This is your SolarWakeup for February 7th, 2022
Installers First, Always. Over the past year, the team as CommonBond has worked to understand how to make lending for solar installers easier, faster and cheaper. That culminated in the public announcement that CommonBond has started serving the solar market and wants you, the installer, to learn more about the offerings that are available. To learn more about the CommonBond platform and products, contact us here.
News
1 Reuters:
China says U.S. tariff extension on solar products hurts new energy trade
2 Axios:
A roadway will charge your EV while you're driving
3 Solar Builder:
CPUC delays NEM 3.0 decision indefinitely
4 Solar Power World:
DTE Energy soliciting 500 MW of RFPs for renewable energy projects
5 Canary Media:
What you need to know about minerals and the clean energy transition
6 Utility Dive:
Distributed energy is poised to take center stage in 2022, but policymakers and regulators must step up
7 WFSU:
Legislation that would change Florida’s rooftop solar industry gets pushback
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
Jay Powell May Be the Most Important Climate Decision-Maker
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 4th, 2022
Installers First, Always. Over the past year, the team as CommonBond has worked to understand how to make lending for solar installers easier, faster and cheaper. That culminated in the public announcement that CommonBond has started serving the solar market and wants you, the installer, to learn more about the offerings that are available. To learn more about the CommonBond platform and products, contact us here.
News
1 Reuters:
California delays decision on rooftop solar policy reform
2 Solar Builder:
CommonBond, best known for student lending, launches solar financing business
3 PV-Magazine:
SolarAPP+ permitting software reduces project times by 12 days on average in pilot
4 Tampa Bay:
Florida House offers compromise to more rooftop solar users
5 Utility Dive:
Appeals court decision opens door to sue public power utilities for rooftop solar fees under antitrust law
6 Bloomberg:
Airstream’s Electric Trailer Concept Can Run Off-Grid for Weeks
7 Axios:
Winter storms test Texas' electrical grid
8 RMI:
The Hidden Costs of Keeping Gas Plants Online in Texas and Beyond
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Will California finally fix its community solar programs?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 3rd, 2022
New Fintech In Solar. Today’s top story is a great one, it signifies another leap in the maturity of the solar market. CommonBond, a leading fintech company in consumer lending, is coming into solar and bringing their technology prowess to solar installers. Having a diversified lending platform leveraging their existing investments pays off for installers because of their knowledge on how to get deals done quickly and efficiently, resulting in more volume and margins for installers. SolarWakeup is happy to play a role in connecting this opportunity for the solar community, you can check them out on their launch site here.
Nextracker To Spin Off. Almost a year ago, right here on SolarWakeup we told you that Nextracker should look at the strategic opportunity to become a standalone public company. With a new investment from a major private equity firm, Dan Shugar and his team will do just that. Put me into the unsurprised column, though the public market timing isn’t fantastic at the moment which means they may hold off for a better time in the market.
News
1 Solar Power World:
Loan company CommonBond now offering solar financing options
2 Seeking Alpha:
Flex to sell $500M of convertible preferred equity in Nextracker to TPG Rise Climate
3 PV-Magazine:
Distributed solar and storage owners face one more hurdle before participating in wholesale markets
4 Energy Storage News:
CAISO drafts 20-year plan to get California on-track for 100% renewables
5 Canary Media:
The Texas energy system faces a winter reckoning — again
6 Axios:
Taking stock of the global electric vehicle race
Opinions:
7 Vox:
Dirty energy pays more than clean energy. That’s a problem.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 2nd, 2022
Tariffs Have Failed, Time To Change Tactic. Since the first anti-dumping duty was put on solar modules, the policy push to make the US the center of the manufacturing universe for solar has failed. The second set of duties didn’t help and 201 just made it worse. Nobody remembers Suniva and SolarWorld and how they were central to this fight, they are long gone. At the same time this trade war has slowed the fight against climate change, cost job creation and crushed the US silicon manufacturing success that existed. Help US solar manufacturers with tax credits instead of increasing the cost of solar to every American.
The New Push To Get Green BBB Passed. Environmental groups are taking the fight to the DC airwaves and arguing for the climate edition of build back better to get passed. This is the new tactic to bring BBB to the floor in pieces instead of a grand social benefits bill, which has failed to gain traction in Joe Manchin’s Senate office.
News
1 Washington Post:
Opinion - Biden must end this ruinous solar power trade war with China
2 CNBC:
House Democrats urge Biden to pass climate change portion of Build Back Better
3 Utility Dive:
Brookfield Renewable picks up 20 GW of solar, storage projects as developers seek strategic acquisitions
4 Bloomberg:
Texas Power Prices Surge With Cold Snap Poised to Test Grid
5 Solar Builder:
Power Forward - Solar installer growth strategies in 2022
6 PV-Tech:
Maxeon takes aim at US C&I solar market with Omnidian deal
7 Energy Storage:
Georgia Power asks for approval to own and operate 1GW of battery storage in IRP
8 PV-Magazine:
US solar module manufacturer nets $5 million investment, 250MW supply deal
Opinions:
9 Axios:
Exclusive - New clean energy ads as part of Build Back Better push
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for February 1st, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Raimondo - Manchin 'gettable' on revised Build Back Better plan
2 Bloomberg:
Environmental Groups Launch Lobbying Blitz to Push Biden Bill
3 Canary Media:
Is there hope of finding middle ground on California’s rooftop solar policy?
