Thoughts on Solar

Short and sweet: We need you to call Governor Newsom on June 21st!

Here’s the message from our friends at CALSSA:

1. Call between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Do not call earlier or later as you likely will not be able to get through. If for some reason you are unable to leave either a recorded message or a message with a live person and it is between 9 and 5, simply keep calling again until you do! 
   
   
2. The number to call is 916-445-2841. After you dial, a recording will ask you to press 1 to continue in English or 2 for Spanish. After you press the appropriate number, you will then need to press “6″ to speak to a representative.
   
   
3. The phone may ring many times, but eventually you shouldreach a representative for the Governor. When you do, simply deliver your message (sample script below). If no one picks up, you may be instructed to record a message, which is also totally fine.
   
   

   Sample script: “My name is __, I live in ___ and I [own a solar system/work in the solar industry]. I am opposed to a solar tax of any kind, and any other change that makes solar less affordable for working and middle class people. California should make rooftop solar more affordable for everyday people, not less. I expect Governor Newsom to take a clear public stance on this matter and show the leadership that this state deserves. Thank you.” [Feel free to use your own words!] 
   



4. After you are done speaking with someone or recording a message, please go here to let us know what happened. This is very important as we’re keeping tabs on how many phone calls we’ve generated.
   
   
5. Finally, after you have reported back to us on your call, make sure to email your colleagues or share on social media what you’ve done and ask them to do the same! There’s template language you can use below.

Thanks for your help - together we are going to win this thing!

tl;dr - Come Rally with us on June 2, at 10:30 a.m. in Grand Park, DTLA!

As readers of this blog know only too well, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) had proposed - at the urging of the investor-owned utilities (IOUs), that is SCE, PG&E, and SDG&E - a new set of rules for how solar system owners would be compensated for the energy they put back onto the grid.  In a nutshell, that proposal would have pushed the payback period for solar systems to twenty years or more!  In an epic bit of organizing, our trade association - the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) - kicked up a ruckus that was clearly heard in Sacramento, by getting folks to sign petitions, issue public comments, testify to the CPUC for six hours straight, and two very loud, very colorful rallies in San Francisco and here in LA.  (If you missed that, you can read about the LA rally here.)

Thanks to those efforts, the original proposal was pulled back.  But that didn’t win the fight, as the CPUC is still talking about a Solar Tax that would destroy the value of rooftop solar for most Californians.

That’s why it’s time to lace up your protest shoes and attend the…

We need to more than double our impressive turnout from the last two rallies.  That means we need you!  And your kids.  And your friends.  And your kids friends - get the picture?

In case you need more detail - really, this is only about saving rooftop solar in California, so I wouldn’t think too many more details would be required but - let CALSSA’s Executive Director, Bernadette Del Chiaro, give you the Word:

On May 9, the CPUC took an unprecedented step of effectively issuing a new decision in the form of 14 questions. Those questions broke five months of silence, pulled back the curtain, and revealed what the CPUC is still thinking: tax solar and send the value of exports over a cliff. The CPUC has essentially floated a trial balloon to see how much push back they will get for proposing a solar tax (by a different name) and repackaging the solar cliff to make it sound nicer (ACC “plus”). Our job is to push back. Hard. Loud. Once and for all: No solar tax. No solar cliff. Not in California. Not now.

We need thousands of you. RSVP here.

Why June 2? For starters, because silence is acquiesce. Think about it. The State of California just floated a proposal to tax the behind-the-meter use of solar energy, again. Every day that goes by in which people aren’t reacting appropriately (i.e., freaking out), is a day in which the message back to our government is one of acceptance. That is certainly not our reality. If we could have, we would have rallied on May 10!
 
Another reason to rally on June 2 is because the CPUC has literally asked for our reaction to their “new” ideas: tax behind-the-meter solar consumption to the tune of $600 per year for the average customer (NOTE: the tax is not limited to the residential market – commercial market you could be caught up in this tragedy, too) and tie export values for everyone to the Avoided Cost Calculator which they have refused to adjust for the rising costs of natural gas, the crisis in the utility-scale market, and the demands of electrification. The CPUC has asked for our reaction by June 10. June 2 is simply the closest date to June 10 at which the CPUC is holding a meeting. The next meeting of the Commission is June 24 which would be too late.
 
Finally, there is never a good time to leave the office and come down off the roof. Collectively, we build more than 400 solar systems a day in California. That’s a lot of activity. And, with all the disruptions to supply chains along with the increased urgency due to this very campaign (ironically driving more people to solar than if they had promised to make gentle and gradual changes from the get-go), our days are busier and more complicated than ever. I get it. But what’s far more inconvenient and costly than shutting down your office for one day is closing your business or laying off half your staff in 2023 because the CPUC got NEM 3.0 horribly wrong. A stitch in time saves nine. Let’s save our market. RSPV now.
 
