You
2 Breaking Energy:
Utilities Increasingly Engage Customers Behind the Meter
3 Solar Industry:
Policies Have Put New York In A Solar State Of Mind
4 LA Times:
Koch brothers and big utilities campaign to unplug solar power
5 Biz Journals:
Georgia Power planning solar projects at military bases
6 Think Progress:
Africa Could Become Renewable Energy Powerhouse
7 Midwest Energy:
Iowa lawmakers see tax credits opening wider door for solar
8 GTM:
The Cost Gap Between Renewables and Natural Gas ‘Is Closing’
Opinions:
9 AZ Central:
Why a move to solar entirely is out of the question
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 6th, 2014
News
1 CleanTechnica:
Solar Energy’s Quiet Invasion Into Professional Sports
2 Grist:
How to Phase Out Incentives and Grow Solar Energy
3 GTM:
Solar and Other Renewables Are Key Inputs for Next-Gen Microgrids
4 NY Times:
State Energy Plan Would Alter New York Utilities
5 RE World:
Ramping Up Worldwide Investment in Renewable Energy
6 Renew Economy:
Consumers to be big winners in solar/storage revolution
7 Think Progress:
Missouri’s Solar Problem
8 GTM:
Hawaii Wants 200MW of Energy Storage for Grid Challenges
Opinions:
9 RE World:
Why a Vermont Utility CEO Is Embracing Solar and Net Metering
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 5th, 2014
We had solar consolidation, which continues, but we may have the next step before achieving solar mainstream. Solar fragmentation. Markets cutting at each other, policies working towards different paths and companies seeking to undercut the broader competition. This is not a good thing, but desperation breeds questionable behavior and you all know what I am talking about.
News
1 CleanTechnica:
Duke Energy Attacks Rooftop Solar Energy
2 Breaking Energy:
Military Pushing Renewables and Buffett Becoming Big
3 Motley Fool:
3 Signs Your Solar Investment Is All Wrong
4 Think Progress:
First Wind, Now Solar Could Face Cuts In U.K.
5 Detroit Business:
State group expected solar growth; will utilities comply?
6 RE World:
Introducing New York State’s Energy Storage Testing Center
7 CleanTechnica:
Microgrids — Benefits For Reliability & Renewables
8 Solar Novus:
Delivering Solar Power Through Innovative PV Testing
Opinions:
9 NY Times:
Editorial Response To Koch Brothers' Attack On Solar
Have a great day!
Yann
Top 10 most read solar articles by your peers this week!
This Week's SolarWakeup Original Stories
News
1 How To Sell Your Solar Projects To Secondary Investors:
Opinions:
2 3 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Next Blog Post:
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 2nd, 2014
More policy talk today, this time about trade cases. India turns down the US complaint, China hits back at the EU with polysilicon with new duties. The interesting (unwritten) story is about what is happening here at home. There has been very little spoken about the negotiation (CASE hosted a call a few days ago) but the questions to answer are : Who is in the room? Are only manufacturers there? Any trade associations? If so, is the membership aware? And is the negotiation centered around a minimum price?
News
1 RE World:
UK Set to Lead Europe's Utility-Scale Solar Market in 2014
2 Reuters:
China hits EU with final duties on polysilicon
3 PV-Tech:
India rejects US request for WTO panel to settle trade dispute
4 GTM:
Financing Utility-Scale Solar in the Years Ahead
5 RE World:
Solar Carve-Out in Transition
6 CleanTechnica:
Link Between Prices & Energy Completely Warped In Forbes
7 Forbes:
Solar Energy Is Heating Up Tech -- Even When The Sun Goes Down
8 GTM:
The Top 10 Solar Utilities in America
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Notice
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 1st, 2014
Watching the Twitter feed come in from the Utility Solar event hosted by SEPA makes me wonder. Is the solar industry turning into two separate industries? Utilities play a huge role in the development and financing of utility scale projects but in those cases their benefit is the same as the solar company's. That's because utilities have two sets of profiles, inside their service area and everywhere else. Let's see how things progress but I don't think that SPI will forever be co-hosted by SEPA and SEIA.
News
1 CleanTechnica:
Status of US-China Trade Case, & What Needs To Be Done
2 Think Progress:
AZ May Impose New Tax On Customers Who Lease Solar
3 Motley Fool:
Will the Solar Lease Live Forever or Flame Out?
4 Pac Standard:
The Solar Market Is Finally Making Environmentalism Easy
5 Solar Server:
Ernst & Young provides utility guide to learn to benefit from DG
6 CleanTechnica:
First Nations Hit Hard By Fossil Industry Asks It For Solar
7 Solar Industry:
Utility-Scale Solar By Subscription
8 Forbes:
The State Of The Chinese Solar Market
Opinions:
9 RE World:
Pension Funds Hold a Key to Renewable Energy Finance
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 30th, 2014
As the world's largest solar farm gets commissioned, it may be the beginning of the shift of power from utility scale to distributed power. The conversation is shifting to new financial models (see post from EDF) and technical costs of integrating the energy into the grid. Balance of system cost efficiencies and customer acquisition fees will be the drivers behind making the new financing models successful.
News
1 EDF:
CT Uses PACE to Accelerate Commercial Solar, CA Expected to Follow
2 Globe Street:
Solar Rooftop Program Helps Low-Income Areas
3 RE World:
How Solar Is Cutting Grid Costs
4 GTM:
A Snapshot of the Feeder-by-Feeder Solar Challenge in the US
5 RE World:
Too Conservative? EIA Projects Renewables to be 16-27 Percent
6 Forbes:
Behold The World's Largest Solar-Panel Power Plant -- In Arizona
7 CleanTechnica:
Solar Cooperatives Growing
8 GTM:
3 Solar Integration Questions Utility Executives Must Confront
Opinions:
9 RE World:
Solar vs Utilities -- Time to Call a Truce
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 29th, 2014
Almost every day, readers ask me about how they can get their message out. More solar pros think about it than actually execute on spreading their message. Writing an article is the best way to be relevant in solar but make sure you avoid some common mistakes. Crafting a message and spreading the word is only the first few steps in the SolarWakeup marketing process. A process that we are now launching for our readers that want some help in getting the word out.
News
1 SolarWakeup:
3 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Blog Post
2 RE World:
SEPA Utility Solar Rankings Uncovers New Representation
3 Atlantic:
How to Stop Solar Power Plants from Incinerating Birds
4 GTM:
New York Launches Major Regulatory Reform for Utilities
5 Bloomberg:
Shunfeng Adds Suntech in Bid to Become Top Solar Supplier
6 GTM:
Taking the Human Factor Out of Solar Balance-of-System Costs
7 Daily Caller:
New York Taxpayers To Pay $333K Per Megawatt Of Solar
8 Investor Place:
The Sun Is Setting for Chinese Solar Stocks
Opinions:
9 Energy Collective:
Will Oklahoma Solar Energy Be Okay?
Have a great day!
Yann
