Solar Photovoltaic

by Paula Mints The solar industry has a supply chain problem – no, not just the current polysilicon and glass constraints. Solar wafer, ingot, cell, and module manufacturing are concentrated in China and South East Asia, leaving buyers outside these areas vulnerable to supply chain shocks. Countries in this region have lower labor costs, lower energy costs, and higher incentives and subsidies for manufacturers. In China, manufacturing is supported (and controlled) by the central government. Manufacturers in China, who have expanded into South East Asia, can make do with lower margins than their counterparts in other countries. Manufacturers in South East Asia and China...

by Paula Mints In August, CdTe manufacturer First Solar (FSLR) sold its North America O&M business to NovaSource Power. According to First Solar CEO Mark Widmar, the decision was due to contracting O&M margins and customer demands for more services. The company is also exploring jettisoning its EPC business. First Solar plans to focus on its module manufacturing business. Comment: Apparently, First Solar finally realized that O&M is low margin and that the EPC business may also not have much margin cushion. Now the company can concentrate on another low margin sector of the solar manufacturing chain, manufacturing. First Solar has occasionally...

by Paula Mints In July, Unprofitable residential solar lease company Sunrun (RUN) announced that it would acquire its unprofitable competitor, Vivint Solar (VSLR). Each share of Vivint stock will be exchanged for .55 shares of Sunrun’s common stock. Sunrun indicated that there were great synergies between the two companies. Comment: Remember when Tesla (TSLA) adopted Solar City, a company founded by Elon Musk’s cousin? Sorry – remember when Tesla acquired money-losing Solar City and claimed strong growth and profits would follow? Great synergies. A wonderful future. Rainbows, kittens, and a profitable solar future for all. The residential solar lease and residential PPA offers...

By Ishaan Goel WHY COMMUNITY SOLAR? A home solar system is a great investment, with financial returns far in excess of any financial investment that has comparable risk. It’s also a tangible step a homeowner can take to help the environment.   Unfortunately, most New Yorkers (and Americans in general) can’t install home solar.  They may be renters, or have roofs that are too old or shaded.  Or they may not be able to afford the up-front cost, or not have enough income to take advantage of the tax credits. That is why New York’s electricity regulator, the Public Service Commission, created community solar:...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. This list last updated on 9/9/2020. VENDOR NAME PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL DETAILS SPECIAL OFFERS Abundant Solar Power 10% discount subscription model Contract to be signed Astral Power 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) No cancellation fee. Bill needed in customer’s name $100 check and $100 donation to Feedmore WNY BlueWave Solar 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) Links to own development as well as any external ones. Available services in your area found through ZIP code search. Citizens Energy 20% discount subscription model (Nonprofit) free cancellation; no fees; no credit...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. VENDOR NAME PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL DETAILS SPECIAL OFFERS Abundant Solar Power 10% discount subscription model Contract to be signed Amp Energy Mostly 10% subscription model 12-month contract with auto-renew option, termination fees waived with proper notice Astral Power 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) No cancellation fee. Bill needed in customer’s name $100 check and $100 donation to Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY Ampion 10% discount subscription model Free cancellation at any time, excess credit is banked BlueWave Solar 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) Links to own development as...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS SPECIAL OFFERS HarvestPower Solar Subscription model with a discount from utility rate Estimated 15-30% savings with no out-of-pocket expenses SUNation Short-term and long-term contracts to pay a fixed rate below the utility rate Estimate 15% savings  

