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Solar Power Finance Without The Jargon
Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon introduces financial concepts through a lively history of the solar industry, and cuts through the main areas of mystique and misinformation about solar technology and projects. With extensive experience in answering questions from clients in the solar, finance and energy industries, Chase focuses on the practical and financial aspects of solar power, making this book suitable for those wanting to work in clean energy or who have a strong interest in the subject, particularly those without a business background.Since the first edition was published in 2019, solar capacity has only grown bigger and cheaper, opening up new markets. Most significantly, Russia invaded Ukraine, igniting an energy crisis across the world which made countries glad of any renewable energy capacity they had built, as well as amplifying calls for a diversified and resilient global supply chain for renewable energy components. This second edition of Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon is considerably more detailed and optimistic about batteries and hydrogen. It extensively updates readers on the rapidly-changing price and energy landscape, the latest industry thinking on the effects of large volumes of renewable energy on the grid and the path to deep decarbonisation of human civilisation.
- GenresTechnology
272 pages, Paperback
Published December 28, 2023
6 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Chase
6 books17 followersExpert on solar power. Big fan of science fiction, fantasy and the real world. Indifferently talented physics graduate who did not so much fall into finance as saunter vaguely downwards.
I wrote two editions of the book Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon to explain to other graduates what I needed to know to have a career in the deployment of clean energy.
I am not the Jenny Chase who writes books on yoga and spirituality.
I also have a daughter and a flock of geese.
I wrote two editions of the book Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon to explain to other graduates what I needed to know to have a career in the deployment of clean energy.
I am not the Jenny Chase who writes books on yoga and spirituality.
I also have a daughter and a flock of geese.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 7, 2025
Jenny Chase’s book, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon, (which could equally well have been titled Solar Power Finance Without the BS although I expect the publishers nixed that idea) is not just a guide to the solar industry; it is an insider’s account of one of the fastest and most consequential technological revolutions in recent history. It is abundantly clear from the narrative that Chase has lived through this revolution and played a key role in tracking its development. As the Lead Solar Analyst at BloombergNEF, Chase is often described as the industry’s “oracle,” a title earned over two decades of chronicling solar’s chaotic, meteoric rise. Her expertise shines through on every page, transforming what might sound like a dry financial primer into an entertaining, highly opinionated, and refreshingly realistic assessment of where solar energy has been and where it is going.
The central thesis of the book is that understanding solar power today means understanding its economics and finance, not just the physics. While the technology is important, the real drama lies in the market forces, trade wars, policy mishaps, and ruthless competition that have driven solar module prices to record lows. Chase dives into key concepts—such as the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and the crucial role of the ‘experience curve’—and explains them in clear and straightforward language. She provides helpful context to explain why the solar journey has been fraught with both massive booms and spectacular, high-profile busts, from Solyndra to Suntech.
Chase tackles the industry’s biggest issues and challenges head-on, delivering her views with a healthy dose of humor and skepticism. Rather than getting caught up in the self-promotion and hype of the industry, she grounds the discussion in data. Handling and deriving insight from data is truly her forte. She presents key chapters which explore the dominance of Chinese manufacturing, the necessity of solving intermittency through batteries and flexible power markets, and the practical complexities of grid connection that often supersede pure economic viability.
Her analysis is sharp, offering such insights as: “Without China, solar would still be a cottage industry, and some of the plans of other countries to have their own factories look rather cute in comparison.” She doesn't shy away from discussing sensitive topics like failed companies, which she rightly presents as providing crucial learning opportunities.
What truly raises this book over alternative presentations though is Chase's narrative style. Structured as a collection of short, focused chapters—almost vignettes—it is salted with personal anecdotes from her career, from joining a precarious startup (New Energy Finance led by Michael Liebreich) as an intern to becoming a globally recognized authority. This autobiographical thread gives the book a genuinely human touch and makes it much more sympathetic and accessible. It offers crucial career advice for students and professionals looking to transition into renewables, showing that success in the energy transition relies as much on sharp market analysis and political maneuvering as it does on idealism. It is explicitly "a business book for those without a business or economics background." Of course, one of the challenges of any book on such a fast-moving topic is remaining current and relevant. The second edition does a good job of bringing the material up to date as to the time of publication (December 2023).
For investors, policymakers, or anyone seeking to move beyond the headlines and understand the genuine mechanisms driving the global energy transition, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon is essential and more importantly, very enjoyable, reading. It provides a grounded, skeptical, and timely perspective on a critical sector, proving that the reality of the solar revolution is far more interesting than the jargon suggests. It offers the practical knowledge needed for those working in or investing in renewable energy, delivered with clarity and wit. My only sadness on finishing the book is that we didn’t learn more about the geese. Maybe in the 3rd edition.
