We kick off this week with news on Sungevity's bankruptcy and California's duck curve.
Don't write checks your residential solar business model can't cash
More details are emerging about Sungevity's messy bankruptcy. Eric Wesoff looks at the ramifications this week for the company's debtors, as well as for its former employees, many of whom received final paychecks that bounced. (story)
An ex-Sungevity employee sent GTM's Eric Wesoff a redacted copy of their bounced paycheck.
Sungevity is, of course, not alone in the struggle to find a sustainable residential business model. The Energy Gang invited GTM Research Senior Analyst Nicole Litvak to the podcast to discuss customer acquisition in the U.S. residential market. Think more Avon and Tupperware, less Uber and Airbnb. (story)
California's renewables foie gras
The duck is stuffed in California. Above-average hydro resources and the ongoing build-out of solar and wind are forcing the state's grid operator CAISO to curtail renewables. Bentham Paulos dives in to give us a detailed outlook on renewables curtailment and the effects of its pricing signals on the state's power supply market. There are interactive charts too. (story)
If you want to get smart on the duck curve and what it means for participants on California's grid, GTM has recommended reading for you here.
GTM Statcast
For your consideration: the best energy stats from the week of April 3, 2017.
21 U.S. States
The number of U.S. states with at least 20 megawatts of energy storage in the pipeline, according to GTM Research. Our intrepid energy storage reporter, Julian Spector, ranks states this week by existing and proposed capacity. (story)
£2.4 Billion
The value of solar projects that Lightsource Renewable Energy has closed in the U.K. The company launched a North America arm this week to scout for greenfield and partnership opportunities for solar-plus-storage in the U.S. (story)
$50 Million
The investment that Facebook and Microsoft have partnered to make in a "first-of-its-kind" finance facility to catalyze investments in renewable energy microgrids in underserved communities around the globe. (story)
$1,938
The monthly utility bill of one of the 230 public fast-charging EV stations that Rocky Mountain Institute examined for a new report on the economics of charging stations in the U.S. Demand charges represented $1,362 of that station's bill. The report found that these charges are a major barrier to profitability in the market. (story)
34,000'
The cruising altitude for flights from New York to Seattle. In the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, electric airplane startup Zunum unstealthed this week. We look at the company's prospects. (story)
11% Reduction in Fossil Fuel Consumption
The gains that European countries have collectively made in reducing fossil fuel consumption since 2005, roughly equivalent to the consumption in all of Italy, according to a new report from The European Environment Agency. (story)
$301.20
Tesla's share price as of publication. The company saw record high share price this week, and 25,100 vehicle deliveries in Q1 2017 -- 1,100 more than expected. Eric Wesoff fills us in. (story)
$3.5 Billion
The investment that multi-state Western U.S. utility PacifiCorp plans to make to build out more than 1.1 gigawatts of wind power by 2020. (story)
19 Gigawatts
The planned wind capacity additions in regional power-grid operator Southwest Power Pool's territory. Rocky Mountain Institute completed recent analysis on opportunities for corporate renewables procurement in SPP territory. (story)
$179.99
The retail price of the Amazon Echo. This week, we look at a new report out of Europe that suggests smart controls like the Echo will enable greater clean energy consumption. (story)
76% of Americans
The percentage of Americans who are very or somewhat concerned about climate change, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll, signaling common ground on the issue between Democrats and Trump supporters. (story)
$12.12
The share price of 8point3 Energy, a YieldCo founded in 2015 by First Solar and SunPower, as of publication. This week, First Solar announced it would be looking to divest of its 25.4 percent stake in 8point3. (story)
