This is your SolarWakeup for June 29th
Last Week To Safe Harbor. But I want to talk about the ITC because DC is talking about it. A few weeks ago E&E News talked to some solar executives and asked whether the tax credit should be extended. Everyone here knows how I feel, and I want to know your thoughts, so please hit reply and tell me I’m crazy or why it should or should not be extended. I get the argument, every time we fight, there’s a cliff and we’ve promised to get off the credits. But also, we need and want the investors to have confidence that the solar industry can thrive without it, which we can. The end result is that off take agreements will be higher without the ITC and that causes inflation to consumers which sucks and could be the argument for it. Here’s what Senator Brian Schatz has to say, “As long as I’ve been around, [renewable developers] have been negotiating against themselves, and so I’m not going to let them do that.”
News
1 E&E News:
Dems want clean energy tax credits back. Some companies say don’t bother.
2 Bloomberg:
Solar and Batteries Are Coming for Gas’s Crown in Texas Power
4 Reuters:
EDF agrees to sell US, Canada unit to KKR
5 PV-Tech:
Waaree expands EPC footprint through US$129 million acquisition
6 Energy Storage News:
US energy storage installations will quadruple by 2031, Wood Mackenzie forecasts
7 Canary Media:
Washington coal plant produces no power but plenty of costs. Who pays?
8 PV-Magazine:
Renewable energy PPA prices could more than double after the July 4 tax credit cliff, warns LevelTen
Opinions:
9 Renewable Energy World:
FERC takes historic action, orders US grid operators to defend or revise large load interconnection tariffs
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 24th
Who’s Against Clean. That’s Tim Pawlenty’s opening message to the mainstream media as the new CEO of SEIA. A decade ago when Abby Hopper started at SEIA, SolarWakeup was one of the first interviews in what at the time was a rather divided solar industry. Today’s messaging is more mainstream and it’s a great result of the work that the industry has done over the last 10 years. We’re big, profitable, important and affordable. Are there divides amongst opinions inside the sector? Sure, but what got us here isn’t what is going to get us there. Who’s against solar? That’s our next decade to scale and execute on.
News
1 Semafor:
Exclusive / New top US solar lobbyist sees a ‘golden age’ under Trump
2 Bloomberg:
Exelon Urges US States to Ease Rules on Utility-Owned Assets
3 Canary Media:
Virginia slaps data centers with big new tax — but no climate rules
4 New York Times:
An Influx of Climate Cash
5 Solar Builder:
U.S. installed 8.4 GWh of BESS in Q1, surpassing previous record by 54%
6 Reuters:
European battery storage growth seen accelerating by 2030
7 PV-Magazine:
Enphase brings GaN-powered IQ9N microinverter to U.S. residential solar market
8 PV-tech:
Nextpower expands in Europe with Zimmermann PV-Steel Group acquisition
9 Solar Power World:
US panel manufacturers petition for AD/CVD investigation on Korean solar imports
Opinions:
10 Energy Storage News:
CATL claims purpose-built sodium-ion BESS can help solve ‘uncertainties’ facing industry
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 22nd
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Top US energy regulator pushes grids to overhaul data center power rules
2 Utility Dive:
Maryland lawmakers back data center transmission cost complaint at FERC
3 Bloomberg:
Spain Weighs Financial Aid to Struggling Solar Power Industry
4 PV-Tech:
Origis raises US$900 million to fund 5GW of project development
5 Solar Power World:
SEIA
6 Energy Storage News:
Limited synergies and profitability drive Wärtsilä’s energy storage divestment
7 PV-Magazine:
Constraining U.S. wind and solar deployment could trigger $121 billion in unnecessary energy costs
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
The Iran war sparked a shift toward clean energy. Will it last?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 18th
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects
2 Axios:
Carbon removal group boosts spending, adds Anthropic
3 UTility Dive:
California gas generation down 60% from 2024 as solar, imports surge
4 Reuters:
China's BYD ramps up battery production in Brazil
5 PV-Tech:
‘Everyone’s too enamoured with low price to the detriment of what they’re going to get for that’
6 Renewable energy World:
Can PJMS New Fast Track Process Accelerate Interconnection
7 Energy Storage News:
Limited synergies and profitability drive Wärtsilä’s energy storage divestment
8 Canary Media:
Data centers are key to fight over Duke electric rates in North Carolina
Opinions:
9 PV-magazine:
The Dire Need for Due Diligence
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 17th
Opinion
News
1 Solar Power World:
Create Energy acquires solar tracker company SOL Components
2 Axios:
Oil prices sink on announcement of Iran deal
3 Bloomberg:
Solar Surpasses Gas in California After Panel Installs Surge
4 Utility Dive:
Peak Energy, GM partner to scale domestic sodium-ion battery supplies
5 Reuters:
Dutch power moratoriums highlight challenge facing grid operators
6 PV-Tech:
US solar developers are getting creative—and risky—ahead of the safe harbour deadline
7 New York Times:
The Tiny Solar Panel That Could Change America
8 Energy Storage News:
AESC signs 10GWh US domestic content BESS cell and module deal with system integrator Prevalon
9 PV-Magazine:
Satellite breakthrough enables accurate panel-scale temperature mapping for solar farms
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Will New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sign a balcony solar bill?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 16th
See You In Chicago. I will be moderating a keynote panel at Midwest Solar Expo today alongside Helena Kimball from SOLV and Nick Maynard from Arevon. I assure you, for those that have been to my panels before, that you’ll get a ton of value out of it as I will be asking both what is important to their companies and what innovations they need to stay at the top of their game. If you’re near Chicago, take a day trip and come meet us.
