Episode 389

389 - The value of data on solar project finance, a Roundtable with industry experts Heidi Larson, Hao Shen & Skip Dise

Published on: 22nd July, 2021

Late last year, kWh Analytics released a report titled 2020 Solar Risk Assessment suggesting that Recent assessments of the solar industry’s pre-construction production estimates have found evidence of “an industry wide bias towards aggressive predictions,” noting that “when a typical solar project performs at the official “P90, equity cash yield drops by 50%.” This revelation has the potential to impact cash flows across the industry, as these over optimistic assumptions are netting a measured underperformance of about 2% on P50 revenue.

Today, we’ll offer you the opportunity to learn from three highly experienced solar experts on the past, present and future of solar project financing.

  • Heidi Larson, ICF International
  • Hao Shen, kWh Analytics
  • Skip Dise, Clean Power Research

Today we will touch on:

  • How to know what your solar project’s really worth
  • What does Bankability really mean?
  • What's the difference between common solar finance terms like p50 and p90
  • How does Turning dials on the financial model actually affect the overall project outcomes
  • and what data does or perhaps should be going into those models to ensure we are not overshooting our valuations?

Are there underperforming assets in your portfolio? If you’re a project owner, You’re likely bleeding equity and you don’t even know it. As one of the guests says, "All models are wrong - some models are useful".

I hope today you learn some of the critical elements to success and how we need to evolve as an industry.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

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SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

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Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

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Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

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About the Podcast

SunCast
Your resource for developing a clean energy or climate tech career
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.

SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.

SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Featuring over 600 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.

You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia

...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes