seriously? Archives - SolarWakeup.comSolarWakeup.com

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened: So Reuters reported this morning that solar companies are setting large piles of cash on fire in their parking lots…oh, I’m sorry, I misspoke. They’re actually funding Republicans. Wait, maybe I was right in the first place.

OK, I’m not a political naif. I know you have to give money to both sides to get things done, especially when the party that doesn’t support you is in power.

But seriously, solar industry? How many times do you have to get sand kicked in your face before you realize that being nice to the anti-solar side isn’t going to get you anywhere?

SolarWakeup’s View: It has long been a pet peeve of mine that the solar industry seems hellbent on playing nice with politicians who, given the opportunity, would completely destroy the solar industry on a heartbeat’s notice.

After all, it’s not state legislatures led by Democrats that are trying to gut net metering and other pro-solar policies around the country. And while it’s true solar is a popular issue among the voters, anyone who thinks voters get to weigh in on what these politicians are voting on doesn’t understand democracy (small “d”) in the United States in 2018.

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Which is why Reuters’ report that the solar industry has decided to provide more money to Republicans than Democrats this cycle just makes my head want to explode. Here are the details:

Overall, political action committees representing solar and wind companies have donated nearly $400,000 to candidates and PACs in the 2018 election cycle, including $247,000 to Republicans, $139,300 to Democrats, and $7,500 to independents, according to the Reuters analysis.

That marks a record. During the 2016 presidential elections, the first cycle during which the clean energy industry gave more to the GOP than to Democrats, Republicans received just over half of the combined $695,470 in political contributions from major wind and solar PACs.

To which I scream (startling the dog in the process): “WHY?”

Look, I’m no political naif. I’ve been steeped in politics since the age of 6, when I supposedly wanted to vote for my “Uncle Carty” for president (my Uncle Carty – a nickname – was not running for president, but a former peanut farmer named Jimmy CARTER was). I’ve been heavily involved in politics ever since, up to and including local politics. I’ve watched the sausage get made, and I do not have a weak stomach.

But in politics as in business, I’m all about return on investment, and outside of an ITC extension in 2015 (and we can debate how much of that was the result of fawning over Republicans at some other date), what has this “investment” gotten us? Wouldn’t it make far more sense to invest in politicians who might actually SUPPORT our priorities instead of merely NOT ACTIVELY OPPOSING them?

For reals – it’s time for us to get our priorities in order and support those who support us wholeheartedly without reservation. Otherwise, you’re just throwing good money after bad.

More:

Clean energy sector swings Republican with U.S. campaign donations

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 proving that it can.

SolarWakeup’s View: One of our longest running current national embarrassments is continuing in Puerto Rico, where many of our fellow American citizens (I need to emphasize that every time I write about because, well, so many Americans don’t seem to understand or care about that) are still without power.

But as the mainland powers that be dither and deflect about whether they should still be involved, environmental nonprofit and community center Casa Pueblo could light the way – literally – to the type of future the island could have if it changed its power system completely over to solar + storage.

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Here’s another amazing fact I hadn’t heard about before Massol mentioned it in the Yale Climate Connections story: According to him, there’s a study conducted at the University of Puerto Rico established that 65 percent of all the roof areas in the islands was enough to produce 100 percent of the island’s energy demand.

To its great credit, the solar industry (most notably companies like SunPower, Sunnova, sonnen and others) have leapt into action to bring more solar to the island.

But I did want to take a moment to highlight Project Power Puerto Rico, launched by Scott Sullivan and other industry veterans to follow Casa Pueblo’s example and light the way to Puerto Rico’s solar future. Throw them a few bucks if you can.

There’s a real-life electricity crisis going on in Puerto Rico nearly seven months after the hurricane hit – but thanks to Casa Pueblo, there is a potential light at the end of the tunnel – if only we can find the will.

More:

Puerto Rico’s solar-powered energy oasis

Project Power Puerto Rico

Sunnova

SunPower

sonnen

Bonus:

Puerto Rico should be all our hearts’ devotion.