Tag Archives: Daily Rundown

This is your SolarWakeup for October 2nd, 2023

Win The Win And +. Not everyone is aware that SEIA is heading into board of directors elections and unfortunately, the current chair, George Hershman, is termed out. After 4 years at the helm alongside Abby Hopper, George helped guide the association through unique times to say the least. Having spent the last year and a half serving as the chair of the energy storage division, I can see how the prioritization of the association has put us in a position to lead on many issues as the issues never really stop. From Covid times to the IRA passage, SEIA has been in the middle of the discussion in and around DC.

Hardware Needs Good Software. Yesterday’s announcement from Apple hits close to my daily business life. The iPhone 15 was getting hot, the kinds that makes it physically unable to be touched. The reason for the iPhone malfunction wasn’t the processor or battery but the software that enables the hardware to do what it was supposed to do. Unlike solar panels, that are activated by sunlight, the entirety of a battery storage system is enabled by the software that runs it. Whether it works, and how well it works, is determined by the operating system specified by the asset owner. So just like Apple, don’t overlook this step in your next storage project.

Managing Installer Cash Flow. Interest rates are the highest in 22 years, increasing solar financing costs and softening consumer demand for loan products. Businesses are feeling the pain of strained cash flows, labor costs and profitability pressures. Palmetto, a B2B technology company accelerating the adoption of clean energy, has announced a new partnership offering for solar installers to help stabilize cash flows and grow faster in today’s market. Built on top of Palmetto’s Clean Energy Operating Platform, this is a comprehensive suite of tools and services enabling installers to streamline operations, optimize performance, and increase profitability. Visit https://www.palmetto.com/partners or contact capital@palmetto.com for more.

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 29th, 2023

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 28th, 2023

My World’s Collide. Some ten years ago a friend of mine took me to a boat auction, where dealers were buying repossessed boats and I was hooked. Living in South Florida, it’s hard to separate water from everyday life so I made a small investment that built one of the largest boat dealers in Fort Lauderdale. As a side effect, I tend to go to the boat show every year and while most of it is about the newest (read bigger) model that the same manufacturers put out, there’s always some new thing including some boats that had an electric/solar component. Mostly those were gondolas, or a solar powered dinghy with a 5hp trolling motor. But reading this article about an electric wakeboarding boat makes me long for the quieter lake days, wakesurfing until the sun goes down. We’re not going to electrify the marine industry but this thing could actually work and I love to see it. My electrification/battery/boat worlds colliding in 2023, that’s pretty damn cool. P.S. don’t worry about charging infrastructure for boats, shore power has been a thing for a very long time.

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 27th, 2023

Opinion

Best, Yann