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. VENDOR NAME PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL DETAILS SPECIAL OFFERS Ampion 10% discount subscription model Free cancellation with 90-day notice, excess credit is banked. Opt-in options through municipalities available.  $50 donation to local sustainability fund Astral Power 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) No cancellation fee. Bill needed in customer’s name $100 donation to Food Bank of the Hudson Valley Community Power Partners 10% discount subscription model no cancellation fee with 90 days notice, no credit checks and no payment information required Nexamp Inc. 10% discount subscription model No cancellation fees and long-term...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. VENDOR NAME PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL DETAILS SPECIAL OFFERS Ampion 10% discount subscription model Free cancellation at any time, excess credit is banked BlueWave Solar 10% discount subscription model (Broker for solar farms) Links to own development as well as any external ones. Available services in your area found through ZIP code search. Sunset Solar Park 20% discount subscription model YSG Solar 10% discount subscription model Credits offered can be increased or decreased to suit usage UGE International 10% discount subscription model 2-year contract, No cancellation restrictions OnForce Solar 10% discount subscription model Extra credits carried on;...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. Updated 9/9/2020. VENDOR LINK PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS SPECIAL OFFERS Ampion 10% discount subscription model Free cancellation at any time, excess credit is banked Astral Power 10% discount subscription model No cancellation fee. Bill needed in customer’s name $100 check and $100 donation to  Foodlink Community Power Partners 10% discount subscription model no cancellation fee with 90 days notice, no credit checks and no payment information required Renovus Solar Purchase Model with small annual maintenance fee. Discount subscription models also offered. Panel custom-built to suit need, credits forwarded to electricity bill Use code "AltEnergyStocks"...

See the Buyer's Guide to New York Community Solar for details on how New York community solar works and lists for other utility territories. Updated 9/8/2020 VENDOR NAME PRICING STRUCTURE ADDITIONAL DETAILS SPECIAL OFFERS IPP Solar Integration LLC 10% discount subscription model - Clearway Community Solar 10% discount subscription model Cancellation free if replacement found or with 90 day notice, otherwise $200 termination fee Community Power Partners 10% discount subscription model no cancellation fee with 90 days notice, no credit checks and no payment information required Nexamp Inc. 10% discount subscription model No cancellation fees and long-term contracts Oya Solar Inc. 10% discount subscription model Contract for specified period needs to be signed Astral Power 10% discount subscription model  No cancellation fee....

by Daryl Roberts A potentially paradigm-shifting technology has been under development at an R&D firm in NJ called Brilliant Light Power.   For people monitoring the situation, the question currently is about the status of commercialization.   It is not a publicly held firm, but is in mid-stages of private equity capitalization in the range of $100-120M. I recently read a book  titled "Randall Mills and the Search for Hydrino Energy", offering a detailed and compelling history of the development of this novel renewable energy technology, authored by an insider, an intern who stayed on to work there for several years (published in...

by Paula Mints Walmart takes on Tesla Solar for Poor Quality Installations and Components Early in August, after several quarters of slowing sales, Tesla (TSLA) announced a restart of its residential solar lease, referring to it as solar system rentals. Around the same timeframe, Tesla stated that it had no timeline for the availability of its solar tiles. On August 20, Walmart (WMT) filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Tesla/SolarCity in the commercial division of the New York State Supreme court claiming “years of gross neglect” leading to several fires at its facilities. According to court documents, one fire took place after...

Community Solar in New York has a messaging problem. It is confusing, and even some industry professionals have given up in disgust because of aggressive marketing and a lack of clarity. Fortunately, aggressive marketing is not universal among community solar developers. Unfortunately, the lack of clarity is almost universal. How Community Solar Works in New York The system the New York utility regulator set up for community distributed generation (CDG, a term which includes community hydropower and community wind as well as community solar) is counter intuitive for most potential customers. As shown in the diagram above, the electric utility pays for a project's...

The Envision Solar (EVSI) was reviewed in depth in a previous article last September in the context of its avoidance of high demand charges for electric vehicle DC fast chargers. Envision Solar has completed its Nasdaq listing as reported in the news release on the Nasdaq site & Accesswire.   The company issued 2,000,000 shares and expects to receive gross proceeds of $12.0 million before deducting offering expenses. Prior to the new listing, average pricing for the stock on the OTC market was disclosed to be $.23/share. Applying the 1:50 reverse split, the post-split equivalent stock value would have been $11.50. However,...

By Joe McCabe, P.E. The insurance industry has lots of exposure to climate change. But as Warren Buffet has explained, not so much for companies that do annual policy adjustments, like Berkshire Hathaway. Their exposure is limited because the trends are baked into the premiums. But there is an opportunity for reducing insurance risk due to climate change, and it comes from the insurance industry itself. The business model is to have car insurance salespeople provide leads to virtual electric car charging services. This has perfect demographics because electric vehicle owners are very receptive to solar electricity. Who wouldn't want...