This is your SolarWakeup for April 16th, 2020

ACORE Takes Charge. Finally someone in DC took charge on the issue pressing solar companies and that’s that reality that the clean energy economy is being hurt by the pandemic. In a one-two punch, solar lost the ability to sell door to door and in person consultations as well as closing building departments for permits and inspections. ACORE released the report that highlighted the numbers and the press coverage reflects that.

Evolving SMART. MA has released the next segment of SMART which received praise from advocacy groups with the message from Vote Solar that more can and should be done.

Get Involved, Exhibit A. You don’t have to be a regulatory lawyer or a large corporation to explain common sense policies that benefit consumers to the public service commission. Any single person or company can intervene in a docket and make an argument to the commission when a utility files something that just doesn’t make sense. Congrats to Scenic Hill Solar for making a clear case in Arkansas that the utility is not helping the consumer with their ideas.

Inside Texas Oil. A rare view into the Texas oil industry as it cuts product for the first time in half a decade. I believe it is the White House Director of the National Economic Council that says “Free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity” but I guess producing at a cost higher than market price doesn’t really work. Who said that the free markets should actually help consumers? Good thing that the solar industry is crushing it in Texas so that consumers can lock in that sunny solar price.

Residential Solar Resilience. First, community solar and residential solar are complementary. Anyone that can put solar on their roof likely wants to and then supplements with community solar. If you can’t then just sign up for a community contract. Here’s my thesis for residential solar in the time of COVID, take it for what it’s worth. While residential solar is completely locked out of in person sales, over 75% of sales come from referrals. Lead generation appears to be holding at normal levels which means that installers need to learn to sell remote and they are. It also helps that selling remote is the only way for a consumer to buy, which means there is no objection to the lack of personal contact. During this transition, some companies will stumble but as a result acquisition costs will come down in the long run. Paired with instant/digital permitting, which could become a permanent feature, you remove the two biggest obstacles to acquiring solar. The current reductions in forecast have nothing to do with solar, they are based on the expectation of economic malaise and while some consumers will struggle to buy now, others will seek ways to lower operating expenses and go solar.

Talking Solar. This Friday at 2pm EST you can join in on a discussion I’ll be attending with other clean tech news outlets, register here. And on Wednesday, April 22nd at 10am EST, I will be speaking with Phil Shen from Roth Capital to update on the current trends in residential solar. You can register for that call here and you should join Phil’s mailing list by emailing him at pshen@roth.com.

Solar Stimulus $0 Year 1 PPA. My friends over at Sustainable Capital Finance are offering an extremely beneficial financing option for businesses & non-profits looking to adopt solar. Their Solar Stimulus PPA offers a $0 solar energy spend for the first year of operation, helping organizations redirect those dollars towards payroll and other critical operating expenses. If you are a solar installer or developer whose potential clients have voiced concerns over COVID-19 in relation to adopting solar, this is a great solution for you. 

Opinion

Best, Yann