Finally, you might also be wondering why we should rally. Aren’t there other ways to make our voices heard? Of course the answer to that is, yes, there are many ways to make our voices heard. We are and should continue to speak out through petitions, letters to the governor, testimony that is being written by Brad now (to be submitted June 10), through media (like this question to Governor Newsom by Politico reporter last week), social media, and so much more. But to really be heard, we need to generate media attention too. We need to get on the nightly news and on the pages of the newspapers. Because when we do that, millions of voters hear our cry and we already know those millions are with us on the issue. 
 
It comes down to you reading this message and deciding to join the fray, the fun, the action. So, please join us in either Los Angeles or San Francisco on June 2. It will be worth your time. It will be fun. You’ll be glad you did it.
 
As always, email me with questions or comments.

p.s. Many people like to theorize about the likelihood of a Democratic governor in a pro-environment state harming the darling of the clean energy economy: solar. Putting aside the lack of understanding of how politics really works up here in Sacramento (hint: follow the money toward the path of least resistance), my ask to you is this: don’t leave this critical decision to political theory. Your active involvement in this campaign – most importantly joining us June 2 – will help make sure we win in reality, not just in theory. Let’s not leave anything this important to chance. Join us. 

This is up to us.  This is our fight.  Get in the game, people!  See you on June 2nd!

While we wait, and wait, and wait some more for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to publish a new Proposed Decision for Net Energy Metering 3.0, the silence from Governor Newsom has been deafening.  And then, out of nowhere, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have done to the Florida solar industry what the CPUC tried to do here.  What am I missing?

The Sunshine State of Florida has a comparatively tiny solar market next to that of California - California has more than 1,400,000 rooftop solar installs compared to Florida’s 118,000, and the industry employs over 68,000 people in California versus only 11,000 in Florida, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) as of Q42021.  So you would think that California’s Governor - who is up for re-election this year - would get off the sidelines and into the game.  Yet all he has said publicly when asked about the original, disastrous, Proposed Decision, “We still have some work to do."  Yah think?

Meanwhile, far to Newsom’s right, DeSantis just vetoed a bill in Florida that would have gutted the rooftop solar industry there.  Amazing.

So what doesn’t Newsom get?  After all, every one of the Commissioners at the CPUC were appointed by Newsome.  Public comments from him would go a long way toward moving the CPUC to do the right thing.  And in an election year, his silence is frankly bad politics.  Rooftop solar consistently polls very well, particularly when compared to say, PG&E or SCE!

The California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) - which has been leading the fight against the CPUC’s efforts to kill the rooftop solar industry - put out a comment from Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro on the veto from DeSantis, linking it to the NEM 3.0 controversy:

Governor DeSantis did not fall for the utilities’ playbook of protecting their profits and monopolies by eliminating competition from rooftop solar. Governor Newsom’s administration should not fall for it either. When it comes to keeping solar affordable, growing, and contributing to our clean energy future, California should be not only keeping pace with Florida, but leading the world.

As usual, Bernadette is spot on.

Our response has got to be to keep the pressure on Newsom to do the right thing.  One way to do that is to call his office and tell him that!

It’s super easy - just mash that button below. Do it now! Tell your friends to do it. Let’s make so much noise that Newsom will finally get it!

Watch this space…

In light of the unanticipated departure from the solar market of our prior module manufacturer, we needed to go do some research and identify a new module to recommend to our clients.  After a month of research, and some time getting certified, we are now ready to rollout our new go-to product: REC Alpha Pure modules!  Here’s why…

Run on Sun’s module of choice: the REC Alpha Pure

First of all, this black-on-black module will look great on our clients’s homes and businesses!

That is a 400 Watt module, slightly taller than our prior 380 Watt modules, but an inch narrower. Frankly, the added power/efficiency and the sharp esthetics were definitely points in REC’s favor.

We also were attracted to their avoidance of lead-based solder in their modules, meaning that when the time comes for them to be retired - decades from now! - they are less toxic than other modules on the market.

Wow that Warranty!

But what really wowed us the most was their warranty, covering Performance, Product and Labor.  Let’s take those one at a time.

