By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

A new study from Environment America Research & Policy Center urges other states to follow California's lead in requiring all new buildings have solar on them. If states would adopt such mandates, which California adopted earlier this year, the home solar market could triple by 2045. It would also cut carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production by more than 9% over the same time. “Every home and structure built without solar is a missed opportunity,” said Bret Fanshaw, Go Solar Campaign director with Environment America Research & Policy Center. “Generating renewable energy from our rooftops helps homeowners and their communities, reducing both electric bills and pollution.” In May, California became the first state to propose building all new homes with solar panels, a policy which would go into effect in 2020. The state energy commission estimates that a solar homes policy, coupled with energy efficiency improvements, will save homeowners $19,000 in energy and maintenance costs over the course of a typical 30-year mortgage -- double what they would add to the cost of a home. Later this week, the California Building Standards Commission will meet to review the proposal. "The new National Climate Assessment makes it clear that we need to stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible, and solar energy is key to that transition,” said Abi Bradford, policy analyst and report co-author with Frontier Group. “Installing solar panels on all new homes could add more solar energy capacity than the entire country currently has installed -- including utility-scale installations -- in just six years from 2020 to 2026.” The fastest-growing states would add the most solar energy if the policy were adopted, with Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona ranked at the top. The report also provides state-by-state estimates for the potential reductions in carbon emissions. “We can have solar-powered communities right now and for years to come with smart policy choices,” said Fanshaw. “And the most efficient time to install solar panels is when workers are already on the roof.”

Do You Vote Solar? Last evening some of the biggest solar supporters came together to celebrate Vote Solar and the entire team of passionate solar advocates. There are few teams that have done so much, so quietly to advance our market. We had some fun talking about past victories that are the foundation of solar markets across the Country. So I raise my glass for a toast for Vote Solar and all solar advocates that do the policy work that allows installers to sell solar to homeowners and creates the market that creates my job. Without the policies that enable our market, most of us would be doing other work. 
Reality Of Nuclear. Every few months there seems to be a nuclear should make a comeback for the sake of fighting climate change. This storyline seems a bit tired given that it’s been used for years. It is ingrained in so many higher education institutions and think tanks studying the issue. I understand the argument but the political reality is that nobody looking to fight climate change is leaning in on nuclear. I will hear from some of you that the portfolio has to include nuclear but I am here to tell you that the market has moved on. One small pet peeve, calling renewables ‘buoyed by subsidies’ while arguing for nuclear is laughable. Without early cost recovery and government subsidized insurance, water and waste, nuclear would be non-existent. 
Has COP Lost The Luster? COP24 has started and if I wasn’t following the Solar Impulse team on social media, I wouldn’t know. First, it’s in Poland which hasn’t exactly been the leader in climate policy. Second, without the US leading the marketing of it in the US media, it seems to be lacking any coverage at all. As an aside, various forms of renewables shouldn’t put other forms down in order to gain an edge, there are plenty of antagonists to focus on. 
Green New Deal et al. New leaders in Congress have surprised me with the pedestal that the green new deal has been placed on as one of the signature areas of focus going into the new Congress. Ocasio-Cortez, who is humanizing the role of member of Congress in a great way, has been actively pushing for co-sponsors and ignoring the ‘freshmen members stay quiet’ status quo. I look forward to speaking with co-sponsors of the bill and understand how the pivot from macro, big idea like green new deal can leverage the political power that solar has within the voting public.

Have a great day!

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Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Commercial solar, one of the most underserved segments of the solar industry, is taking off in Wisconsin, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The driver of the push is falling solar prices, which takes the decision to add solar out of the realm of "it's a nice thing to do" and into the realm of "from a business perspective, this is a must do." In other words, the money-saving aspect of it has become so overwhelmingly compelling that there's now an undeniable business case for it. As Larry Schmidt Jr., chief financial officer of Lakeland Supply, told the paper:

I’m a numbers guy, and I wouldn’t be doing it if the numbers didn’t make sense. Obviously we want to be conscious of our energy use and things like that, but this definitely makes sense even if you say 'I don’t care about our Earth.' This is a financial decision, too.

Lakeland Supply put around 500 solar modules on its roof, which will supply the building with 61% of its electricity needs. But they aren't the only ones. The paper writes:

The most current data from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin shows that between 2008 and the third quarter of 2017, the number of solar photovoltaic installations on commercial and industrial buildings in the state increased almost ninefold, to 1,030 from 118.

The Journal-Sentinel attributes the majority of the segment's growth to falling module prices, which makes it more economically feasible for companies to move ahead with solar projects. They also say falling payback times - the amount of time it takes for businesses to recoup their investment - has provided a business rationale for putting solar modules on the roof. Ten years ago, a story like Wisconsin's would have been nearly unheard of, but with the success of other Midwestern states like Minnesota and Illinois, the growth of Wisconsin's solar market now almost seems inevitable. And what makes them stand out from their Midwest competitors is that it's the commercial segment that seems to be leading the way. More: Here's why more Wisconsin companies are adding rooftop solar energy panels

41. “The United States is strongly committed to the IPCC process of international cooperation on global climate change. We consider it vital that the community of nations be drawn together in an orderly, disciplined, rational way to review the history of our global environment, to assess the potential for future climate change, and to develop effective programs. The state of the science, the social and economic impacts, and the appropriate strategies all are crucial components to a global resolution. The stakes here are very high; the consequences, very significant.” - President H.W. Bush on February 5th, 1990
Tariff Update. Trump had a trade talk dinner with China over the weekend and the two Countries have come out with a momentary pause to the trade war escalation, waiting to increase the tariffs from 10% to 25% while talks continue. For solar this would have larger impacted the raw material increases which could have trickled up to the end product costs that you pay every day for your projects.
Trickle Up. David Roberts from Vox uses comparison to economic theory to highlight the future potential of a grid centered around distributed generation instead of central power plants. This flows with the goals of the solar market and also plays into the future where electric vehicles are the default condition in the auto market. Good to see this in the mainstream media.

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann