Share this page!

Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
Twitter logo
May 19 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️THREAD:

Why are solar installations stalled across America?

The Department of Commerce is investigating a complaint from a Koch-linked company named Auxin Solar.

What's the source of their complaint? False interpretations of Bloomberg data.

Says who? Bloomberg.

1/
Auxin Solar doesn't have a large manufacturing capability, but they do manufacture some influential complaints. When an anonymous complaint wasn't enough, they stepped forward to be the "face."

But what's inside this dreaded complaint?

BNEF data.

2/
canarymedia.com/articles/solar…
BNEF or BloombergNEF is a division of Bloomberg Finance L.P., the market data and news company. They're a data provider in the commodities market "for the power, transport, industry, buildings and agriculture sectors to adapt to energy transition."

3/
about.bnef.com/about/?tactic-…
That's why the Department of Commerce relied on BNEF data provided by Auxin Solar throughout its influential complaint that is going to stop 46% of ALL SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IN AMERICA through 2023.

4/
The fine folks at @CanaryMediaInc took the time to ask BNEF what they think of Auxin Solar's use of their data.

SHOCKER: They say it is misleading.

Yet, the DOC is hung up investigating a complaint based on a faulty presentation of accurate data.

5/
If you're asking WTF right now, let me refer you to this thread for background on how #ExposeAuxin hijacked the U.S. solar market.

That's why a bipartisan group of 19 Senators are begging the DOC to end their mandatory trade dumping investigation.

6/
Auxin Solar alleges (falsely) that China is circumventing tariffs by dumping products to third-party countries that add little to no value when manufacturing and exporting them to America.

BNEF disagrees that their data says that.

Auxin relies on their data.

7/
TL;DR: A solar company that doesn't make many solar panels is killing thousands of solar installations (and American jobs) with a complaint based on false light information, and the source of their info just called them out.

8/x

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Grant Stern is boosted!

Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @grantstern

Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 17
THREAD:

“The issue is not a partisan one: Democrats and Republicans stand on both sides of the issue, with one bipartisan group arguing the investigation itself and the tariffs that could eventually come would devastate the solar sector.”

1/ thehill.com/policy/energy-…
We could collect nearly twice as much n much solar power between now and the end of next year, but for the Auxin Solar complaint you the DOC.

2/
Solar energy installation and maintenance jobs can’t be outsourced, though many of the panels themselves are imported.

3/
Read 5 tweets
Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 13
Top climate officials in the Biden administration are warning that a federal investigation into alleged tariff dodging by Chinese suppliers has put the domestic solar industry in peril just as the US is trying to ramp up clean energy.

THREAD of THREADS

1/washingtonpost.com/business/2022/…
Some people were surprised to learn that solar installations are being delayed, but a lot of Twittarians responded to me on this thread about the delays that they're personally experiencing.

2/
A small firm linked to the Koch political operation named #ExposeAuxin Solar in San Jose, California, filed the complaint.

3/
Read 5 tweets
Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 12
What do solar power projects in Georgia, Maine, and Indiana have in common?

They're all delayed because an obscure, Koch-linked solar company filed a complaint that is stopping nearly half of America's planned solar projects from moving forward.

1/
"Georgia Power says nearly 1,000 megawatts of planned solar installations are now delayed by a year, as supply chain issues and a federal investigation into Chinese panel manufacturers hamper the company’s transition to renewable energy."

2/ ajc.com/news/supply-ch…
"Just across a long fence, there's a bigger project that would deliver electricity to Maine consumers at a price that's better still.

'Right now most of the panel manufacturers aren't actually taking orders,' Azevedo says."

3/ npr.org/2022/05/11/109…
Read 5 tweets
Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 12
Are you trying to install solar energy at your home and running into "supply chain" issues?

It's not covid anymore.

It's a law forcing the Department of Commerce to investigate potentially devastating tariffs on solar panels.

#ExposeAuxin

1/
thehill.com/policy/energy-…
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) asked: “Why is there no industry-supported threshold to initiate this anti-circumvention inquiry? There is a process that’s being utilized to keep tariffs [on solar panels] in place to the detriment of the industry by one small company.”

2/
Sen. Moran is one of two Republicans who signed a bipartisan letter to President Biden asking him to get to the bottom of the Auxin investigation.

3/ ImageImageImageImage
Read 5 tweets
Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 11
MINI-THREAD

The outcome of this innocuous Reuters story, "U.S. Commerce Department says it will investigate solar imports from four Asian countries," will cut solar power installations ACROSS AMERICA by 46% through the end of next year. #ExposeAuxin

1/
reuters.com/business/us-co…
The CEO of Auxin, who filed the complaint says people should just buy American solar instead. His company is linked to the Koch brothers.

As this Reuters video explains, there's no way to expand capacity that quickly.

2/
reuters.com/legal/governme…
Right when Americans are looking to make clean energy jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign energy supplies, this complaint causes a mandatory trade investigation and that could last all the way until April 2023 by law.

3/
Read 5 tweets
Grant Stern is boosted! Profile picture
May 10
An obscure solar energy firm linked to the Koch network threw a roadblock up at the Department of Commerce that is halting solar panel installation around the country.

Have you had trouble getting a solar panel installation recently?

LMK.

#ExposeAuxin
cnn.com/2022/05/06/pol…
That is a LOT of cancellations.

"A survey in late April by the Solar Energy Industries Association, a non-profit trade association, found 318 solar projects in the US had already been delayed or canceled, and several CEOs told CNN they expect more to follow."

#ExposeAuxin

2/
Instead, we'll see only 10 gigawatts installed, which is 63% less clean power.

"This year was supposed to be a banner year for US solar growth. Independent energy research firm Rystad estimated the US would add another 27 gigawatts of solar energy this year."

#ExposeAuxin

3/
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(