The Solar Heist, or How I Got into the Solar Business, Parts 1, 2, & 3

In preparation for launching Season 2 of Probably True Solar
Stories, we've combined all three parts of "The Solar Heist, or
How I Got Into the Solar Business" into a single 53-minute
episode.

Two neighbors meet unexpectedly at an Oakland, California coffee
shop that specializes in dark, rich coffee. Mazz owns a trucking
business by day and is a thief at night. Charlie is a solar
project developer by day and a guy with an international solar
problem that can only be solved by Mazz.

After a somewhat successful solar panel heist, the two neighbors
become friends. Inspired by Charlie, Mazz opens a legitimate
residential solar business while Charlie builds his large-scale
solar project. But when Mazz unexpectedly sees that Charlie is
working for an underworld acquaintance, Mazz realizes that
Charlie may be more of a threat than a friend.

True Solar Takeaways


The solar installation industry is made up of residential,
commercial, and utility-scale installers. 

There's a U.S. law against importing solar panels made with
forced labor.

Some solar developers hire quality assurance companies to
monitor the supply chains and factories.

All solar installations, regardless of size, can now receive
a  U.S. 30% tax credit. Big developers can also receive
other tax incentives.

Chinese solar panels still have import tariffs, as of 2022.

"Procurement" means sourcing, purchasing, and delivering
equipment.

Generally, large solar asset owners hire an experienced solar
developer to take care of building the product. The solar
developer may in turn hire an "EPC," which stands for
engineering, procurement, and construction.


After the writing of this story, it was reported that
the U.S. government has confiscated gigawatts (GWs) of solar
panel shipments. 

Large-scale developers typically only buy solar panels that
are on a "Tier 1" list that's sold by Bloomberg. Even if the Tier
1 solar manufacturer is financially sound and honors the
warranty, if you have a huge project, the replacement time and
cost will be huge. 

With the passage of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act of
2022), all solar projects, regardless of size, receive a 30%
Investment Tax Credit (ITC) if they pay prevailing wages.

Solar projects that are built on landfills, brownfields, and
EPA superfund sites can get bonus ITCs.

The solar industry is filled with acronyms and jargon. 

AHJ (Authorities Having Jurisdiction) are the permitting
authorities that review and approve the building of solar
projects

PTO (Permission to Operate) is the official utility
permission to start generating solar power on the utility's
grid. 

PUC (or in California, the CPUC) stands for Public Utility
Commission. The PUC regulates utilities and approves or modifies
utility rates and sets policies for a state's public utilities.

Single Axis Trackers (SATs) are used in most large solar
projects today. 

Solar project owners are paid by util



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