What do you think?
Rate this book
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.
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.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2023
69 people are currently reading
229 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 15, 2019
As the head of solar analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Jenny Chase is undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the solar industry today. Don't let her impressive credentials put you off, though. In Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon, Chase delivers an impressive primer on the solar sector in a style that is easy to understand and often downright entertaining. Billed as "a useful introduction to finance ... for people with ... an interest in energy technologies," this book is packed with useful data and unique insights and is a worthwhile purchase for the interested layperson and industry expert alike. I personally was picking up new knowledge after just a few pages, even though I've been reporting on the solar industry for the last decade. Thoroughly recommended.
January 2, 2021
Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon is exactly that, a book on solar energy for people looking to learn the very basics. Well, it's more like quick overviews of the basics and then tons of technical details and jargon. So maybe it's not exactly like its name.
Anyhoo, this book was pretty useful in educating myself on solar energy. I learned a lot about how competitive the industry is and how many firms end up going out of business due to rapid changes in prices. Due to the high upfront costs for a solar power plant, changes in prices can wreak havoc on financing repayment. Cost of capital is one of the most significant factors now affecting solar energy prices. As a result, all solar investments should be critically examined through three lenses: Capex, capacity factor (how sunny it is), and the cost of capital. Since solar can produce energy at no additional costs, these are the factors that determine MWh price (annual operations and maintenance are negligible, usually around $6-12 MWh).
To date, the two main problems faced by the solar industry relate to intermittency and supply-demand mismatch. Intermittency occurs when the sun does not shine. Solar power can vary widely on how much power it provides on a given day due to changes in sunlight. Solar is also at a disadvantage since it cannot generate power at night. In order to truly gain market share, battery storage must be improved to ensure no solar energy is wasted.
As for the industry as a whole, many large companies have gone bankrupt due to an oversupply of solar modules. As prices for solar modules dropped in the past decade, many producers found themselves selling at below cost. This was a direct result of many producers signing unsustainable long-term supply contracts. As demand continues to rise, more and more companies will continue to enter the space. The solar companies that will succeed are those who are able to deftly manage their finances without stretching themselves too thin. Solar has been a volatile industry and will continue to see massive growth as the technology matures.
Overall, this book taught me a good bit about solar. I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about the industry.
Anyhoo, this book was pretty useful in educating myself on solar energy. I learned a lot about how competitive the industry is and how many firms end up going out of business due to rapid changes in prices. Due to the high upfront costs for a solar power plant, changes in prices can wreak havoc on financing repayment. Cost of capital is one of the most significant factors now affecting solar energy prices. As a result, all solar investments should be critically examined through three lenses: Capex, capacity factor (how sunny it is), and the cost of capital. Since solar can produce energy at no additional costs, these are the factors that determine MWh price (annual operations and maintenance are negligible, usually around $6-12 MWh).
To date, the two main problems faced by the solar industry relate to intermittency and supply-demand mismatch. Intermittency occurs when the sun does not shine. Solar power can vary widely on how much power it provides on a given day due to changes in sunlight. Solar is also at a disadvantage since it cannot generate power at night. In order to truly gain market share, battery storage must be improved to ensure no solar energy is wasted.
As for the industry as a whole, many large companies have gone bankrupt due to an oversupply of solar modules. As prices for solar modules dropped in the past decade, many producers found themselves selling at below cost. This was a direct result of many producers signing unsustainable long-term supply contracts. As demand continues to rise, more and more companies will continue to enter the space. The solar companies that will succeed are those who are able to deftly manage their finances without stretching themselves too thin. Solar has been a volatile industry and will continue to see massive growth as the technology matures.
Overall, this book taught me a good bit about solar. I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about the industry.
April 24, 2022
A tricky read, this one. A good primer on solar energy and tech circa 2018, with an eye to how it all gets paid for (but a pox on all who thought jamming “finance” in the title would do anything but glaze over otherwise curious eyes). A dash of autobiography and energy system management too. But overall, this just all came off as jumbled. Some muddled examples, brevity where deeper and more specific analysis would have illuminated key points, and in general a lot of insight and expertise bogged down by weak structure, poor organization, and a general “first draft” feel. Chase may be good at pulling together pithy energy reports for industry and energy insiders, but not quite up to the task of fleshing out a deeper dive that’s satisfying to read. A strong editor would have helped strengthen these deficiencies; as it stands, it’s now “just” a quick read about the broad strokes of solar industry at this moment in time. For this, I found it helpful and informative; but just how useful this book is to you will really depend on how deep you want to go with this topic.
May 23, 2024
Really solid history of solar panels, with good high level descriptions of the various technologies along the way. I think this book might be more popular with a different title, but if you want to learn about solar power, start here. Credit to the author for also keeping things moving and being as entertaining as one can be given the topic - it certainly read much better than a textbook with similar information might.
December 15, 2020
Great recap of the early boom years of solar becoming big. I was working in the industry during this time when prices started to tumble and I have to say I learned so much extra stuff from this book in hindsight that just wasn’t clear at the time!
Read
November 25, 2021Brushing up for the new gig. Good book that I would especially recommend to people looking to quickly gain an in-depth knowledge of renewables with little to no background in it.
April 10, 2022
It's called Solar Power Finance yet barely discusses about finance. The content is just generic solar information.
November 30, 2023
It’s a fine book with plenty of knowledge. I read it for work. Nothing wrong with it in particular I just hate nonfictions.
February 21, 2021
Highly readable intro to the solar power industry, from raw materials to manufacturing to finance and development. The book was only written in 2018, it’s crazy to see how much has changed in such a short time.
November 20, 2024
After re-reading, the gems started to come out!
January 9, 2020
Read: If you are interested in being an energy analyst and want a well rounded summary of the solar industry and major solar topics.
Don't: If that sounds boring to you, or if you are already in the weeds wrt solar.
Could be a good one for teaching. Gives a lot of energy basics but built around the story of how
@MLiebreich founded @BloombergNEF
Don't: If that sounds boring to you, or if you are already in the weeds wrt solar.
Could be a good one for teaching. Gives a lot of energy basics but built around the story of how
@MLiebreich founded @BloombergNEF
June 13, 2024
Bunch of stories and anecdotes from the author life. This title is misleading because it is not a book on finance or solar power.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews