Partnership Will Test Software’s Ability To Integrate Renewables Into Grid

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent As more renewables are added to the United States’ electrical grid, management of those resources becomes ever more critical. Software that can help utilities integrate more renewables on the grid is becoming ever more critical, and companies that can bring such software to life are leading the way toward a more futuristic, customer-centric grid. Which is why a new partnership between PPL Electric Utilities and GE is so fascinating. PPL Electric Utilities and GE Power Digital announced yesterday a joint initiative to develop and test software to manage and control electricity from renewable and stored … Read More →

RMI Report Offers Vision Of Possible Utility Structures In Future

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent I’ve complained for years that the utility business model in the United States is broken. The idea that a centralized electricity production system is more efficient and effective than a decentralized model is one that certainly deserves to be challenged (if not, as would be my preference, tossed aside entirely). Now the Rocky Mountain Institute has released a report suggesting that if there is to be an energy transition in this country – away from polluting fossil fuels and in the direction of clean, renewable energy – that changes to the utility business model aren’t … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for November 13th, 2018

Your Help Is Needed. The solar family is looking for your help during the tough times impacting some of our colleagues in the Camp Fire in Paradise California. CALSSA has set up a donation page and your generosity is greatly appreciated, any amount helps get solar pros that lost everything back on their feet. 
008.3 Solar Bonds. Duke Energy is going out for the poorly marketed green bonds. I look forward to seeing the spread between these and the corporate bonds and hope that they are aligned given the risk profiles. 
Does Resilience Sell? Last week I asked what the sales pitch was for energy storage and many of you responded that the recent storms are part of it. I agree that storms cause people to think about it but pulling the trigger for backup power alone is a 1% problem. Unless I am wrong, I don’t think resiliency is a sales tool but more of a lead generation tool. 
Barrier In Community Solar. Community solar is growing rapidly and with that comes innovation. Some folks have said that the hardest part is the subscriber enrollment and management which equates to new companies coming up with ways to service developers looking for off takers. Frank fills you in. 
IOU To Retail Market. This may not be a serious endeavor, I hope the Arizona readers fill me in on what this really means politically. But any PUC looking at the value of IOUs and allowing retail competition seems like a giant leap in the right direction, undoubtedly where we end up anyways. In order for a 100% renewable future, we must have wires companies and retail competition, rate basing generation means staying stuck in antiquated transactions. 
Solar Jobs In Midwest. This is a great time to look for a great job in the midwest, at the jobs fair you will see hundreds of solar jobs competing for installers, electricians, sales consultants and more. This means higher wages and a great future for Americans in the midwest. 

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Yann

A Solar Tribute On Veterans’ Day: Thank You For Your Service To Our Country And Industry

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Today is the day when we say thank you to the veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice to a grateful nation. Some of us know that we could never serve them the way they have served us. But what we can do as the solar industry is try to pay them back by giving them jobs when they come home – something The Solar Foundation has worked diligently since the Department of Energy chose to fund a Solar for Vets program back in 2016. According to The Solar Foundation’s 2017 … Read More →

The Energy Show: Utility Power Plant Economics

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The Energy Show: By Barry Cinnamon We have all seen those big power plants outside cities that provide power — historically from coal, oil and nuclear and now more recently, natural gas. These utility power plants have served us well for over a century. But technology is passing them by. These old central generation power plants are obsolete. They are more expensive than power generated by wind, solar and energy storage. Even some of the newest gas peaker plants under construction are destined to be obsolete within a decade. New power generating technologies – solar, wind, battery storage, distributed energy … Read More →

Developer Launches Community Solar Subscriber Management Software

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent As community solar continues to grow – and it is one of the fastest-growing segments of the solar industry – it’s becoming increasingly necessary to figure out how to manage subscriber accounts. But the question is this: Where can community solar array owners find the software necessary to do just that? Well, one developer out of Denver is looking to answer the question. Pivot Energy today announced it has launched SunCentral, a white-labeled community solar customer management cloud platform. The service was designed to improve the customer experience for community solar subscribers, and optimize the … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for November 9th, 2018

