Last month, I reached out to the SolarWakeup family and asked for some projects to put tax equity into and you delivered. We were able to connect over 10MW of projects into money. That being said we have about 3MW of capacity left for projects that COD in 2017. Enjoy your weekend, right after you send me some deals.
Let’s Itemize The Bullshit About 201 Petition. Because PV-Magazine is a journalistic organization, they gave the platform to the CEO of SolarWorld Americas (which is for sale) to counter a previous article from Tony Clifford about how bad the 201 petition is for America. In this article, Mr. Stein starts out with nuance and thoughts that find themselves in a distorted version of reality. In other words, time to call out some #Fake201TalkingPoints.
First we have to start with the fact that SolarWorld/Suniva and other ‘domestic’ module companies have already hindered solar growth by having duties and tariffs put on Chinese modules. Now the companies that failed to innovate like all of us had to, are asking the government to help them by screwing everyone else.
“From 2012 to 2016, nearly 30 U.S. manufacturers were forced to shut their doors, casting off hundreds of line workers.”How many new manufacturing/widget/BOS companies were created in that same time? How many manufacturing jobs were created? How many solar jobs across the entire spectrum were added?
“While China and other nations are building up their technological production toward energy independence, the United States is on the brink of losing its own industry.” We have to get real about what SolarWorld is saying in my opinion. If solar panels aren’t made in the US then there is no solar industry at all. I have about 270,000 reasons why that is a selfish and absurd statement to make. Look at the solar industry in my hometown of Miami for example, which has grown very well. Where are those projects being developed? Many of the jobs in Miami are for development in Central and South America. The US is the global leader on developing, financing, managing and manufacturing balance of systems. The argument SolarWorld is making is akin to saying that iPhones create no value for America because they are designed in California but made in China.
You’ll have to read the article to violently shake your head in disgust, disappointment and anger much like I did. The petitioners cling to the wonderland where higher solar prices save their companies and grow the US solar sector. While reality will be that neither of those things will happen and that is what the ITC should be focused on. Higher priced modules in the US will not save Suniva and SolarWorld in my opinion meaning that any remedies will serve only the benefit of people that wish the solar industry to go away.
We can grow jobs in the US, manufacturing and across the value chain, while competing in a low margin industry without wishing harm on our competitors. Because look around your office this morning and find how many colleagues you have today that were your competitor yesterday. We are linked in so many ways, but at the end of the day we are an industry that gets stronger through our amazing American workforce coming together.
- PV-Magazine: The case for U.S. solar manufacturing
- Christian Science Monitor: Bridging the skills gap, one solar panel at a time
- Yale: Utilities Grapple with Rooftop Solar and the New Energy Landscape
- Renewable Energy World: Standoff Over Rates for Utah Solar Customers Reaches Settlement
- GreenBiz: The data center emissions challenge — it’s not just the big guys
- Midwest Energy News: How an Illinois utility used wind, solar and storage to power a microgrid for 24 hours
- Washington Post: Tesla starts production of solar cells in Buffalo
- RenewEconomy: Turnbull’s new energy target – Drop the “clean” and ignore climate
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann