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Perhaps, but this is probably aimed at really big car parks like shopping malls that have a capacity of far more than 80 cars. They won't be able to get around

Perhaps, but this is probably aimed at really big car parks like shopping malls that have a capacity of far more than 80 cars. They won't be able to get around this so easily. Presumably companies that build these solar panels will be paid for any electricity generated, so it might work out quite well for them in the long term.

gruez 4y ago
> Presumably companies that build these solar panels will be paid for any electricity generated, so it might work out quite well for them in the long term. If it's actually profitable for them already (from a risk adjusted basis), then you wouldn't need a law mandating it. The fact that there aren't many takers suggests that it won't work out well.
- mcv 4y ago
  Companies are surprisingly good at avoiding opportunities they're not familiar with. If it is actually profitable for them already, but they're not doing it, then a law mandating it may still be a good idea.
  - passwordoops 4y ago
    Recall that Texas of all places leads the US in renewables integration. It's definitely not because of mandates, it's because their environment makes wind and solar profitable for the energy companies... Provided there's no major winter storms to break their back up generation
  - gruez 4y ago
    >Companies are surprisingly good at avoiding opportunities they're not familiar with They don't need to. In the sunnier parts of the US, it's common for companies to install solar panels for free, in exchange for a cut of the generated revenue. >If it is actually profitable for them already, but they're not doing it, That's why I specifically mentioned risk in my previous comment. For instance, generating 10%/year ROI today might sound good, but if there aren't any price guarantees from the government it's possible that might drop to 1-2% a few years later. I'm not sure what the regulatory regime/economics for the solar industry France is like, but absent any evidence to the contrary I'm inclined to believe that there isn't free money lying around that companies are passing up.
    - wlesieutre 4y ago
      Note that some of the "generated revenue" is not from selling the generated power but from selling Renewable Energy Credits, which allow power companies to claim your solar as part of their energy generation mix. So it might not be economical purely on a power generation basis, the government is giving renewables a boost with energy portfolio requirements. No idea if France has a similar system in place. https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/renewable-energy-certificates-recs https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/renewable-energy-cer...
- bryanlarsen 4y ago
  A lot of viable markets need bootstrapping. Being the first to do something always costs a lot more than being the second. This law ensured that a bunch of companies are going to start up to serve this market using volume vs bespoke mechanisms. Push vs pull in economics is identical in theory but different in practice.
  - gruez 4y ago
    What bootstrapping is needed for solar? From what I've seen it's a pretty labor intensive business that lends itself well to small scale contractors. Only a modest amount of investment (eg. electrician's tools) is needed. The parts themselves (eg. panels/inverters) are already mass produced and imported from china.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

gruez 4y ago

> Presumably companies that build these solar panels will be paid for any electricity generated, so it might work out quite well for them in the long term. If it's actually profitable for them already (from a risk adjusted basis), then you wouldn't need a law mandating it. The fact that there aren't many takers suggests that it won't work out well.

mcv 4y ago
Companies are surprisingly good at avoiding opportunities they're not familiar with. If it is actually profitable for them already, but they're not doing it, then a law mandating it may still be a good idea.
- passwordoops 4y ago
  Recall that Texas of all places leads the US in renewables integration. It's definitely not because of mandates, it's because their environment makes wind and solar profitable for the energy companies... Provided there's no major winter storms to break their back up generation
- gruez 4y ago
  >Companies are surprisingly good at avoiding opportunities they're not familiar with They don't need to. In the sunnier parts of the US, it's common for companies to install solar panels for free, in exchange for a cut of the generated revenue. >If it is actually profitable for them already, but they're not doing it, That's why I specifically mentioned risk in my previous comment. For instance, generating 10%/year ROI today might sound good, but if there aren't any price guarantees from the government it's possible that might drop to 1-2% a few years later. I'm not sure what the regulatory regime/economics for the solar industry France is like, but absent any evidence to the contrary I'm inclined to believe that there isn't free money lying around that companies are passing up.
  - wlesieutre 4y ago
    Note that some of the "generated revenue" is not from selling the generated power but from selling Renewable Energy Credits, which allow power companies to claim your solar as part of their energy generation mix. So it might not be economical purely on a power generation basis, the government is giving renewables a boost with energy portfolio requirements. No idea if France has a similar system in place. https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/renewable-energy-certificates-recs https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/renewable-energy-cer...
bryanlarsen 4y ago
A lot of viable markets need bootstrapping. Being the first to do something always costs a lot more than being the second. This law ensured that a bunch of companies are going to start up to serve this market using volume vs bespoke mechanisms. Push vs pull in economics is identical in theory but different in practice.
- gruez 4y ago
  What bootstrapping is needed for solar? From what I've seen it's a pretty labor intensive business that lends itself well to small scale contractors. Only a modest amount of investment (eg. electrician's tools) is needed. The parts themselves (eg. panels/inverters) are already mass produced and imported from china.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]