By Thatcher Young, Velo Solar
I know for many this is a time of true hardship and in some cases pain both personally and professionally, and I want to acknowledge this reality. For all those who are suffering, scared and uncertain of the future, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Almost more than any other industry, Solar has seen more than its fair share of volatility. I often think we should look to Nostradamus rather than the solar press for predictions of our future. So, in the current crisis I want to take a moment to paint an optimistic picture of how our industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since I couldn’t get Nostradamus on the ouija board; I turned to the analytics firm McKinsey for a glimpse into a more hopeful future. In their recent analysis “Addressing climate change in a post-pandemic world,” they explain how COVID will likely realign priorities and perspectives for the better:
“Furthermore, addressing pandemics and climate risk requires the same fundamental shift, from optimizing largely for the shorter-term performance of systems to ensuring equally their longer-term resiliency.”
“We can already start seeing how the coronavirus pandemic may influence the pace and nature of climate action, and how climate action could accelerate the recovery by creating jobs, driving capital formation, and increasing economic resiliency.”
So, in this moment of uncertainty, I choose to believe that YES this moment of dramatic pause, will as it has in the past, usher in a dramatic change in perception and desire for action. We know that solar is one of the most attainable, and best solutions to supplying our energy needs in a resilient and sustainable way. The solution now simply needs to be accelerated bringing our civil, economic and business systems into a synchronous harmony that has so far been elusive.
This shift is already happening right here at home, Savannah recently announced its commitment to be 100% renewable by 2035, joining Atlanta, Decatur, Clarkston and Athens in similar commitments. Additionally, through the dedicated efforts of this association, and its environmental and energy advocacy partners, we convinced the GA Public Service Commission to press Georgia Power to change its net-metering policy to monthly-netting. Starting this summer, up to 5,000 (existing and new) residential and commercial customers will received full retail energy value for the solar electrons their systems produce across a monthly billing period. There has never been a better time to go solar. GA Solar is going to be hosting a webinar with much more information and Q&A with industry experts, so please plan to join.
We as a solar community will continue to apply creativity, ingenuity and fortitude toward fueling the renewable energy evolution that will make our homes, businesses and communities more resilient, and GA Solar is here to support a quick recovery.
About the Author:
Thatcher R. Young is the VP of business development at Velo Solar. He is responsible for all aspects of business development, marketing, and PR. This includes sales strategy, team leadership, market analysis and opportunity generation for the company. Focusing on Commercial Industrial and Utility projects across the southeast United States. Velo is a market leader in data-driven, technically excellent, solar solutions customized for your business’s clean energy needs. Prior to Velo, Thatcher was the VP of business development for Radiance Solar.
