By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:CleanChoice Energy launched a much-overdue digital platform that allows customers to sign up for community solar projects in there in five minutes or fewer. “Community solar represents one of the most important opportunities to expand renewable energy access in the U.S., with the potential to reach more than 60 million households across the country,” said Tom Matzzie, CEO of CleanChoice Energy. With customer acquisition costs remaining a particular challenge for the solar industry, any chance it has to bring down those costs is a plus – and in the community solar segment, it could … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:Yesterday, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the state’s Long-Term Resources Procurement Plan (also known as “The Plan”), an overarching roadmap for the state to reach 25% renewable energy by 2025. The Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan arose out of the Future Energy Jobs Act of 2016. “With the approval of this ambitious plan, Illinois takes another step toward becoming a national leader in affordable clean energy. A more diverse power portfolio, which includes wind and solar, makes the grid more stable and affordable. SolarWakeup’s View:  Now that’s what’s called vision. As expected, the … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:  Environment America released its list of top cities for solar development, and Los Angeles tops the list, with San Diego, Honolulu, Phoenix and San Jose rounding up the Top 5. The first “surprise” city on the list is San Antonio, which clocks in at No. 6. Other surprises include Indianapolis, which arrives at No. 8, and Albuquerque, which shows up just outside the Top 10 at No. 11. The list reads as a Who’s Who of cities with smart leadership in the administration and, in many cases, well-run municipal utilities like LADWP. SolarWakeup’s … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:  Since January 1, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has made moves that indicate it is considering wooing utilities to become part of its membership – a move that may be well-intentioned but are far more likely to be self-defeating. SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper told SolarWakeup last year that she was willing to talk to anyone (which apparently really does mean anyone) to expand the solar industry. In the past few months, SEIA floated the idea of bringing on utilities as members of the association to some board members. SEIA … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:  Inverse talked to one of the earliest adapters of the Tesla solar roof to ask what she thought of it – and suffice to say the customer has liked it a lot so far. “I’m thrilled to be an early adopter, and hope Tesla can find a way to streamline the process and price to make it available to the masses.” Ordered last May, the roof is now producing power – one of the first such installations in the country (but likely not the last). SolarWakeup’s View:  Haven’t we learned yet not to … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened:  Casa Pueblo, an environmental nonprofit and community center in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, has kept its lights on continuously even after Hurricane Maria knocked out power to most of the rest of the island in September. How? A solar power system. Arturo Massol Deya, president of Casa Pueblo, told Yale Climate Connections that the center has been running on solar power for more than 20 years. Let’s be clear: While many of us on the mainland have been debating about whether solar power can replace the island’s grid, there’s actually a real-life case study … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Quartz Media reports that “Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese multinational Softbank to build 200 GW of solar power by 2030 at a cost of $200 billion.” The math is pretty simple: The world’s current largest solar farm is the 1 GW Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park in India, which Quartz calculated covers 24 square miles. So if you multiply that by 200 – which is the factor bigger that the plant in Saudi Arabia would be – that would cover 5,000 square miles in … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: Wow. Just. Wow. Jinko Solar’s investment in Jacksonville, Florida, just keeps getting smaller with each passing story, having fallen from initial reports of more than $400 million in local investment and more than 800 jobs. In three months, the level of investment from the Chinese solar module manufacturer has fallen from $410 million to $50 million (an 88% decrease). Meanwhile, the city keeps throwing more money at the module manufacturer. Having initially approved slightly more than $23 million in incentives, they approved nearly $3.5 million last week. So for those of you keeping score … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: For. The. Win. A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance suggests renewables’ prices are falling so quickly that coal is dead and even natural gas may be on its deathbed. The cost of new solar plants dropped 20% over the past 12 months, while onshore wind prices dropped 12%, according to the latest Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report. Since 2010, the prices for lithium-ion batteries — crucial to energy storage — have plummeted a stunning 79 percent, the report also indicates. The kill quote: “The economic case for building new coal and … Read More →

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent What Happened: People, I know he’s darn purty, but seriously, if you care about the future of energy in this country DO NOT think Jeff Flake is a 2020 savior, no matter what Sean Penn tells you. He doesn’t even understand the basics of energy baseload. In a recent speech at St. Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, in what was widely reported as the first speech of the 2020 Presidential campaign, Arizona (Short-Time) Senator Jeff Flake said that maybe, just MAYBE, the Republican Party should consider accepting climate change science and consider doing something … Read More →