4 Energy Storage News:
Mercom - Battery storage firms raised US$17bn corporate funding in 2021
5 Axios:
The nuanced yet far-reaching oil leasing ruling
6 Reuters:
NextEnergy Capital raises record $896 mln for solar infrastructure fund
7 PV-Tech:
Con Edison proposes 2023 rate increase to fund 200MW solar PV project, four battery storage systems
8 PV-Magazine:
Indiana utility’s net metering calculation overturned in court
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
Breakthroughs in generation and system integration are driving the utility of the future, analysts say
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 31st, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Thousands without power after historic blizzard slams New England
2 Reuters:
Shell's renewables boss steps down after less than two years
3 PV-Tech:
Bifacial exemption set to remain under new US Section 201 tariffs, reports suggest
4 Politico:
A Biden ally takes over one of Build Back Better’s main opponents
5 Canary Media:
Chart - Investors showered climatetech startups with a record-smashing $40B in 2021
6 Utility Dive:
FERC proposes internal monitoring requirements for bulk electric facilities to address security 'gap'
7 Energy Storage News:
TransAlta seeks approval for 180MW hydroelectric-charged battery storage system in Canada
8 PV-Magazine:
Big solar headed for big Texas oil operation
Opinions:
9 Los Angeles Times:
Newsletter - As climate crisis worsens, this California city wants to build a gas plant
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 28th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Global spending on energy transition nears $1 trillion
2 Energy Storage News:
Amp Energy’s two 800MWh projects in Scotland aim for ‘Europe’s biggest battery storage’ tag
3 PV-Magazine:
Global Infrastructure Partners invest $500 million in renewable power producer BrightNight LLC
4 Reuters:
Exclusive-White House mulls extension of Trump-era solar tariffs, with tweaks
5 Bloomberg:
BP Reshuffles Senior Roles as It Pushes Ahead With Low-Carbon Plan
6 New York Times:
John Kerry, U.S. Climate Envoy, Tells Top Polluters ‘We Must All Move Faster’
7 Solar Power World:
Arizona Corporation Commission strikes down 100% clean energy proposal
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
Biden admin has $7.5B to spend on EV charging. How can it get it right?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 27th, 2022
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Sen. Smith to push ahead on passage of clean energy tax credits
2 Buffalo News:
Tesla's solar business remains flat as progress on roofs is slow
3 Reuters:
Enel plans to 'copy and paste' Italy solar panel factory in U.S.
4 Axios:
GM's aggressive electric vehicle plans come into focus
5 Reuters:
EU tapped renewables for nearly two-fifths of power in 2020 - Eurostat
6 PV-Tech:
ADT Solar aiming to become ‘biggest residential solar installer in the US’ as it evolves into smart home company
7 Energy Storage News:
Quinbrook subsidiary GlidePath breaks ground on 50MW/50MWh Texas battery project
8 PV-Magazine:
Venture capitalist sees billion-dollar opportunities for solar and storage innovators
Opinions:
9 Florida Politics:
George Riley - Florida’s rooftop solar industry creates jobs. Let’s keep them.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 26th, 2022
Learn how to effectively model, and finance, solar EV charging projects using SCF's free software, the SCF Suite. On January 26th, at 10am PST, Sustainable Capital Finance (SCF) will host the first webinar in its 2022 webinar series, providing an in-depth breakdown of SCF's new EV charging finance solution, how to use the SCF Suite to price projects and integrate EVC finance projects to C&I and non-profit customers. This webinar is recommended for solar developers & installers interested in combined solar+storage+EVC finance offerings. To join this exciting, free webinar, simply Click here
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Sol Systems announces first recipients of Community Impact Agreement with Microsoft
2 PV-Tech:
Solar forecasting errors in the US lower than previously thought, says Berkeley Lab study
3 CNBC:
Biden will host CEOs at the White House to promote his stalled Build Back Better bill
4 AP:
Biden revives ‘clean energy’ program with $1B loan guarantee
5 GreenBiz:
7 EV van and truck companies with big 2022 plans
6 Utility Dive:
MidAmerican files for approval of final 2 GW needed to meet 100% clean energy goal
7 Bloomberg:
California's Plan to Slash Solar Subsidies Seen Cutting Market in Half
8 Energy Storage News:
Approval in Nevada for large-scale solar-plus-storage projects to replace coal
Opinions:
9 Axios:
The electric aviation market is buzzing
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for January 25th, 2022
Learn how to effectively model, and finance, solar EV charging projects using SCF's free software, the SCF Suite. On January 26th, at 10am PST, Sustainable Capital Finance (SCF) will host the first webinar in its 2022 webinar series, providing an in-depth breakdown of SCF's new EV charging finance solution, how to use the SCF Suite to price projects and integrate EVC finance projects to C&I and non-profit customers. This webinar is recommended for solar developers & installers interested in combined solar+storage+EVC finance offerings. To join this exciting, free webinar, simply Click here
News
1 NBC News:
Manchin says he's ready to talk. Can Democrats sell him on a new 'Build Back Better'?
2 Axios:
The push to get banks to consider climate-related risk
3 New York Times:
A Fight Over Rooftop Solar Threatens California’s Climate Goals
4 Grist:
Why doesn’t every big box store have rooftop solar?
5 PV-Tech:
US renewables firms claim US$2bn lost each month amidst Build Back Better deadlock
6 PV-Magazine:
Microgrid and net zero as-a-service providers form partnership
7 Solar Power World:
2022 solar and battery industry predictions
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
Nearly a year after Winter Storm Uri's devastation, where are we on grid resilience?
Have a great day!
Yann
