This is your SolarWakeup for November 17th, 2023

California Going Backwards. For some reason, California is undoing decades of leadership in solar with policies undermining the ability to build more solar. While the State boasts some of the highest electricity rates, which will continue to support some solar market, it does not allow for many of the largest energy users to host and benefit from solar energy. Landing in any major California airport still shows acres and acres of empty rooftops.

Trackers Creating Jobs. I am very proud to see Nevados’s growth in the tracker space. This is a company I’ve been personally close to for many years and it’s amazing to see the demand for this incredible and much needed all terrain tracking solution allow for new job growth in the form of a steel partnership. With the Nevados tracker you can build solar farms without grading and disturbing the natural landscape of your leased land, lowering costs and reducing impacts to the natural habitat. It also works to lower labor costs with more traditional utility scale solar farms. Definitely consider them in your plans when you’re selecting vendors.

Managing Installer Cash Flow. Interest rates are the highest in 22 years, increasing solar financing costs and softening consumer demand for loan products. Businesses are feeling the pain of strained cash flows, labor costs and profitability pressures. Palmetto, a B2B technology company accelerating the adoption of clean energy, has announced a new partnership offering for solar installers to help stabilize cash flows and grow faster in today’s market. Built on top of Palmetto’s Clean Energy Operating Platform, this is a comprehensive suite of tools and services enabling installers to streamline operations, optimize performance, and increase profitability. Visit https://www.palmetto.com/finance or contact capital@palmetto.com for more.

Opinion

Best, Yann