5 Things Worth Reading This Week (4/1/22)

Solar Builder zooms in on deck attachments for resi rooftop solar installs. They discuss common issues (locating rafters, leak prevention, etc.) and chat with pioneering company Roof Tech on such topics as point load, testing, placement of sheathing and growing interest in rail-less attachment. They also give you the rundown on top manufacturers with a link to their Buyers Guide.

FERC’s new commissioner Willie Phillips focused on the reliability and resilience benefits of interregional transmission projects at a recent American Council on Renewable Energy’s Policy Forum. He talked about the need for alterations in energy project queue management by grid operators when it comes to allowing them to connect the the grid. He advocated for switching to a first-ready, first-served from a first-come, first-served approach.

Want to know all about financing energy storage? Britta von Oesen, Managing Director of CohnReznick Capital, talks with Nico Johnson of the Suncast podcast all about just that. Topics include key elements of energy storage financing, what developers need to consider when getting a deal financed with storage, how investment banks think about projects and new off-take models (like the CCA Model), and whether or not it works for developers to bypass investment banks and work directly with pensions.

Kerim Baran of SolarAcademy discusses another gamechanging startup in the solar space with HeatSpring‘s Brian Hayden. Kerim talks about ChargeNet Stations, a company setting up a super solar charging network (DC to DC) for electric vehicles that is designed to compete with Tesla. The video is below.

In this conversation, Kerim Baran of SolarAcademy talks to Matt Brennan, VP of Sales at CollectiveSun. CollectiveSun is a leader in solar financing for nonprofits in the US. Their customers include churches, synagogues, mosques, as well as many other types of nonprofits like medical centers and schools.

CollectiveSun’s core offering provides a 12-16% tax credit discount to nonprofits that otherwise would be left on the table. On top of this, CollectiveSun is also offering other types of services to finance the remaining 84-88% of the solar system cost.

Their offerings include values aligned low-interest-rate solar loans to nonprofits as well as 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) where CollectiveSun owns and operates the systems on behalf of the nonprofits. The 4 minute video mentioned in this conversation regarding the Solar Power Agreement is here. The video is below.