Corporate Ventures. It is true that the most active investors in clean tech startups are the corporate venture arms. Utilities have historically been the most active in the space while oil majors have recently been very active, especially in solar. All of this activity is a positive sign not just for the funding but the inevitable stream of acquisitions that follow the successful ventures. A path to liquidity is what drives early stage capital so the industry needs as much of both as possible. 
100% RPS Plan. There’s been much written about the Gubernatorial races where the winning governor-elect supports 100% clean energy. It’s hard to put them all in the same bucket and when appropriate, the idea could be a good legislative plan. In other cases, depending on the State’s current success with solar, the goal should be to put the right market mechanics in place. Uncapped net metering and interconnection access may be more valuable to focus on. Keep in mind that very few States, given fair market access, have a negative financial return on rooftop solar. 
Utility Spiral. It’s been some time since we talked about the utility death spiral. This time I’m not bringing it up either, it’s a report based on utility executive sentiment talking about earnings pressure. At least they’re thinking about this 6 years in advance but if yesterday’s ACC vote in Arizona is a signal, it could come before. The ACC voted unanimously to study the idea of deregulating utilities and allowing retail energy choice. The effort is expected to be supported by corporations and opposed by the monopolies. 
NYTimes Analyzes. In only the way that national media can. States matter. Feds don’t. Carbon tax doesn’t work. Bipartisan support failed. That last one got me, Curbelo (from South Florida) didn’t fail to get re-elected because of his support for climate change reality. His district was the second largest margin of victory for Clinton in 2016. It also includes the Florida Keys and the results probably say that his acknowledgment and work on the climate change caucus kept him close. He even received an award from SEIA this year. It’s so easy to take solar and throw it into the blue bucket but then you’ll fail to acknowledge the political and market realities of SC, TX and FL. 

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Yann

Could 100% RPS Become The New Standard In Up To Six States?

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent Managing Editor Yann Brandt has done a masterful job since the midterm elections of highlighting the victories clean energy advocates won around the country, and he has rightly suggested that the momentum for clean energy is becoming more overwhelming every day (except in places like Arizona, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever). But an article from the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, suggest the news might be even better than even Yann and I think it was. In the article, writer Christy Goldfuss highlights six new governors who campaigned strongly on dealing … Read More →

Consolidation Comes To Energy Storage Market As NantEnergy Buys Sharp Properties

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent For those of us who love the solar industry, storage is the next frontier. If we can figure out how to marry solar + storage, then the rest of the market opens up and mass adoption arrives in a big green wave. But much like the solar module manufacturing segment of the industry, there are too many battery manufacturers out there in the market. To allow companies to make money and thrive – meaning keeping innovation and breakthrough ideas alive – consolidation is a critical part of that equation. So when a company like NantEnergy, … Read More →

This is your SolarWakeup for November 8th, 2018

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The Wins. Solar was on the ballot in a couple of ways on Tuesday so I wanted to give you my initial thoughts. On the plus side, clean energy executive was a career that was embraced. Several candidates ran on their clean energy experience and a few won which means that there will be members of Congress that understand our work and provide some insight to our trade groups. The biggest win may have been the ballot question in Nevada which was a direct question of more solar for corporations. The voters supported the motion and will have to do so once more at a future election. Another notable plus is the number of Governors that won while supporting a 100% clean energy future, the list includes CO, OR, MI, WI, CA, IL, and ME.
The Losses. First, you have to note that the RPS in Arizona was overwhelmingly defeated and the eulogy on carbon tax may have been written in Washington State. Notable is the $23million spent by NextGen to push for the RPS in Arizona and I can only imagine the policy that could have enabled the market if solar advocates were given $23million into their advocacy platforms. I’ve said it before, solar advocates are some of the most effective advocates in the process and are largely hampered from being able to fight more fights by financial resources. The candidate for NC-9, Dan McCready, was as solar as a candidate that was running across the Country and he almost won his race, losing by less than 2,000 votes.
The Trends. Solar as a political issue continues to be non-existent, these political times mean that secondary issues get little focus. However, with the solar favorability index, it is important to let all legislators know the political reality of supporting or opposing the issues important to us. More trend discovery by GreenBiz in the rundown.
GE Sells Current. GE has sold their esco/lighting/sometimes solar business to an investment firm. The notable solar transaction was for Home Depot. Best of luck to the team.

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Yann