Author Archives: Frank Andorka

Q&A: New Columbia Solar CEO Mike Healy On DC’s Historic Clean Energy Vote

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

After the DC City Council passed its groundbreaking clean energy resolution on Tuesday, reaction came in fast and furious. One of those people who reacted was New Columbia CEO Mike Healy, whose company works strictly within the district and is heavily invested in solar development in the city. We thought he’d be the perfect person to weigh in on the resolution, which now goes to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature and then on to Congress and the President for approval. Here’s what he had to say on the historic passage.

SolarWakeup: What is the specific impact of Tuesday’s vote?

New Columbia Solar’s CEO Mike Healy: The District is going to be 100% powered by clean energy by 2032, with 10% of that power coming from solar energy .

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SolarWakeup: How did the DC Council get here?

Mike Healy: The Council and the city leadership have shown strong and consistent environmental and clean energy leadership over the past 15 years. The passage of the Clean Energy DC Act is an important step in a long history of developing a robust clean energy industry in the District.

SolarWakeup: What makes the DC vote so groundbreaking?

Mike Healy: It is the strongest, most aggressive renewable clean energy target in the country. As the nation’s capital, we are setting a precedent by ensuring it’s going to be powered by clean energy.

The District is leading in utilizing renewable energy as a mechanism to help preserve affordable housing and assist low income residents in the District.

SolarWakeup: Do you foresee any opposition in Congress or by the President?

Mike Healy: No.

SolarWakeup: What effect will this have on New Columbia Solar’s business?

Mike Healy: We are a local company focused on the District, that means hiring District residents and working with local partners. The passage of The Clean Energy DC Act creates an opportunity that allows our company to stay focused on the District and not have to go anywhere else. We can focus our efforts fully on the community that we love.

SolarWakeup: How do you think DC’s vote will affect similar efforts around the country, if at all?

Mike Healy: As the Nation’s capital – this should set the stage for both states and cities. We are setting an example by how we power our city and showing how local clean energy can benefit our city’s most vulnerable residents.

Philadelphia To Be Partially Powered By 70-MW Solar Farm

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Leading clean energy developer Community Energy announced the approval of a 70-megawatt (MW) solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in Adams County, Pennsylvania to power government facilities in Philadelphia.

The solar farm, named Adams Solar LLC, will produce enough electricity to operate 22 percent of Philadelphia government buildings by 2020. The project is the largest in Pennsylvania by sevenfold, and a significant step toward the City’s clean energy goal of sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030

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Adams Solar LLC will sell 100 percent of its power under a 20-year contract to The Philadelphia Energy Authority, an independent city agency. The project will generate 156,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy in the first year of operation, eliminating more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the project.

“The Philadelphia solar commitment demonstrates impressive and much-needed leadership on climate change in Pennsylvania,” said Brent Alderfer, Community Energy CEO and co-founder. “As the costs of climate change go up, Philadelphia is showing the way for municipalities to secure reliable, long-term solar power to decarbonize and head off irreversible climate damage.”

An Economic Opportunity Plan (EOP) will use best efforts to incorporate minority, women and disabled-person owned businesses into the Adams Solar LLC project. Job fairs for sub-contractors and the workforce will be held in both Philadelphia and Adams County. Community Energy’s efforts will connect to existing solar training opportunities, such as recent Philadelphia Energy Authority initiatives.

This latest large-scale solar project by Community Energy reflects shifting energy production and sourcing trends that extend well beyond the state of Pennsylvania. According to a report by GTM Research and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), constituents are calling on government officials to set renewable energy goals that will bring reliable, climate-friendly energy to their communities. As requests for clean power translate into municipal sustainability goals, the industry is witnessing an acceleration of utility-scale project deployment and that growth is expected to continue.

“This project not only helps Philadelphia demonstrate leadership on climate action, but it also makes good economic sense and helps to boost regional job growth in the renewable energy sector,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We thank Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, the Philadelphia Energy Authority, and Community Energy, Inc. for their partnership in creating this win-win deal for Philadelphians.”

Freedom Forever Doubles 2017 Revenues And Expects Banner 2019

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Freedom Forever, one of America’s fastest growing solar power companies, announced today that the company has doubled its revenues in 2018 from $55 million to $110 million. Freedom Forever has established itself as one of the home solar industry’s most dynamic forces – and is poised for continued growth and expansion in 2019 and beyond.

“At the core of Freedom Forever’s business model is the fundamental belief that our customers come first. Our ongoing success is a direct result of the consumer-driven, service-oriented approach we follow, which is designed to make renewable energy an attractive proposition for homeowners by maximizing their return on investment,” said Brett Bouchy, CEO of Freedom Forever. “2018 was a banner year as we cracked $100 million in revenue for the first time. As we look forward to 2019, we see continued room to grow as we bring our services to a broader market in more states, and as more homeowners become aware of both the cost-savings possible with solar energy and the role that renewables have in ultimately countering climate change.”

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Freedom Forever has been among the fastest growing energy companies in the United States with 3000% revenue growth over the last three years. So far, the company has installed solar systems on more than 10,000 homes in California, Arizona and Nevada and installed a total of 26 Megawatts of solar capacity in 2018. In November, Freedom Forever expanded operations to Colorado and looks forward to continuing to expand into several additional states in 2019.

“From the beginning, Freedom Forever has continued to show consistent and rapid growth, showcasing our ability to cultivate and maintain long-lasting relationships with our customer base through impeccable service to our clients,” said Jessica Sumikawa, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Freedom Forever. “We are proud to be a leading force behind the increases in solar energy adoption rates and we will continue to cultivate consumer demand for home solar as we spread our green energy solutions to new regions throughout the United States.”

New Window For North Carolina Solar Rebates Opens January 2

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As North Carolina climbed the list of best solar states in the country, the growth was often attributed to utility-scale solar installations. But Duke Energy wants to remind you that it’s also provides nearly $6 million in solar rebates to 1,300 residential and commercial distributed generation customers, too.

And the new window for getting solar rebates for next year opens on January 2.

The Duke Energy solar rebate program is one of many customer programs the company is implementing as part of the Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina law passed in 2017. The rebates have helped many residential and business customers take the solar leap.

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“We are proud to make Birdsong the first Charlotte brewery to go solar,” said Chris Goulet, president of Birdsong Brewery. “Partnering with Duke Energy and its solar rebate program made the project’s economics even more attractive. The company’s solar installation is a big step toward making our organization more sustainable.”

North Carolina is No. 2 in the nation for solar power, including more than 8,000 Duke Energy customers in the state owning private solar systems. The company’s rebate program launched this summer attracted so much interest that capacity for residential and non-residential customers was fully subscribed within weeks. There is still capacity for nonprofit customers in 2018.

More than $6 million has been distributed to customers in 2018, with additional rebates set to be paid later in the year as systems are connected. The program will run through 2022, with an estimated 7,500 customers expected to receive Duke Energy rebates for solar systems.

The company will soon begin accepting new applications from customers who want to participate:

  • On Jan. 2, the company will open the window for an additional 20 megawatts of new rooftop solar installations for residential, non-residential and nonprofit customers.
  • Per the N.C. Utilities Commission order earlier in the year, the company will also reallocate any 2018 capacity for projects that have not been installed. That means customers who were waitlisted in 2018 with already-installed projects will be allowed to collect any available rebates. Any unconnected customers, or those that connected projects Oct. 3, 2018, or later, are eligible to apply in 2019.

Under the program, residential customers are eligible for a rebate of 60 cents per watt for solar energy systems 10 kilowatts (kW) or less. For example, a typical rooftop array of 8 kW is eligible for a $4,800 rebate. Installed systems 10 kW or greater are eligible for a maximum rebate of $6,000.

Nonresidential customers are eligible for 50 cents per watt. Nonprofit customers (such as churches and schools) are eligible for an enhanced rebate of 75 cents per watt for systems 100 kW or less.