Clean Energy Finance Forum

Ever since Ronald Reagan tossed Jimmy Carter’s White House solar panels in the trash, Americans have disagreed about this polarizing energy-generating infrastructure. And as the renewable energy market expands, so do opportunities for “solar NIMBYism.”

Solar and onshore wind remain cost competitive with the marginal cost of existing conventional generation technologies, according to the new analysis. Costs for utility-scale solar have been falling about 13% annually for the last five years while onshore wind costs have declined a more modest 7% annually.

Though Vivint sales representatives knock on “millions of doors a year,” CEO David Bywater said on the company’s Q3 earnings call that recent power outages have pushed many potential customers to reconsider renewables and storage.

The U.S. company’s transformation from solar manufacturer to the second-largest residential PV company in the nation is complete after it spun off its high-efficiency cell and module production unit into a new entity, in partnership with Chinese wafer maker TZS.

Upgrading its projections for the clean power sector yet again, the influential agency suggested that by 2024 developers will have added enough new renewables capacity to the global grid to match demand from the entire U.S. economy.

"With each passing day it seems like another large company, like Amazon or Target, announces new solar procurements or bold renewable energy commitments. These companies make the headlines, but the untold success story of solar power in America can be found in small businesses across the country that are making those deals happen."

Contract lengths are getting shorter and hedges are replacing PPAs in the Texas solar market. Are we headed toward a future of merchant solar?

Solar’s embrace of subsidy-free models could push it in greater numbers towards owners with the experience to navigate power price swings, according to Wood Mackenzie. In a recent report, the consultancy said some of the world’s developed solar markets could witness an asset management shift as merchant business models become more prevalent.

The rising solar appetites of global investors so far in 2019 have put the industry on course to reach full-year financing volumes unseen since 2017, according to Mercom. The consultancy released stats showing solar's fundraising activity in Q3 2019 helped push financing totals between January and September this year to $9 billion.

Rooftop solar panels and home battery systems could play a significant role in balancing the nation’s electric grid, but federal regulators need to adopt policies to help make that happen, according to a clean energy group’s recent report.