This is your SolarWakeup for March 30th, 2018
Happy Passover to all getting together for some family gathering, this is the thanksgiving for jewish families filled with plenty of loud cross talk. Happy Easter to all of you as well, enjoy those golden goose eggs. Have a great weekend.
Compete On Price. BNEF’s newest report should go on every State Legislator’s desk. I don’t know how many there are but assuming 7,500 legislators, printing and mailing costs, that would be a $75,000 expenditure that could yield some interesting feedback. Renewables are cheaper, the goal we were told would get solar into the game. In Florida, regulators now go with the more expensive version of solar but that’s an argument for another day.
The Market Trump Ignores. In all of this trade talk, when has the silicon manufacturing been mentioned? It was forgotten during 201 and it doesn’t come up now. These are billion dollar plants that are sitting idle because the product is being lost in the trade war. Time to get Hemlock and REC onto a pedestal and get them to scream a bit louder.
EPA Lunacy. First class flights, soundproof booths, forgetting the word climate change are all minor compared to the regs that have been pushed aside by Pruitt. Now that it has come out that Pruitt is renting an apartment from a lobbyist, I wonder if you can smell the swamp as well.
Let’s Meet. Couple of events planned. SolarWakeup Live! in San Francisco on April 10th, on the 13th I’ll be at the TomTom Festival in Charlottesville moderating a panel on solar financing and I’ll be interviewing Greg Ridderbusch CEO of Connexus Energy at the Midwest Solar Expo on May 2nd. I always enjoy meeting you in person, come on out.
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Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 29th, 2018
Insanity. You know what they say about the definition of insanity. Now you can say the same about SolarWorld. Apparently the Qataris have lost their appetite for giving Asbeck money to run a solar company. The newly founded SolarWorld Industries Gmbh has filed for insolvency after less than a year since acquiring some of the SolarWorld AG assets. This does not affect the SolarWorld USA entity except for the brand value which is testing the limit to zero.
Zombie Lie, Take 72,431. Just when we get this amazing data from CAISO and how net metering helped reduce costs to the California ratepayers, a UC Berkeley professor comes out with some “why am I paying for solar” blog post. I don’t this for a fact but I am sure that some digging would reveal the foundation of the professor’s motive that caused this blog post to come out. Thanks to the reporters at the Mercury News for listening to my response and reviewing the CAISO data point for a follow up piece. Frank gives you his take on yesterday’s top story.
Did You Listen? An engaging interview guest makes any interview easy, sometimes trying to get 30 minutes of content is difficult but sometimes its hard to keep 30 minutes to under an hour. That was my conversation with Ryan Popple, the CEO of Proterra. Most cars drive less than 40 miles per day which means the energy impact from EVs is less than a third of a mass transit without accounting for the scale of the energy density. If every bus were electrified, we’d all be better off and Proterra would be a big winner. Listen to my conversation with Ryan, here.
Big Storage, Big Money. What if I put out a press release saying that I was investing $8billion into energy storage over the next 17 years, think Reuters would pick it up? No, because it’s not news. Solar did north of $20billion last year and there aren’t enough projects for real capital providers out there. EDF could do $8billion, likely will do $8billion but if they don’t someone else will.
Do You Geothermal? Sometimes your friends leave solar and that’s sad. But sometimes they go and do cool things like join a Google X spinout and change the geothermal world. Congrats to the team at Dandelion for a big capital raise. Maybe geothermal wakeup is next?
Using PACE? It’s never been easier and more accessible. With States jumping on the PACE bandwagon, check your area and get a CleanQuote to see the latest pricing for PACE right from solarwakeup.com, just click on the link below.
Close To Last Call. Only 20 seats left for SolarWakeup Live! SF. Come spend the afternoon hearing our podcast get taped live and get yourself onto the podcast by asking questions to the guests. We’ll be in Pier 17, in a wonderful intimate space. Tickets here, WAKEUP20 for 20% off.