• Performance - of course, every solar module comes with some sort of performance warranty.  After so many years, the product will produce some percentage of its nameplate value.  For some panels, that prediction is 85-90% of nameplate after 25 years.  On our prior product, it was 90.8%.
  REC beats them all with a whopping 92% performance after 25 years!
• Product -  REC offers a 20 year product warranty that gets extended to 25 years when you choose a Certified REC Installer (more on that in a minute).  Clearly, REC believes in the quality of their product, particularly when supported by Installers who know what they are doing!
• Labor - REC offers a labor warranty (again, when you choose a Certified REC Installer) that pays the installer to make the swap if ever needed - something most manufacturers do not offer at all!

Taken together, that is one of the best warranties in the industry!

Performance

Warranties are great, but hopefully you will never need to rely on one.  Rather, you want a product that outperforms the competition, day in and day out!  After all, that is what drives your return on investment, and in the performance space REC really shines.

One real world measure of performance is the PTC to STC ratio.  All solar modules have a nameplate rating: a module might be nameplate rated at 380 Watts (our prior module) or 400 Watts - the REC Alpha Pure.  That rating is measured under Standard Test Conditions - or STC - which are conditions seen only in a lab and certainly not on a roof.  So years ago, the CEC came up with something called the “PV Test Conditions” - PTC for short - that are meant to better capture what is happening on your rooftop, particularly at the higher temperatures found in the real world.  Taking the ratio of PTC rating to STC (or nameplate) rating gives you an idea of how well the module will actually perform.

On our old 380 Watt modules, the PTC rating was 352.1 Watts for a ratio of 92.6% - certainly a respectable number.  But REC has it beat handily!  The PTC rating for the 400 Watt Alpha Pure module is 381 Watts, producing a ratio of 95.25% - a 2.6% advantage for REC!  That translates into better performance at temperature, all day, everyday.  And that means greater savings for you!

Of course, REC is happy to highlight all of the great features in this truly innovative product, so take it away:

Certified Better

We mentioned that the REC Product warranty extends from 20 to 25 years, and the Labor warranty comes into play if you go with an REC Certified Installer.  Readers of this blog will not be surprised to discover that given how much we love certifications - think NABCEP for 12 years, and Enphase for Ensemble and IQ8 - we immediately signed up to get ourselves certified.

By gaining certification, we open up to our clients REC’s extended warranties - providing you with additional value at no cost to you.  In addition, you have the assurance that we have taken the time to learn about this wonderful product and how to install it in such a manner that you will enjoy many years of uninterrupted performance.  You can check out our certification here!

Managing the Solar Coaster…

So the Solar Coaster continues with its ups and downs, but we feel like we have arrived in a great place with REC, and look forward to providing their wonderful products to our clients for many years to come.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know in the comments!

On February 23^rd the news broke that LG Electronics was abandoning the solar module business worldwide.  This announcement came without warning, and reverberated throughout the industry like the bolt from the blue that it was.  Here’s our take…

Long time readers of this blog are well aware of our long-standing relationship with LG.  We first installed LG modules all the way back in 2011 and have been installing them exclusively ever since.  Our biggest projects all feature LG modules.  We installed the first LG Neon modules anywhere in the world!

Over the years, we met many of the LG folks - both from here in the States as well as from South Korea.  We learned that they read this blog, and appreciated our enthusiastic support for their product.  After all, we believe that part of our job is to simplify the process of going solar for our clients.  That means identifying the best-in-class products - both technically as well as value for the buck - and bring those to our clients.  For a decade we felt confident representing LG in just that fashion.  After all, we would say, LG is huge, they aren’t going anywhere!

Until they did.

Without warning.

Leaving it to their installer base to have the awkward conversations while they simply went away.

That is no way to reward loyalty.  How LG behaved, in a word, is disgraceful.

What could they have done?  They could have put the industry on notice that if things did not improve via whatever metrics mattered, they would need to quit.  That would have sent shockwaves to be sure, but it also would have given the industry the option of rallying to LG - which some surely would have done - or make an informed decision to go in another direction.  After a decade of promotion, that was the least they should have done.

But in the end, they chose to do far less.

Disgraceful.

Life on the Solar Coaster Continues

It’s not for nothing that this industry is referred to by many as the Solar Coaster, with more ups and downs than anything one can find at Magic Mountain.  It seems that the only thing I have been writing about lately are the efforts on the policy front to shut down rooftop solar - and now this!

The only good news is that LG has said that they will continue to honor their warranty.  Hopefully they will live up to that promise.

Meanwhile… we have been doing our homework over the past month plus and have identified our new solar module partner going forward.  But that is a story for another day.

Today is a day to look back on a decade of loyalty that ended in betrayal.

DISGRACEFUL!