The central thesis of the book is that understanding solar power today means understanding its economics and finance, not just the physics. While the technology is important, the real drama lies in the market forces, trade wars, policy mishaps, and ruthless competition that have driven solar module prices to record lows. Chase dives into key concepts—such as the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and the crucial role of the ‘experience curve’—and explains them in clear and straightforward language. She provides helpful context to explain why the solar journey has been fraught with both massive booms and spectacular, high-profile busts, from Solyndra to Suntech.
Chase tackles the industry’s biggest issues and challenges head-on, delivering her views with a healthy dose of humor and skepticism. Rather than getting caught up in the self-promotion and hype of the industry, she grounds the discussion in data. Handling and deriving insight from data is truly her forte. She presents key chapters which explore the dominance of Chinese manufacturing, the necessity of solving intermittency through batteries and flexible power markets, and the practical complexities of grid connection that often supersede pure economic viability.
Her analysis is sharp, offering such insights as: “Without China, solar would still be a cottage industry, and some of the plans of other countries to have their own factories look rather cute in comparison.” She doesn't shy away from discussing sensitive topics like failed companies, which she rightly presents as providing crucial learning opportunities.
What truly raises this book over alternative presentations though is Chase's narrative style. Structured as a collection of short, focused chapters—almost vignettes—it is salted with personal anecdotes from her career, from joining a precarious startup (New Energy Finance led by Michael Liebreich) as an intern to becoming a globally recognized authority. This autobiographical thread gives the book a genuinely human touch and makes it much more sympathetic and accessible. It offers crucial career advice for students and professionals looking to transition into renewables, showing that success in the energy transition relies as much on sharp market analysis and political maneuvering as it does on idealism. It is explicitly "a business book for those without a business or economics background." Of course, one of the challenges of any book on such a fast-moving topic is remaining current and relevant. The second edition does a good job of bringing the material up to date as to the time of publication (December 2023).
For investors, policymakers, or anyone seeking to move beyond the headlines and understand the genuine mechanisms driving the global energy transition, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon is essential and more importantly, very enjoyable, reading. It provides a grounded, skeptical, and timely perspective on a critical sector, proving that the reality of the solar revolution is far more interesting than the jargon suggests. It offers the practical knowledge needed for those working in or investing in renewable energy, delivered with clarity and wit. My only sadness on finishing the book is that we didn’t learn more about the geese. Maybe in the 3rd edition.
February 20, 2024
I like Jenny Chase and I thought this was a good read but it’s not well titled. It was more stories and anecdotes rather than I was expecting, not so much explanations of technical concepts.
January 13, 2024
I have worked in the solar installation industry for 16+ years and ridden the solar coaster. Jenny Chase and her solar team at BloombergNEF have documented and forecast the progress of the solar industry in all that time.
In her revised second edition of “Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon” she tells the history of the technology and progress of the industry and gives a snapshot of where we are at today (A solar juggernaut having installed an estimated 413GW of new panels in 2023).
It also gives some insights into where we are headed with solar, wind and batteries as the world decarbonises towards 2050. Please ignore the word finance if that will scare you off. If you work in the energy industry you will learn many things from reading this book.
p.s. there is now a 25% off coupon on the publisher website
In her revised second edition of “Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon” she tells the history of the technology and progress of the industry and gives a snapshot of where we are at today (A solar juggernaut having installed an estimated 413GW of new panels in 2023).
It also gives some insights into where we are headed with solar, wind and batteries as the world decarbonises towards 2050. Please ignore the word finance if that will scare you off. If you work in the energy industry you will learn many things from reading this book.
p.s. there is now a 25% off coupon on the publisher website
January 2, 2024
I’ve attended several times Jenny Chase’s speeches at Intersolar trade fair in Munich and read a lot of articles written by her. So I was quite curios about this book, already at its second edition. Briefly: it’s ASTONISHING! Definitely a great work: funny, serious, scientific, crystal clear… it has been a real pleasure for me going through it: it has recalled me a lot of things, especially the crazy first years of solar industry… it’s technical enough to make it understandable to whoever has a minimum interest in the subject. It’s a short but comprehensive history of the solar industry written by one of its leading actor, from its dawn to our days and further… with a lot of nice and interesting digressions on several related topics.
January 9, 2024
Enjoyable book for what is, no doubt, a somewhat niche target audience. The author has a very approachable, fireside-like way of communicating which made what is ordinarily pretty dense stuff far more digestible. A little too much promotion of BNEF, but I guess it pays to keep one's employer happy. I look forward to additional updates on the state of PV adoption and its market drivers. Thank you for this book!
January 2, 2025
Fantastic read if you want to get to know the renewables and PV industry in particular to know better. This applies for both laypeople and experts. Tons of valuable knowledge (it may depreciate within years though), surprisingly much fun (she seems to be a lovely person).
January 31, 2024
Good introduction book on, you guessed it: solar power finance
April 28, 2024
Actually interesting!
December 17, 2025
Really good primer for anyone working in energy (not just solar or renewables). And, despite having a chart on the cover, it’s legitimately funny in places.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews