Help A SolarWakeup Reader. A longtime Wakeup reader is looking for a tax equity partner to his 1MW project. If you are deploying or looking for a way to get rid of your gains, let me know so I can connect you. This is too small for most funds so the power of the network will get this deal done.
Make Solar Great Again. Before the content of the request, note that developers got 8 GOP senators from 5 States to sign the letter. The letter asks Trump to exempt 72 cell, 1500V modules from the 201 tariff. 72 cell module exemption was floated during the 201 discussions when a deal was possible. There was some pushback from distributed generation folks in the room and it gave the feeling of a ‘look out for yourself’ brawl. While business is very much a ‘to each his own’, and I don’t have a problem with it, it does put SEIA in an odd spot. I would have preferred the exemption to be 72 cell more broadly which gives the utility-scale entities what they want without precluding residential to also use 72 cell modules. It makes one wonder who was in the room to push for DG to be pushed aside in a very specific, technical manner.
TVA And More. Frank gives you the most recent coverage about TVA’s fixed charge shenanigans. This is more about the general trend that is hurting the solar industry from those that wish to slow us down. After a loss in CT that was hard to imagine, it is time to put the gloves back on and get into the ring. It is also important to turn CT around and show the politicians that voted against solar that doing so is a bad political calculus.
Headline Gets It Wrong. Utilities don’t have to act on electric vehicles, they do not have to worry about losing to electric vehicles. More importantly, they have to worry about oil changing the speed of adoption because this is a fuel versus electricity fight, a fight of its kind since we started becoming more industrial. At the end of the day, utilities will see their fortunes in electric vehicle turn demand in the right direction. The question is why utilities don’t use this opportunity to eliminate all range anxiety and increase EV adoption in the short term. To be further discussed going forward.
Free The Market. I’ve been saying this for many years. Solar should not and can’t give up the incentives it benefits from until all energy sources do the same. If nuclear is benefitting from a revival of government support then an ITC extension and passive liability rules should be in play as well.
- Bloomberg: GOP Senators Want to Exempt Giant Solar-Farm Panels From Tariffs
- SolarWakeup: Zombie Lie Moves Into The Tennessee Valley, Results In Unnecessary Fee
- Globe and Mail: Utilities must adapt before electric cars drive off with their business
- Vox: How to save the failing nuclear power plants that generate half of America’s clean electricity
- SolarWakeup: Two VOS Studies Vary Widely – Can You Spot The Major Difference?
- Washington Post: How a D.C. law firm installed solar panels to help low-income people save on utilities
- Greentech Media: With Focus on the Model 3, What’s Up With Tesla’s Storage and Solar Businesses?
- RTO Insider: MISO Stakeholders Outline Early Storage Impacts
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann