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Walmart, SunPower Sign Landmark Deal In Illinois

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As the Illinois market continues to unfurl, corporations in the state are starting to look for solar options to power their businesses. Now, one of the country’s largest retailers has partnered with a U.S.-based solar provider to add solar to the roofs and the ground surrounding its facilities in the state.

SunPower and Walmart announced an agreement with to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois.

As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019.

This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50 percent renewable energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the amount of anticipated annual carbon offset by this initiative will be equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 24,000 acres of U.S. forest in one year – the size of Elgin, Ill.

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“Solar is a vital component of Walmart’s expanding renewable energy portfolio,” said Mark Vanderhelm, vice president of energy for Walmart Inc. “Walmart plans to tirelessly pursue renewable energy projects that are right for our customers, our business and the environment. These planned projects with SunPower are moving us in the right direction toward our renewable energy goals.”

Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Walmart will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

“We commend Walmart for its leadership in driving corporate renewable energy adoption in the United States and for partnering with SunPower to deliver high-efficiency, high-quality solar to so many of its stores and facilities,” said Nam Nguyen, SunPower Executive Vice President, Commercial Americas. “As the top U.S. commercial solar provider and with over 30 years of experience, SunPower is well positioned to help Walmart increase its renewable energy investments in a cost-effective manner.”

In Illinois, smart state policy and rising utility rates make solar a smart investment for commercial customers. These installations will represent a 25 percent increase in Illinois’ current solar capacity and will generate enough electricity to power nearly 30,000 homes.

“Illinois Solar Energy Association is committed to advancing solar locally, enabling companies like Walmart – with stores and employees across our great state – to realize the economic and environmental value of renewable energy,” said Lesley McCain, Executive Director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. “These projects will create hundreds of jobs for Illinois’ growing solar workforce while reducing pollution across the state.”

CleanFund Partners With SunPower On SolarPACE Commercial Financing Program

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondentthey

CleanFund, a national property assessed clean energy (PACE) purveyor, announced they will be partnering with SunPower to extend the reach of its commercial SolarPACE programs.

Commercial companies looking to finance solar improvements or other clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades without any upfront costs can now access CleanFund’s tools through SunPower’s network of solar installers.

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The announcement heralds at least three significant developments within the solar industry:

1) It broadens the reach of commercial PACE programs, an increasingly attractive option for companies that want to add solar to their businesses but balk at the sometimes significant upfront outlay of cash;

2) It means commercial financing in general is becoming easier, which is important because the commercial segment itself has lagged behind other industry segments in financing options; and

3) It shows SunPower is looking to move beyond its upscale residential market and move more strongly into the commercial segment of the industry.

In states where PACE programs exist, they are popular. Under commercial PACE programs, businesses can finance upgrades like solar installations with no money down and pay back the investment through their property taxes. In a segment where financing is hard to come by, PACE gives business owners an easy way to do what many of them want to do anyway. Communities like it because it’s a way for them to collect more property taxes to fund schools and other municipal priorities.

What may be most interesting in the announcement, however, was the SunPower connection. Traditionally, SunPower has focused on upscale residential installations. With the purchase of SolarWorld earlier this year, they already indicated they may be considering a move into less upscale residential solar. The deal with CleanFund indicates they are also looking to move into the commercial segment in a more significant way.

CleanFund also has an arrangement with Jinko Solar.

Looks Like Suniva’s Finally Up For Sale (No, Really, We Mean It This Time)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

It appears Suniva may finally be ready to undergo the sale we’ve all been anticipating for more than a year.

SQN Capital Management, the company’s largest creditor and the one who once tried to get a $55 million payment from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to make the trade case go away last May, announced that the bankruptcy court has finally awarded it full title to “the cutting edge technology, licenses, and manufacturing capacity” of the company. Which, most solar observers assume, means all that will soon be up for sale.

It’s the only logical outcome for Suniva, which last April filed the trade complaint that would shake the industry to its core and end in January with President Donald J. Trump imposing 30% tariffs on all imported solar modules. It is, of course, a bittersweet outcome and one that stands in stark contrast to what happened to its co-complainant, SolarWorld. I

In its own Cinderella story, SolarWorld was recently purchased by SunPower, who has pledged to keep the Oregon factory open, keep the workers employed and perhaps even hire more. The executives are walking away with golden parachutes and a huge payout. It’s a win-win all around.

Not so with Suniva. There’s been no announced plan to reopen any plants or restart manufacturing in either Atlanta or Saginaw, Michigan. Hundreds of people lost their jobs when Suniva shut down virtually overnight last year, and there hasn’t been any plan that indicates they’ll get their jobs back.

As we’ve talked about before, the Suniva part of this power play has always been about getting SQN its money back come hell or high water. It appears the bankruptcy court has just given SQN what it needed to make that happen for themselves. SQN has been hinting for months that it had a couple of interested parties in what’s left of Suniva if only it could get its hands on all the property from the court. Now they have it.

Let the bidding begin.

Will We All End Up Working For SunPower?: Module Company Launches Battery Partnership With sonnen

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

SunPower is proving that you can be everything to everybody without trying to be the expert in everything yourself – a business model that could bode well for the company’s future as the U.S. solar industry continues to grow.

First, it purchased mid-tier module maker SolarWorld and announced plans to take over its Oregon manufacturing facility to broaden the scope of its module products. Tuesday, it announced it was selling its microinverter line to industry powerhouse Enphase and converting its AC module line to Enphase inverters instead of continuing to manufacture the products themselves. Which brings us to yesterday and the partnership with energy storage giant sonnen.

“SunPower is the solar industry’s gold standard for superior solar products and services which fits perfectly with sonnen’s leadership in developing intelligent and high performing residential energy storage systems,” said Blake Richetta, Senior Vice President and head of sonnen’s U.S. division, in a press release. “This new program is an ideal marriage between two innovative companies who possess a similar vision to provide premium technology that leads us to a clean and reliable energy future. We are eager to integrate our products and systems with Equinox and offer a premier and comprehensive solution for the growing solar + storage marketplace.”

As with the Enphase partnership, the new sonnen program centers around pairing the company’s energy storage offering with SunPower’s Equinox home solar energy systems. And, much like the deal with Enphase, it’s a partnership that benefits both parties.

SunPower dealers can now offer their customers a full system, from modules to inverters to storage, with no fuss and no muss. sonnen gets U.S. exposure and a built-in distribution system through SunPower’s integrated solar installers’ list.

Quietly, without much fanfare and almost in the background, SunPower is assembling a team that could position it to be the country’s leading solar company before long.

Somewhere, SunPower CEO Tom Werner is smiling.