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Yann
Zombie Lie Returns; Time To Kill It Again
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: This fella right here – Lucas Davis,an Associate Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley – trotted out the zombie lie about the solar-customer cost shift again on something called “The Energy Institute at Haas” blog. If he would have picked up the phone and called down to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, they could have cautioned him against spreading this garbage. How many times to we have to debunk this before reputable people stop trafficking in this idiocy? I haven’t been able … Read More
State-Level Solar Data Provides Hours Of Fun
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: The Solar Foundation released its follow-up to the National Solar Jobs Census 2017 in the form of its interactive state map, which: provides a remarkably detailed look at how solar is affecting the lives of people in your Congressional District. offers a historical look at the data for the same area. gives more granular detail on how solar is providing jobs and economic impacts on people – which can be used to inform lobbying efforts. SolarWakeup’s View: Well, I know how I’ll be spending every waking moment this weekend – looking at The Solar … Read More
This is your SolarWakeup for March 28th, 2018
Proterra Electric Buses, Podcast. Sometimes a 30 minute interview goes an hour, and it could go another 3 hours. That’s when you know you have the right conversation on track. This is what happened when I interviewed Ryan Popple, the former Kleiner Perkins partner and CEO of Proterra. Proterra makes electric buses, which if you think about it, has the potential of changing transportation. Buses are the most predictable vehicle in the Country, same routes every day. Engineer them to perfection and you have a golden ticket to removing idling diesel vehicles from this segment. Frank breaks down the conversation and I hope you enjoy this episode.
What’s New At Suniva? Filings are fun, sometimes tidbits are dropped about issues that impact our industry. SQN Capital gave a cryptic update that could give some hints as to what is next for the Suniva assets. Frank has the story and we’re keeping a close eye on for you.
Postcard From Down Under. When Audrey Zibelman left NYSERDA to head to Australia, I was hopeful that this day would come, and her point is spot on. She says it makes no sense that a grid built before the internet would have the right rules for the grid of tomorrow. In the 90’s it was okay to use a dial-up modem and have rolls of fax papers while using trunk mounted cell phones. Now is time to create rules that enable today’s technologies from using their full potential.
Come On AZ. If you ever think our industry is without really powerful adversaries, you are mistaken. Our adversaries are embedded all over the place, legislatures and Governor’s mansions. That’s why nuance matters and why legitimizing opposition is something I call out. When I see someone posting on LinkedIn that sitting on a panel with EEI’s Tom Kuhn is an honor since he’s an icon, I cringe. Especially when this person is supposed to look out for the best of the solar industry. It’s important to remember these aren’t peace times in policy, solar, storage and renewables are threatening an industry worth trillions of dollars and have been untouched for a century.
There Will Be Opposition. Why are EVs bad for unions? The Hyundai union head has some harsh words about the disaster they represent to the existing workforce. Labor that builds transmissions and engines are going to find themselves looking for new parts of the supply chain to work on. Good prospect is that we can see this coming and it won’t be abrupt from one year to another.
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Yann
Proterra CEO Predicts EV Adoption Timeline
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The whole interview is worth listening to, but as you can see from the bullets above, three things really captured my imagination:
First, Popple talks about what it was like to be present at the creation (or at least the early years) at Tesla. What I was most interested in, honestly, was his contention that you don’t necessarily have to have the best technology when you first start a business as long as you have the top intellectual talent throughout the company to get you there eventually.
It’s a sentiment Popple shares with Jim Collins, former Stanford Business School professor and best-selling author of the book Good to Great: Put the best people you can hire in key positions first; then the products will follow.
Second, Popple talks about why China is so far ahead of the United States in EV development. His explanation will be obvious to anyone who ever sat in their college dorms at 2 a.m. discussing the merits of communism vs capitalism and coming to the conclusion that ultimately, capitalism wins – eventually.
Third, Yann asks Popple when he thinks EV development, at least on the mass transit front that Proterra serves, will hit 50% of all the purchases of those types of vehicles. Your jaw may well drop when you hear his answer (I know mine did).
