This is your SolarWakeup for February 5th, 2018

Getting To Minneapolis. The Super Bowl was last night and it was in Minneapolis. This will be the second most exciting thing in MN this year because I’ll be there during a special SolarWakeup Live! keynote interview with Connexus CEO Greg Ridderbusch during Midwest Solar Expo. Since some of the readers have lost their way as Patriots fans and I don’t want to lose any more subscribers, I will not be congratulating the Eagles or say Fly Eagles Fly.

Get Political. This is correct. The democrats have done a lousy job making solar a political issue. It’s a natural wedge issue, arguing for more jobs with higher wages. At the same time it lets politicians take a stand against monopolies. I always cringe when people tell me solar doesn’t do well in elections because I can count on one hand the political races that were impacted by solar as a issue. I want to see more elections where solar is a central topic while at the same time the argument against monopoly incumbents is made. That’s an issue talking point that works for voters, on both sides of the aisle.

Oil Convergence. Much is being made about oil companies going all in on solar. First off, couple hundred million dollars into solar is far from all in. Oil companies reported some $50billion in profits, last quarter. They also see the statistics on electric vehicles which will not get their energy from oil products. In order to keep that ‘market share’ they need to produce the new fuel, which is electricity.

100% Is Just Smart. A dialogue about 100% renewable energy goals is percolating and whether the goal is smart, achievable and politically motivated. The question to me isn’t whether 100% makes sense, it’s what the timeframe to achieve it is. A goal would be to push the envelope on doing it faster and while it will require capital investments, it will have very little exposure fuel cost volatility and create long term price transparency for customers.

Holy Electric. With Tesla Model 3 reservations in full delivery (I got my invitation to design last week) it will increase EV penetration by more than 30% monthly in the early months of 2018. What happens when the big OEMs get into this game? How much more energy will we need? How will we manage the additional consumption to the likely nighttime peaks it will create?

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Opinion

Have a great day!

Yann