Some Thoughts On Tariffs. One of the saddest parts of the decade of useless solar tariffs, besides increasing the cost of solar to consumers, is the impact it had and continues to have on domestic silicon production. Billions of new factories were coming online when the first duties were retaliated against with silicon tariffs that crushed the domestic market. On the other hand, the vilification of Suniva and Auxin provides the easy antagonist which is with almost 100% certainty, but pure speculation, not the right party to blame. These tariff cases are both complicated and expensive and neither of those firms have the upside to take on that expense on their own. At the end of the day, there are very few winners in this fight, financially, politically or ideologically.

Getting To 2022 COD. Join the Sustainable Capital Finance (SCF) team on May 4th, 10am PST, as they share solutions to industry wide challenges causing project delays. The goal for attending developers and Epcs is to undertake strategies enabling project reach energization in 2022. This free webinar is recommended for solar installers, developers and originators involved or interested in financing C&I, nonprofit & governmental solar as well as electric vehicle charging solutions. To register, simply click here.

• Bloomberg: Building a Trade Hub for Southern Africa
• Canary Media: Will the Biden administration let one company kill US solar?
• Axios: COP26’s head on the fight after the fight
• Reuters: Global coal plant capacity edges up in 2021, hitting climate -report
• Solar Builder: The impact of SolarAPP+ streamlined solar permitting one year later
• PV-Tech: CPUC adopts action plan to facilitate ‘forward-thinking’ distributed energy resources policy
• Energy Storage News: Michigan ready to become 10th US state with an energy storage target

Opinion

• PV-Magazine: PV in the Circular Economy – Modeling tool helps predict

Best, Yann

On Earth Day, Policy and Tech Get Highlight. Last Friday was Earth Day and most everyone rallied around the need to do more to fight climate change, enable the energy transition and create a better global diplomatic environment. While some protested at the White House and billionaires texted each other over climate philanthropy and capitalism, the Wall Street Journal focused on the next big thing: CSP, concentrating solar power! I enjoyed that moment of levity and thought you may want to read this breaking news about mirrors in the desert. On another note, it’s policy that will really give the energy market the ability to diversify and create opportunity for the electrification to reach its maximum potential.

Focus On What Matters. As a solar installer there are two things that matter most to your bottom line, more approvals and lower dealer fees. Check out SolarWakeup’s preferred solar lending platform, CommonBond, to make sure you’re focused on the bottom line.

• Axios: Biden adviser optimistic Manchin will help on climate
• New York Times: Protesters Amass at White House, Demanding Action on Climate
• Wall Street Journal: A Different Kind of Solar Power Attracts Attention
• CNBC: This 33-year-old raised $40 million to give rural farmers solar power and help fight climate change
• Utility Dive: ‘Do you like minting money?’: Musk urges entrepreneurs to enter lithium space as Tesla’s supply woes persist
• Reuters: U.S. Energy Secretary unsure if Michigan, California nuclear plants will seek subsidies
• PV-Tech: Daqo turns attention to expansions after cashing in on polysilicon sales to record ‘best-ever’ quarter
• Energy Storage News: Berkeley Lab releases findings from research into solar-storage colocation in the US
• PV-Magazine: Catalyze collaborates with Stream Realty Partners to deploy 450 MW of renewable energy on Stream properties

Opinion

• Canary Media: Chart: What will a net-zero grid energy mix actually look like?

Best, Yann

Focus On What Matters. As a solar installer there are two things that matter most to your bottom line, more approvals and lower dealer fees. Check out SolarWakeup’s preferred solar lending platform, CommonBond, to make sure you’re focused on the bottom line.

• PV-Magazine: FERC takes major step toward transmission reform
• Bloomberg: Want Green Energy? Cut Red Tape
• Axios: CEOs seen as outpacing leaders on climate action
• Utility Dive: Arizona legislature advances bill restricting retail competition in effort to promote reliability
• Reuters: NextEra CEO frustrated as solar supplies hit by U.S. probe
• Energy Storage News: Corporate funding into battery storage rose to US$12.9 billion in Q1 2022, Mercom says
• Canary Media: Smarter design — not novel tech — could be the real climate game-changer, according to Amory Lovins

Opinion

• RMI: This Earth Day, RMI Remembers 40 years of Planet-Saving Action

Best, Yann

Focus On What Matters. As a solar installer there are two things that matter most to your bottom line, more approvals and lower dealer fees. Check out SolarWakeup’s preferred solar lending platform, CommonBond, to make sure you’re focused on the bottom line.

• Energy Storage News: Estimated 427GW of energy storage in US interconnection queues alongside nearly 1TW of renewables
• PV-Magazine: Survey finds Commerce’s anti-circumvention case cuts Biden’s solar goal in half
• E&E News: Biden officials talk solar loans, Congress and Gina McCarthy
• Utility Dive: Amazon set to reach 100% renewable goal 5 years ahead of target with 3.5 GW of new energy projects
• Axios: Germany will end Russian oil imports by end of year, foreign minister says
• Reuters: World needs extra $1.3 trln energy investment by 2030 – JP Morgan
• Canary Media: The US has more clean energy projects planned than the grid can handle

Opinion

• Bloomberg: Solar May Generate Half of World’s Power by 2050, Trina CEO Says

Best, Yann