This is your SolarWakeup for April 6th, 2017

Today’s opening paragraphs are courtesy of Vinyasun and Generate Capital. Two companies that took me up on my offer and donated $1,000 to Vote Solar for Equinox. Vote Solar is doing important work that keeps many of us employed. Imagine a solar industry without the regulatory and legislative rules that exist today. Lucky for us, this isn’t the case. Also thanks to Kristin Ashwood and Blair Kendall for sending their donations!

Florida Solar Wakeup – Our largest utility is self-promoting 2GW of rate-payer funded, self-build, “universal-solar” power plants without a transparent bidding process. They are so big league they convinced the FLPSC to let them run a half-baked voluntary green pricing program, funded by ratepayer donations, while in parallel running a $20+ million-dollar opposition campaign against its own customer. The result, the sleeping giant is awake. In August, 73% — over 1.9 million votes were cast to remove tax barriers to commercial solar and that have prevented affordable solar leases to the state’s aging and middle-income population. What you might not know is that constitutional amendment was placed on the ballot through the legislature, passed unanimously with bi-partisan support. PACE is now available to 40% of Floridians, zip codes where a large amount of this country’s wealth is concentrated and contains a population greater than that of Massachusetts. Right now, our republican legislature is in the process of doing the will of the voter, implementing language to remove taxes from solar leases and commercial ownership. The Solar Foundation reported that solar jobs in Florida grew by 31% in 2016. Make no mistake – Florida is open for business whether the utilities like it or not.

Justin Hoysradt is the Chief Executive and Dir. of Public Policy for Vinyasun. A primarily residential, rooftop solar installer, strategically driving scale to make Florida’s once impenetrable grid more modern, distributed, and flexible. This paragraph was brought to you through a contribution to Vote Solar, the grassroots, non-profit, organization that has significantly helped drive the policy change that you have been waiting for in Florida. Donate to Vote Solar today.

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From Generate Capital. Generate Capital has announced a new facility to finance more than $250 million in energy storage and solar-plus-storage projects. As the largest private financier of behind-the-meter energy storage projects in North America, Generate Capital will initially focus on the upcoming SGIP rebate program in California with this innovative new facility. The groundbreaking program provides standard customer contracts for behind-the-meter storage and solar-plus-storage projects, offering project developers access to permanent, flexible capital in a burgeoning market. For more information about the facility or the SGIP program, contact Generate Capital at storage@generatecapital.com.

Make sure you listen to the latest episodes of EnergyWakeup. Google is now at 100% renewables, how do they do it and what is next? Sam Arons talks to SolarWakeup. We also speak with OSEIA Director about Oregon’s solar market.

First Solar Raising Money. Brookfield gets into the yieldco game and First Solar wants out. It is raising money to keep a decent cash position while replacing its manufacturing capacity and it also realizes that owning assets long term isn’t what the company is setup for.

Opinion

Have a great day!

Yann