This is your SolarWakeup for May 13th
The Car Battery. Seems to me that every car company now has a battery division and for some reason, which blows my mind, we still think that the battery hardware can have points of differentiation. Let’s be clear, the only differentiation is whether you make the battery poorly, once you meet the threshold, there is no value proposition in the battery box. I.e. tell me the difference in your Dell and HP computer towers…
News
1 Bloomberg:
US Solar Makers Allege China Tariff Evasion Through Ethiopia
2 New York Times:
Tom Steyer Thinks California Is Ready for a Different Climate Message
3 Utility Dive:
Fluence Energy signs master supply agreements with two ‘major’
4 Reuters:
Fervo Energy raises $1.89 billion in US IPO
5 Yahoo:
California homeowners say solar is still worth it after NEM 3.0, but one add-on is critical
6 PV-Tech:
SEIA appoints former Republican governor as new CEO
7 Energy Storage News:
Ford officially launches US stationary energy storage subsidiary, deliveries to begin in 2027
8 PV-Magazine:
Integrated policy tools to solve the renewable energy siting crisis
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
Op-ed
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 12th
It’s Tim Pawlenty. I’ll start by saying that I’m a big fan of Governors. Almost nobody knows them coming in but with the real power they yield, they have to run their state and make an impact on the lives of their residents. SEIA now has one such former executive in Tim Pawlenty as the new CEO. In an announcement yesterday, SEIA made public the result of a 5 month search for Abby Hopper’s replacement. Join me in welcoming Tim to the trenches as he takes the reins of the trade association that represents us in DC.
News
1 Politico:
Solar trade group taps former GOP governor as new chief
2 Reuter:
US state governor pushes for grid reforms as power bills swell
3 PV-Magazine:
U.S. transformer market faces severe supply constraints as lead times extend to four years
4 Bloomberg:
JPMorgan Sees US Grid Failures Hitting Poorest Families Hardest
5 Utility Dive:
Sunrun saw steep sales drop in Q1 with end of solar tax credit, tariffs
6 PV-Tech:
JA Solar set to return to quarterly profit in 2026, industry inflection point expected in H2
7 Solar Power World:
Ford formally launches grid-scale battery business Ford Energy
8 Energy Storage News:
BloombergNEF forecasts 158GW of global energy storage deployments in 2026
9 Canary Media:
Balcony solar bill dies in Illinois after union voices opposition
Opinions:
10 Axios:
New signs Iran war is boosting clean energy
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 8th
Feast And Famine. I had a chat with an old friend this week and we thought about the US solar market. On one hand the resi market is in total freefall, making it one of the worst global markets, and on the other side is the utility scale market which is building an enormous amount of capacity with growing PPA rates. Which is why you see the headlines of IPPs boosting investment into the US and module factories (aka assembly plants) growing for domestic supply while resi shrinks by 25%+ and struggles to find a foothold in the new market realities.
News
1 Bloomberg:
The Bust in US Home Solar Has Worsened After Trump Ends Subsidies
2 PV-Magazine:
SEG Solar to expand U.S. manufacturing with 4 GW Houston module plant
3 Reuters:
EDPR upbeat on US renewables market, sees profitable growth and new opportunities
4 New York Times:
Why America Is Removing So Many ‘Deadbeat’ Dams
5 Pv-tech:
PV inverter manufacturers reshape strategies as policy shifts drive regional production
6 Capital:
The $12 billion Nikola IPO and the fall of the so-called ‘Tesla of Trucking’
7 Axios:
Ford's secretive EV project could reinvent the way it designs and builds cars
8 Energy Storage News:
Organic flow battery company CMBlu closes €50 million Series C
9 Canary Media:
Organic flow battery company CMBlu closes €50 million Series C
Opinions:
10 Utility DIve:
Competitive markets are best for virtual power plants, consumers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 7th
Oil Driving Renewables? This isn’t the first headline hyping the shift to renewables and it certainly feels good but let’s remember that the solar that’s being built today was thought of years ago. The key question is whether this is a step change moment to make renewables, namely solar and storage, more profitable. The gas commodities haven’t moved like oil, in fact they’re as low as ever and based on last week’s headlines could be going lower. So the view is that solar and storage is faster and cheaper but perception remains that gas is more reliable.
News
1 New York Times:
The Global Oil Crisis Seems to Be Helping One Industry - Renewable Energy
2 Bloomberg:
Biggest US Grid Must Redesign to Cope With AI Boom, CEO Says
3 UTility Dive:
AEP eyes exit from PJM, SPP over slow generation interconnection
4 Renewable Energy World:
NERC issues Level 3 Alert to address ‘immediate risks’ data center loads pose to the grid
5 Solar Builder:
Shoals opens battery manufacturing mega facility in northern Tennessee
6 Reuters:
Microsoft may shelve 2030 clean energy target as AI lifts power use, Bloomberg News reports
7 PV-Tech:
Corporate solar financing more than doubles to US$11.1 billion in Q1 2026
8 PV-Magazine:
U.S. inverter market faces policy, supply headwinds despite safe harbor pipeline
9 Energy Storage News:
Fortescue’s chairman says AI and battery storage ‘healed’ Australian mining grid in nanoseconds
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Resident-led campaign fails to reverse Ohio county’s ban on renewables
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 5th
Power Of Compute. Just after yesterday’s headlines about nuclear failures and solar’s growth, we have the IPO for Fervo energy, a geothermal tech provider. With the headline valuation, you can see that the promise of future opportunity is driving the market for anything that can get more electrons to the AI / Data Center trend.
