This is your SolarWakeup for October 1st, 2019
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 30, 2019
Historic SPI. Solar, solar, solar. And solar pros. According to insiders, SPI 2019 drew 19,000 to Salt Lake City which handled the crowd quite nicely. I found manoeuvring the traffic on the scooters quite easy and able to get through the week without much pain. Definitely easier on the body when SPI is in SLC instead of Vegas. The booths were nice, some actually made me step back and appreciate the attention to detail and overall design, but I saw those dollar signs as well. Now get back to work!
The Energy Bearhug. If you didn’t get it from the name change, the team that is producing SPI added a bunch of other things to the show creating the show known as North American Smart Energy Week. When this publication came out to question this decision the defence was an old fashioned bearhug. SEPA came out in defence of the name change saying “Smart Electric Power Alliance & Solar Energy Industries Association have expanded our show to be Smart Energy Week, it’s because - as critical as solar is - no one technology can get us to carbon-free.” The truth is that the name change wasn’t a unanimous decision and the benefit of it is still being debated.
A Call To Commit. All of the above is noise in a world where we need to get an ITC extension. While SEIA is actively fighting and pushing for it, educating and lobbying legislators, something it is able to do as a 501(c)6, SEPA has historically stayed out of this education afraid to endanger its 501(c)3 status. Hoping to get $500k into the ITC fight, I am calling for the organizers of SPI to give $500k towards the ITC extension efforts. Why? SETS makes money by producing trade shows like SPI and the regional shows. Those shows depend on paid attendance, exhibitors and sponsors. When the ITC reduces and disappears, so do the show profits. SETS will make north of $10million this year and 5% for this fight is a minimal effort by the organization. This is not a novel idea, here is SEIA proposing this exact idea.
My Takeaway. The Smart Energy Week name change was a bust. This show was all solar, even the energy storage messaging centred around solar. The East Bay CCA signed a massive solar plus storage deal at the sPower booth because solar is what people want. Putting the SPI logo side by side, the same size, with hydrogen and microgrids is a slap in the face of solar. This idea was a fail and needs to end permanently. Who knows, if this editorial can’t stop it, maybe nuclear and biomass join the party next year too? Speaking of solar, I commend SEIA for doing a great job on their part. Their team was on me with messaging all week long, working the floor, raising money and trying to grow membership. When I walk the floor I see SEIA members everywhere, this really has become an SEIA show. Speaking of, it also seems to be a show filled with profitable companies or some well on their way towards them.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 27, 2019
SPI 2019 In The Books. The show is over and the curtains are drawn, your pockets are full of business cards and we’ll all blast nice to meet you emails on Monday. My flight back to San Francisco was the solar express, the LG sales rep next to me was not waiting until Monday to say thank you to the booth visitors! On Monday we will discuss the SPI versus NASEW, a boring and tedious topic but worthy of listening to your feedback. We will also talk about the ITC as this swings into high gear. Use the hashtag #DefendTheITC and here is the tweet from Senator Cortez-Masto Go ahead a hit like and retweet to show your thanks!
Thank You! I want to personally thank you all for the congratulations, feedback and hellos this week. Sometimes SolarWakeup is a funny thing for me given the weird dynamic between my day job and this newsletter. This was my 7th SPI since starting, I went to SPI in Orlando with about 40 subscribers and now there are more than 5,000 of you that read this daily digest. It was never meant to be a thing, but you made it one and I’m grateful for that. The dialogue you allow me to have and the help you provide to make this industry a better one is amazing. The funny thing is that a few weeks ago, right as we were closing on our sale to Esdec, SolarWakeup had its 7th birthday. A week later, as I got to know the great people at Ironridge and Ecofasten, we sent out the 2,500th edition of this newsletter. So thank you for the professional support and helping me get to where I have and continuing your support of Quick Mount as we join the Esdec group. I’m excited about the future of this industry and this company. Alongside the amazing solar installers, we will do some great things. Have a great weekend!
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 26, 2019
In Case You Missed It. There is a word on the SPI floor that there is no theme this year, no focus on a regulatory matter that deserves major attention. Let me be very clear, we can get the ITC extended if we do the work and spend the money. If we don’t get the funds, about half a million dollars, and the calls/meetings to members of Congress, the ITC will not be extended. This is a cost of nearly $100billion to the US economy and likely dollars out of your pocket. Don’t get caught in the messaging whirlpool that is SPI, and focus on the real things that impact your money. If you need to know how to get involved, hit reply.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 25, 2019
The Marathon Continues. And the tax credit extension will create a fortune.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 24, 2019
Best Headline Of The Year. American farmers are pivoting to solar power to pay the bills.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 23, 2019
Welcome to SPI 2019. Let’s set some realistic expectations this week. Unlike prior years the column will be limited this week. Why? I have a day job and I am going to try and take a step back throughout the week to digest what is happening. If there are important news or events, I’ll make note of them.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 20th, 2019
Renewable Prime Day. Within 10 years, Amazon will be getting 100% of its energy from renewable sources. I’ll predict right now that this will happen in 5 or less years. By 2040, Amazon expects to be carbon neutral which is a bold goal given the massive number of miles the retailers moves every day.
The Scale Expands. Rivian is the EV startup you’ve seen driving around with their electric SUV. Earlier this year they got an investment from Amazon and now you know why. Amazon will be ordering 100,000 electric vans that should start delivering in 2021 which means Rivian needs to learn to manufacture at Tesla scale tomorrow. This also makes the Amazon electrification effort more interesting.
1.6 GW. Google entered into massive solar and wind contracts, continuing the trend for corporates into renewable procurement.
What’s Next. If Google and Amazon want to have a network effect for renewables, they should double down on renewable policy. The billionaires have the ability to see and sustain a massive policy campaign to get to 100RE for everyone including their employees, vendor’s employees and customers. Today is Climate Strike day and is the right time for the Beyond Coal campaign to be duplicated in solar.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 19th, 2019
No column today, sorry. Take joy in the fact that Trump is about to learn the name, Mary Nichols. Mary is California’s Air Resources Board Chair and not one you want to mess with. Those who know, know.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for September 18th, 2019
Come On Bill Gates. Bill Gates wants to shift the ITC and PTC to new energy solutions, a fair trade since solar and wind no longer need it I guess. I have an idea, why don’t we start with removing the incentives from oil and gas? Or charge flared off-gas a methane tax that is used to fund new technology development? O&G have permanent tax credits that are exempt from active/passive rules and not based on percentages while solar has dropped more than 90% in cost causing the ITC to get more than 10x the output it once paid for. Gates seems to continue the trend that solar and wind are not worth fighting for even though they are the key to fighting against climate change. I wish he would see that his words matter and choose them more carefully.
Big Pipeline. The era of braggawatts is strong, the pipeline has reached an all-time high.
Go Blue Jays. I always hoped to be the one that developed a solar deal with Johns Hopkins but I am still glad they did a deal.
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Yann