Today is the last newsletter before the Thanksgiving break as I once again look to escape the smoke and hunker down for the first rain of my Bay area living. I am thankful for your continued support and readership and hope that I am able to give you valued content every day.
What Is The Value Of Solar? Every time this happens, a PSC looking to understand the value of solar that is, the report comes back showing that solar is worth more than the retail rate offered by net metering. This is the fundamental argument against calling NEM a subsidy. So you may ask yourself why solar never asks for a NEM rate above even credit and the answer to that is simplicity. Homeowners understand what they pay and they understand that it doesn’t matter when they produce versus when they consumer. Simplicity is the face of solar the utilities look to break in their opposition to our industry.
The Fate Of PG&E (Once Again). There was a non-solar policy battle in California this summer centered around the liability (and ability to charge consumers for) the cost impact caused by fires in 2017. Before the fires in Paradise and Malibu are even put out, the issue is coming up again. The camp fire is the worst fire in California history and early news reports appear to question what caused the fire to spark. Look for PG&E to look at ratepayers to bail the company out which makes one wonder whether PG&E wouldn’t be better post restructuring as a wires company focused on transmission and get out of the generation and retail side of the business. I do expect that Wall Street is paying close attention and ready to make a move.
A Green New Deal. I don’t want to debate the Green New Deal. I want to talk about the political strategy of the Select Committee on Climate Change and Green New Deal. I think America will view both of those ideas as partisan. How about the Select Committee On Clean Energy Jobs and a Wind and Solar New Deal instead?
Get That Load. An offer to municipalities and other fleet operators to sign up for special rate schedules for their electric vehicle fleet. This is a direct attack on the oil customers and make it easier and cheaper for fleets to electrify. This is going to be copied across the Country by every utility desperately looking to growth their base load of consumption.
Make It Easy. The New York PSC is right, “if you want people to do something, make it easy.”
- SolarWakeup: Maryland Releases Its Value of Solar Report. SPOILER – Solar Is Good For The State
- Renewable Energy World: PG&E’s Wildfire Crisis Could Impact California’s Ambitions Clean Energy Targets
- Grist: Young activists and Ocasio-Cortez push Pelosi for Green New Deal
- CleanTechnica: California Utility Proposes Subscription Model For Commercial EV Charging
- Utility Dive: NY simplifies interconnection standards to ensure ‘robust’ clean energy pipeline – PSC chair
- GreenBiz: Tales of microgrid ingenuity (and community)
- Roanoke Times: Appalachian Power seeks bids for solar energy projects
- PV-Tech: Canadian Solar lowers full-year guidance again on profitability focus
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann