This is your SolarWakeup for July 31st, 2018

8minute View On Solar. Frank interviews the CEO of 8minutenergy to discuss how one of the most successful developers views the solar market today. The conversation covers all of the topics that you would think about as a solar pro. It doesn’t matter what segment of solar you cover, you are worried about many of the same things.

Free Market Means Solar For Puerto Rico. I had to read the coverage several times but watching the members of Congress ask questions of the DOE Assistant Secretary on the topic of PREPA and energy in Puerto Rico. The questions are politically motivated and the answers are rooted in truth unable to be wrapped in the normal tone of partisanship.

Helping Grow Credit Unions And Community Banks. I had the pleasure of speaking with the team heading up the Clean Energy Federal Credit Union at the COSEIA conference and the mechanics of the credit union may be complicated but the benefits to the solar industry are immense. The interest alignment and the community benefit fit the vision of most credit unions and someone should find a way to make that deal flow access the local capital more efficient.

Flawed View Of Storage. I try not to be biased by the corporate donor ship to some university think tanks because the money should, in theory, be separated by those academics seeking their truth. As I read the view of the California market and the role that batteries will play, I can’t help but think (at almost every paragraph) who skewed the view of the future for the author. Storage is going to play a massive role in California and it will enable much more solar to be built. EVs and distributed generation will also do a great deal of good for the future but there is no doubt that storage is a massive opportunity for a clean energy future.

SunPower Updates On Impact Of Tariffs. After announcing Q2 earnings, SunPower held their call and some interviews to talk about their views of the solar market. Always great insight from the SunPower call as they are active in many geographies and market segments. The company continues to reduce exposure to large scale solar to focus on DG, announcing Fortune 50 portfolios that added SunPower systems. If you ever wonder where SunPower will be focusing, look at their EBITDA breakdown. Residential solar is where you want to be!

Opinion

Have a great day!

Yann