News
1 Reuters:
Fervo Energy eyes $6.5 billion valuation in US IPO
2 Politico:
Democratic leaders want an affordability debate on AI. Critics say they’re ducking the real fight.
3 Bloomberg:
AI Boom to Add Hidden Extra Cost to Northeast US Power Bills
4 The Guardian:
Solar booms in industrial US midwest as energy crisis persists
5 PV-Tech:
CIP acquires Orsted onshore unit, launches Perigus Energy with 826MW capacity
6 Utility Dive:
Dominion upbeat on offshore wind as cost estimate eases, sales rise
7 Energy Storage News:
US administration ‘must make it easier to get things built,’ DOE chief of staff says
8 Canary Media:
For cheaper power, Virginia’s local utilities build small grid batteries
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Tigo Energy expands Predict+ capabilities to enhance financial forecasting for United States energy producers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 4th
May The Fourth. Be with you. (Yes, I still have never watched Star Wars)
News
1 Politico:
Data centers used to be a prize. States are having second thoughts.
2 UTility Dive:
Southern Co. electricity sales soar on 42% data center growth
3 PV-Magazine:
First Solar reaffirms 2026 guidance as CuRe launch and record India sales drive Q1 margin expansion
4 Bloomberg:
Nuclear AI Startup Fermi Promised Land and Ample Power. But It Couldn't Sign a Single Client
6 PV-Tech:
Tata Power targets 10GW ingot-wafer capacity with US$685 million investment
7 Energy Storage News:
Data centres’ speed-to-power need driving US LDES commercialisation
8 Canary Media:
Used EVs are on the upswing in America
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
How dual-use solar gets built
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 1st
Negative Rates. West Texas gas is negative which means that the cost of storage is greater than the demand for the commodity. Basically generators are choosing between paying for storage or how much they pay for buyers.
News
1 Axios:
Where the energy shock is turned upside down
2 Bloomberg:
The AI Boom Is Cushioning the US Economy From Iran War Impact
3 UTility Dive:
Senators vow to block permitting reform over Trump’s renewables obstruction
4 Reuters:
First Solar's quarterly sales rise on higher solar panel demand
5 PV-Tech:
Indian PV manufacturer Inox Solar acquires Boviet Solar’s US module assembly operations
6 Energy Storage News:
US administration ‘must make it easier to get things built,’ DOE chief of staff says
7 Canary Media:
Two California bills would push utilities to get more out of their grids
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
Solar Manufacturing USA 2026
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 30th
Feature In The System. In yesterday’s Senate hearing several Senators voiced their concerns about the ongoing silent but obvious campaign to halt solar development progress. Especially during a time when demand is skyrocketing, gas turbines are slow to come by and global fossil production / logistics are impacted by the Middle East conflicts; solar should be the generation that the US doubles into, focused by the private capital and demand for our generation. Secretary Burgum wasn’t interested taking a firm position whether the Interior department would be opening the floodgates of demand aside from disagreeing (vehemently) about the federal court’s ruling that the DOI memo should be rescinded.
News
1 Latitude Media:
Senators say permitting reform hinges on DOI advancing solar, wind permits
2 Bloomberg:
Meta’s Need for Gas Power Boosts Entergy Spending by $14 Billion
3 Utility Dive:
CAISO expects ‘solid launch’ for EDAM, first Western day-ahead market
4 Barrons:
Enphase Stock Falls After Earnings as Solar Slump Overshadows Data Center Push
5 New York Times:
The World Needs Natural Gas Now, but the U.S. Is Exporting All It Can
6 Reuters:
TotalEnergies to wait for stable Strait of Hormuz transit before resuming operations in region
7 PV-Tech:
EU bans funding for energy projects using Chinese inverters—will it move the needle on cybersecurity?
8 Energy Storage News:
‘A turning point’
9 Canary Media:
A new bill would help VPPs replace peaker plants in California
10 PV-Magazine:
More than 67 GW storage, 14 GW solar seek interconnection in PJM’s reopened queue
Opinions:
11 Axios:
What's next for oil after the UAE's decision to quit OPEC
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 28th
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
How Do You Measure A.I. Firms’ Gargantuan Energy Plans? In ‘Bragawatts.’
2 Bloomberg:
Hormuz Crisis Is ‘Biggest Energy Disruption Ever,’ Yergin Says
3 Utility Dive:
What’s stalling data center projects? Public opposition and power access lead delays.
4 Axios:
Trump's oil export surge — and ceiling
5 Reuters:
Nuclear reactor maker X-Energy valued at $11.9 billion in stellar Nasdaq debut
6 PV-Tech:
Saatvik moves into transformers with 80% Melcon acquisition
7 Energy Storage News:
Grid-forming inverters feature in 74% of Australia’s 33.2GW NEM battery storage pipeline
8 PV-Magazine:
California’s regressive rooftop solar policy hit with second appeal to State Supreme Court
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Are long-promised solar perovskites finally hitting mass production?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 24th
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
GE Vernova gas turbine backlog hits 100 GW as prices rise
2 Bloomberg:
SoftBank Prepares to Manufacture Batteries for AI Data Centers
3 Solar Power World:
Commerce releases prelim antidumping tariffs in India, Indonesia, Laos solar case
4 Reuters:
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
5 Axios:
Oil prices and stocks are talking past each other right now
6 PV-Tech:
Masdar forms renewables JV with Montenegro state utility
7 Energy Storage News:
Tesla reports declines in quarterly energy storage revenues and deployments
8 PV-Magazine:
NextEra Energy adds record 4 GW of renewables and storage backlog in Q1
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
How the Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket Upended Climate Policy
Have a great day!
Yann