News
1 Bloomberg:
US Residential Solar Installations Set to Stall for Years
2 Energy Storage News:
Wärtsilä wraps energy storage business into joint venture with solar manufacturer RCT Solutions
3 New York Times:
How China Can Move the Price of Oil Even by Not Buying
4 PV-Tech:
Enphase launches IQ9N microinverter for European residential solar
5 Renewable Energy World:
Grid Congestion Cost PJM One Billion Dollars In One Month
6 Solar Power World:
Blending FEOC and non-FEOC modules
7 Axios:
EVs might one day shore up the ailing power grid
8 Canary Media:
Solar and wind try to navigate Trump’s obstacle course for tax credits
9 Reuters:
Goldman-backed Danish energy trader eyes US gas expansion as results plummet
10 PV-Magazine:
Utility interconnection delays in multi-state commercial solar projects
Opinions:
11 Washington Post:
Battery breakthroughs will lessen AI’s demand on the electricity grid
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 15th
See You In Chicago. I will be moderating a keynote panel at Midwest Solar Expo tomorrow alongside Helena Kimball from SOLV and Nick Maynard from Arevon. I assure you, for those that have been to my panels before, that you’ll get a ton of value out of it as I will be asking both what is important to their companies and what innovations they need to stay at the top of their game. If you’re near Chicago, take a day trip and come meet us.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Suniva announces merger with NASDAQ-listed residential solar company SUNation
2 Utility Dive:
Judge overturns DOE’s cancellation of $82.1M in clean energy grants
3 Canary Media:
AI firms are getting creative as they scramble for energy
4 Bloomberg:
UK Power Prices Turn Negative as Renewables Set to Flood Grid
5 Solar Builder:
C&I installer’s battery storage playbook for 2026
6 PV-Tech:
TOPCon and BC penetration unlikely to trigger a major industry reshuffle; full-stack integration is more than modular assembly
7 Energy Storage News:
Panasonic to convert Kansas EV battery factory for data centre applications
Opinions:
8 Axios:
The power decisions that could shape the next century
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 12th
Opinion
News
1 Financial Times:
Is it time to go solar to cut your energy bills?
2 Bloomberg:
US Stocks Soar as Trump Signals US-Iran Peace Deal Approaching
3 New York Times:
How Should Democrats Talk About Climate Change?
4 Reuters:
EU curbs on Chinese inverters risk slowing solar rollout over security fears
5 PV-Tech:
T1 Energy CEO calls for US solar permitting reform in post-tax-credit world
6 Renewable Energy World:
Green Light For Green Energy
7 Solar Power World:
ARRAY ships 100 GW of solar trackers globally since founding
8 Energy Storage News:
Sembcorp completes US$4.32 billion acquisition of Alinta Energy, adds 10.4GW Australian pipeline
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar slowing – BNEF asks what’s next for the industry?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 11th
Auto Storage. Last week it was Ford Energy and today it’s about GM’s sodium ion venture, of course Tesla/BYD (and others) have been around for a long time as well. The reality is that energy storage, as it pertains to us, is very much running in parallel to the auto space. One of those reasons is what I mentioned before, the supply chain of storage cells attaches well with the predictable use in auto manufacturing with the bulky volume of the power space. Everyone outside of the auto space, and the large conglomerate balance sheets, will have a significant disadvantage to play in the upstream segment against the autos in my opinion as the price of the commodity drops.
News
1 Solar Power World:
GM to manufacture sodium-ion battery cells for Peak Energy BESS
2 Bloomberg:
Solar Passes Coal in Historic Shift for US Electricity Mix
3 Axios:
Inflation hits 4.2% in May, highest in over 3 years as energy prices soar
4 Reuters:
Britain offers 700 projects grid connections in major energy investment push
5 PV-Tech:
JA Solar rebrands to JA in evolution to ‘green energy partner’
6 Energy Storage News:
SNEC 2026
7 Canary Media:
Clean energy and efficiency spared in Rhode Island budget process
8 PV-Magazine:
U.S. government restricts trade with prominent Chinese storage companies
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
The Movement to Stop Data Centers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 9th
Opinion
News
1 The Hill:
Judge tosses Trump bid to restrict renewable energy tax credits
2 Reuters:
US judge scraps Trump policy restricting wind, solar tax breaks
3 Financial Times:
Wasting China’s solar panel surplus is madness
4 PV-Magazine:
Panasonic to invest $2 billion in data center battery push, ramp up U.S. manufacturing
5 PV-Tech:
TOYO announces 1.5GW US HJT cell line weeks after AD/CVD hits Ethiopia factory
6 Solar Builder:
RETC PV Module Index highlights panel reliability concerns
7 Energy Storage News:
How to structure a US BESS manufacturing deal with Chinese partners amidst FEOC, with NeoVolta
8 Canary Media:
Pioneering grid battery nudges California closer to 24/7 clean energy
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
Behind-the-meter data center gas plants will raise US energy bills
Have a great day!
Yann
