People love solar and solar jobs. Day 1 of SPI has got me focused on the day job and your write up for the day will be limited. Back for more tomorrow, hopefully.

• SolarWakeup: Shocking News (Not Shocking) – Americans Prefer Solar As An Electricity Source
• SolarWakeup: New Website Aims To Bring Job Seekers, Job Providers Together In Easy-To-Use Platform
• PV-Tech: RIP MIP – What now for Europe’s solar manufacturing sector?
• CleanTechnica: SEIA CEO Abigail Hopper On The Future Of Solar — #CleanTechnica Interview
• ILSR: How Your Local Electeds Can Support Clean Energy
• Utility Dive: How FERC can protect customers and respect state energy policy authority in its PJM capacity market proceeding
• Grist: When disaster hits, solar power beats coal
• Greentech Media: Solar Roadways Prove Expensive and Inefficient

Opinion

• Rocky Mountain Institute: Critical Facilities – Where Government and Utility Services Redefine Resilience – Part Two

Have a great day!

Yann

Go Deeper. The permit topic, aka SolarAPP, will be a continuing topic here for a few reasons. First, don’t underestimate how much better we can be doing with quality in solar. Creating a uniform path that expects code compliance will make sure that installers are doing it the right way and you won’t be put into a position bidding against those that cut corners. Second, consumer protection rules will have to be enforced and reviewed by those with knowledge of solar, the overlap of electrical, output, financial and other aspects of solar require industry specific knowledge. This is the early stage in this process and I will keep you updated on the topic.

More Utility In Solar. EDF is entering into another partnership in the C&I space with EnterSolar. It is becoming clear to me that utilities are playing the long game and focusing on the relationship with energy users.

Vogtle Debacle. It seemed like the last nuclear plant under construction almost died yesterday but may see another day. Interestingly, after a letter from DOE saying it would go after the loan guarantee payments if the plant was canceled, the utilities may have had additional motive to not formally cancel the project.

Suck The CO2. What would happen if a technology could ‘suck’ CO2 out of the atmosphere? That would be something really great for the planet but who would pay for it? If nobody is apparent in answering that question, then why would anyone work on this big problem?

Tesla Roof, Less Sketpical. Count me in as less skeptical than I have been in the past. As time passes, I see a market for Tesla roof to make some inroads, not large scale yet but who knows what the future holds.

• SolarWakeup: SEIA, The Solar Foundation Attack Permitting Costs Head On
• SolarWakeup: Powerhouses Join Forces To Provide Services To C&I Solar Segment
• Axios: The only nuclear power project in the U.S. ponders its fate
• GreenBiz: The case for valuing carbon is growing louder (even though ‘tax’ is still a dirty word)
• CNBC: Tesla made a big deal out of its Solar Roof in 2016, but two years later it has barely shipped any
• Think Progress: D.C. unveils strongest climate bill in the country
• Renewable Energy World: Alabama Power Seeks Renewable Energy
• US News: Mississippi Cooperatives to Buy Power From Delta Solar Farm

Opinion

• Rocky Mountain Institute: Where Government and Utility Services Redefine Resilience

Have a great day!

Yann

Headed To SPI. Here’s to day 1 in Anaheim for SPI 2018. At SolarWakeup we won’t bore you with the stream of press releases but we’ll look for the storylines that matter to your business. If you have any tips or info that should see the light of day, you can always hit reply on this email and send it over. Enjoy the show and we’ll be talking throughout the week. This is a good time to tell your industry friends that they should be subscribed to SolarWakeup as well. We are about to graduate from an auditorium filled with people to an arena and that’s a great place for solar to be headed. On Friday, SolarWakeup celebrates its 6th birthday, so we look forward to celebrating that with you.

The SolarAPP Permit. Later today at SPI, SEIA, The Solar Foundation and others will be working on the SolarAPP, the ’instant’ permit process that could open many doors for your installation business. Imagine only having to wait a few days from the contract signing to start the project, that’s a future we should all look forward to. I am excited to see how the process will play out and if you have ideas on the implementation of this, send them this way.

Resiliency In Solar. Bringing this back to the top because the post-hurricane Florence solar results are coming in. Solar did incredibly well which speaks to the engineering standards of the solar construction space and how we work with the code writers to do what is best.

Midwest Solar Utilities. First Indiana and over the weekend Kentucky and Ohio also came out with strong solar moves from the utilities. We’ve more news out of coal utilities in the past few months than before and this trend is sticking around in my opinion. Let’s keep watching this space.

Fixing Friday. I wrote that AEP was working on helping Indiana move in the right direction but was wrong about the utilities. It is NIPSCO and not AEP. AEP filed similar plans in Ohio. My apologies.

• SolarWakeup: Solar Survives Hurricane Florence’s Wrath With Little Effect
• Daily Energy Insider: Kentucky utilities to propose Green Energy tariff to drive renewable energy growth
• Greentech Media: Con Ed Acquires 981 Megawatts From Sempra’s Renewables Business
• Think Progress: Electric car batteries’ ‘second life’ could be a clean energy game-changer
• Renew Economy: Revealed – True cost of Tesla big battery, and its government contract
• PV-Magazine: SunCast – Andrea Luecke and John Berger on the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria
• Utility Dive: Bipartisan senators ask Treasury Secretary to expand storage tax credit eligibility
• New York Times: On the Attack Against Climate Change 

Opinion

• Statehouse Report: MY TURN, Moore – Solar Coaster” puts thousands of jobs at risk

Have a great day!

Yann

I hope you have a great weekend and safe travels to Anaheim. I will be there and should be at most of the nighttime activities. Please make sure to say hello. If you’re interested in meeting my Quick Mount team, you can reach out to them here.

Wheels On The Bus, Are Electric. Daimler and others are going all in on electrification of fleet vehicles. Frank has the breakdown but this story was important to me months ago when we interviewed Proterra CEO, Ryan Popple, on the SolarWakeup podcast. I remain sceptical that America wants to drive, ride or fly in Chinese transportation and that makes Proterra a vital part of the future of electric fleets in the US.

Your State Rundowns. 

Remember Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico has come a long way and started to rebuild. Now the special interest groups are going to try and keep the island from a renewable future but I hope that won’t happen.

California. You’ll hear plenty of talk about NEM 3.0 and CALSSA needs your help to build an archest. Come to the Annual Dinner on October 12th, sponsor a few tables and bring your chequebook for the auction.

Massachusetts. Time for Baker to step in and get SMART done. The utilities have been allowed to drag this out long enough.

New York. The interesting value proposition for solar on Long Island, read the Bloomberg reporting.

Florida. See some of your friends interviewed by the Florida Channel about the Florida solar market. Good things are happening.

Indiana. AEP is out with an IRP to kill coal within 10 years, in Indiana. They must have failed to notify the Vice President of this.

• SolarWakeup: Proterra Electric Buses Get Enormous Boost From Daimler Investment Of $155 Million
• Greentech Media: One Year After Maria, Puerto Rico’s Energy Future Still in Limbo
• Utility Dive: As California leads way with TOU rates, some call for simpler solutions
• Mass Live: Industry pushes Baker on stalled Massachusetts solar incentives
• Bloomberg: Solar Is Worth More on Long Island Than Anywhere Else in the U.S.
• Florida Channel: Sun Power in the Sunshine State
• Indy Star: Northern Indiana utility ditching coal in favor of renewable energy in next 10 years
• PV-Tech: No ‘supply crunch’ as a result of US inverter tariffs

Opinion

• SolarWakeup: The Energy Show – The Commercial Solar Opportunity

Have a great day!

Yann