Oh, and he has a prediction of what long-haul trucking will look like in 20 years that will blow your mind.
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Can EVs Save The Utility Model?
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: In this edition of the SolarWakeup Live! podcast, Yann Brandt sat down with Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra, an electric vehicle manufacturer currently focused on building buses and driving and discussed: why China is so far ahead of the United States in EV development, how Tesla made it from being a small startup to the electric vehicle behemoth it is today (Popple was present at the creation), and how soon will there be an EV in every driveway (OK, that last one’s made up, but they do talk about how quickly mass-transit EVs will … Read More
Could We Finally Be Rid Of Suniva?
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Remember Suniva? The company whose bankruptcy last April set off the swirling cesspool that became the solar tariffs this January? Well, there have been some interesting developments with its bankruptcy lately, to wit: The company’s biggest creditor, SQN Financial, has asked the judge to extend its exclusive right to Suniva’s assets, and the reasons they give could be an indication that the creditor is close to negotiating a final dissolution of the company. It should be noted that SQN tried to dump Suniva one month into their bankruptcy to make the tariff case go … Read More
This is your SolarWakeup for March 27th, 2018
Corporate, Startup, Research Partners. Great coverage of a corporate incubator being run by Wells Fargo. Wells was one of the first and remains an active tax equity investor in the solar space. It’s a quiet group but they get their MW done year after year. This incubator has an interesting tweak. It provides a grant to startups, most of which is used to leverage the team at NREL to provide research to the startup. No equity exchanges hands and the side effect is revenue to NREL which is always suffering from potential budget cuts.
Net Metering Works?! During net metering fights, we present studies and engineering reports that show distributed generation helps lower costs to all ratepayers. Studies are one thing, reality is another. CAISO is canceling over $2.5billion in transmission based on efficiency and distributed resources like solar. This saves all consumers money and proves our point. This also shows by net metering is fought against because it stops utilities from investing more into the rate base.
States And Cities. You can make the case that even when the Federal government is on your side, the States make the markets. Within the States you can argue that the Cities decide how good the market can be. Whether the market is within an IOU or a City owned municipal power company. If the muni is pro-solar or decides to go the opposite route. That is why I always argue that solar needs to focus on legislators that go from County boards to State seats, or attempt to. If they get away with being anti-solar at the local level to make friends with corporate influencers, they’ll do it even bigger. I’ve mentioned reaching out to your legislator, this doesn’t have to be your Congressman. Go meet with your City council member or County Commissioner, they’re very accessible to you and love to learn about local businesses, your issues and how they can help.
Gas, A Hope Or Pattern? Sometimes I write based on personal thesis especially when the headlines match my macro themes. Taking a step back, when facts fall into place several times over a pattern emerges. Everything around natural gas is moving so quickly, California pushes back on replacing peakers, Arizona moratorium, and suits moving forward. This isn’t about making a prediction around timing but I’d be hard pressed to see a future where gas isn’t replaced by renewables. I hope the regulators pause and review the trends.
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Yann
Will Natural Gas Lose Its Place As A Transition Energy?
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund penned a fascinating blog post on the future of energy production in the Northeast, with particular focus on: whether the lack of natural gas pipelines in the area will harm fuel stability in the region, and outlines the challenges for regulators in the region as they look to keep their energy supplies stable. SolarWakeup’s View: The central question facing the Northeast, at least according to N. Jonathan Peress of the Environmental Defense Fund is how the Northeast will continue to keep its fuel supplies secure if it … Read More
CAISO Could Save $2.6 Billion Thanks (In Part) To Solar
By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Thanks in part to solar penetration in Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) territories, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) proposed canceling $2.6 billion in transmission projects. The 39 cancelled projects in the two utilities’ service areas include transmission projects rendered unnecessary in part because of solar’s increased penetration in those areas. The 2017-2018 plan also includes special studies on the impact of a 50% renewable resources policy, the early retirement risks of the gas fleet and updates to previous studies on the benefits of large-scale storage. C … Read More