Below are the key takeaways from the week in solar, grid edge, energy storage, and other energy news.
Solar News
Swanson's Law
The economic theorem that says the price of PV modules will drop by 20 percent for every doubling of cumulative capacity shipped. The law is named after SunPower founder, Dick Swanson. This week, Stephen Lacey sits down with Swanson in a special episode of the Energy Gang. (story)
115,000 Signatures
The number of petition signatories in Nevada who supported a ballot referendum on the restoration of favorable rates to rooftop solar customers in the state. Last week, the Nevada Supreme Court blocked the referendum from appearing on voter ballots. (story)
$21 Million
The investment from John Hancock Life Insurance Company in CleanCapital's solar portfolio focused on MUSH and C&I projects. (story)
25% Cost Envelope
The new benchmark that provides a ceiling on the binding cost estimate for project interconnection in California. Tam Hunt looks at how recent changes to interconnection rules in California are offering more cost certainty to the industry. (story)
8,030 Megawatts
The amount of California grid-tied solar capacity recorded by CAISO on July 12, 2016, a new record. As Bentham Paulos points out, while that record is impressive, CAISO's number still does not account for all of the solar installed throughout the state. (story)
1 CEO's Salary
The average amount of money it would take to retrain a coal company's employees to work in the solar industry, according to a new report. (story)
1,200 Jobs
The number of jobs that SunPower will trim at its module assembly factory in the Philippines. The announcement came this week on the company's earnings call, where SunPower leadership also lowered guidance for 2016. (story)
$489 Million
The 2016 fiscal year revenue of solar module electronics manufacturer SolarEdge. Eric Wesoff breaks down the company's latest earnings call. (story)
116% Growth
Vivint Solar's year-over-year revenue growth. Vivint presented solid Q2 earnings this week, having rebounded from SunEdison's ill-fated acquisition attempt in 2015. (story)
Grid Edge News
$985 per Kilowatt-hour per Year
The clearing price for assets that can shed electrical load in Queens and Brooklyn as part of Con Edison's Brooklyn Queens Demand Management project. (story)
<$1,000 per Unit
The anticipated cost of Intel's upcoming Building Management Platform. Intel is banking on the platform's ease of setup to produce a 5x to 10x cost advantage over competing building management systems currently in the market. (story)
$894 Million
The estimated savings for California ratepayers from the planned grid merger between CAISO and PacifiCorp. This week, California governor Jerry Brown asked the two parties to delay their merger plans until 2017. (story)
Energy Storage News
14,402 Cars
The number of cars Tesla shipped in Q2 2016. This week, Eric Wesoff parses Elon Musk's latest letter to investors and uncovers what it is that is blowing Musk's mind these days. (story)
62,000 Cars
Target car sales this year for Chinese EV manufacturer BYD. This week, Matthew Klippenstein argues that Tesla and Elon Musk are playing catch-up to BYD, which has already commercialized the business model at the center of Musk's master plan. (story)
$4 Million
The amount that Arizona's largest utility APS will spend on a new residential energy storage program aimed at reducing peak load. (story)
1 Million Federal Employees
The number of employees at the U.S. government's General Services Administration. The administration is acting as part of a larger White House initiative to evaluate energy storage at its 10,000 buildings nationwide. (story)
$350 Million
The amount now available in Stem's project financing fund. This week, Stem raised an additional $100 million for the fund from Starwood Energy Group. (story)
Other Energy
5 Towers
The number of wind towers that are part of the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm. The project is slated for completion in September of this year and will be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. (story)
