This is your SolarWakeup for August 6th
MIPs and TRQs. The administration is going to announce a long anticipated minimum import price under the 232 polysilicon case any moment now. Here’s what you need to know. This is meant to drive up the price of all modules imported in the US above the price that domestic producers want. With enough domestic production, you should be able to buy modules well below the MIP if the competition is thorough and there is no collusion on pricing. (Different topic). Here’s what comes next, you’re likely to see two things. A flurry of supply announcements between domestic factories and IPPs that are trying to lock in production, something that solar has actually done not enough of based on the earnings announcements this week. (You know your backlog but keep buying at the market to try and save a penny but then screw up your schedule). The bigger story that few people know is that there is likely to be a TRQ, tariff rate quota that allows some domestic producers to import parts of their module based on their investment levels (or as details emerge during the announcements). This will allow some factories to have access to imported cells while building out their domestic supply chain but not be subject to all the tariffs. This is where the rush will be to lock in the supply of pre and post factory startup. More to come, get your deals done today.
News
1 Reuters:
Trump administration to impose 15% tariff in polysilicon probe meant to counter China
2 Bloomberg:
Trump Readies Tariffs and Price Floor to Help US Polysilicon
3 PV_Tech:
Shoals posts record quarterly revenue of US163.4 million, returns to profitability in Q2 2026
4 Utility Dive:
Facing an estimated 474 GW of interconnection requests, Texas hits pause on data centers
5 Canary Media:
PJM’s big new data center plan
6 Energy Storage News:
KKR’s ContourGlobal begins construction of ‘Sun at Night’ solar-plus-storage project in Chile
7 PV-Magzine:
SolarEdge swings back to operating profit in Q2 as margins hit 27.5%
Opinions:
8 Rand Corp:
What Is Blocking U.S. Power Expansion for AI—and What Could Unlock It by 2030?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 5th
Minimum Import Price? The section 232 on poly looks to be coming soon, at least it seems so by some companies’ stock price pops. With a likely MIP (minimum import price) on modules, the question comes on how it will drive domestic factories and does it need a 45x extension bill in order to really drive that. At what MIP will the market slow in a way that is painful or can the off taker market manage it, those are the questions I am hearing right now.
News
1 Reuters:
US weighs polysilicon price floor, tariffs to counter China in solar and chips
2 PV-Magazine:
Base Power launches 39.2 kWh U.S-made Base Core home battery, secures $1 billion in new funding
3 Bloomberg:
Solar’s Boom in Europe Is Reaching Places Once Deemed Too Dark
4 Canary Media:
Data centers take center stage in Wisconsin governor’s race
5 New York Times:
Plug-In Solar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in U.S. Backyards
6 Utility Dive:
Southern Co. contracted large load rises to 17 GW
7 Axios:
The grid's climate stress test
8 PV-Tech:
T1 Energy, Clearway ink 641MW module supply deal using domestic cells
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
Load smoothing, cold-start backup and speed-to-power - Fluence maps the battery storage opportunity for Australian data centres
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 4th
The LFP Scale Up. Samsung is building out their domestic LFP production and already highlights that demand will outpace their capacity which is a reasonable start to take. There is an overlap of the demand between the auto and energy sectors and finding the volumes that will drive pricing and cost structures. The trade cases will also come to the storage market, which will surely take some time to find a rationalization as well.
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Samsung SDI on track with US LFP cell production, expects demand to outstrip production
2 Heatmap News:
Scoop - Clearway Cancels Plan to Swap Solar Farm for Data Center and Gas Plant
3 Bloomberg:
KKR Buys Total Renewable Power Stake in €1.8 Billion Deal
4 Axios:
TotalEnergies agrees to buy Shell's European onshore renewables business
5 Reuters:
Ameresco books $1.8 billion in new awards as power demand remains strong
6 Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah produced more power from solar than any other source in May, marking a new first
7 Politico:
Kansas’ data center boom is shaking up the governor’s race
8 Utility Dive:
AEP secures 13 GW of gas turbines as generation ‘central’ to growth plans
9 Canary Media:
Virginia lays groundwork to combine more solar with farming
10 PV-Magazine:
First Solar hits sales record as it reaffirms 2026 guidance, balances tariff risk
Opinions:
11 PV-Tech:
Building with bankability in mind
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for August 3rd
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Brookfield Faces Looming Creditor Clash Over Polish Solar Firm
2 Axios:
The grid's climate stress test
3 Reuters:
US bars imports from 43 more companies over China's alleged forced labor involving Uyghurs
4 PV-Tech:
FIC acquires US solar-plus-storage firm Perfect Power
5 Solar Power World:
Xpanner unveils pile installation aid that attaches to skid steer
6 Energy Storage News:
‘Business as usual, just accelerated’
7 Canary Media:
New York takes on the myth that solar is swallowing farmland
8 PV-Magazine:
Tigo announces expanded eligibility for virtual power plants
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
A Cyberattack on US Water Systems And the Growing Threat of Falling Space Junk
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 31st
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
‘Tremendously important market for storage’
2 Wall Street Journal:
First Solar Sales Fall on Contract Cancellations
3 PV-Magazine:
Solar nonprofits are taking the federal government to court over rescinded grants
4 Utility Dive:
DOE mulls changes to Biden-era transformer rule, raising utility concerns
5 Bloomberg:
China Crosses Energy Milestone as Coal Falls Below 50% of Power
6 Reuters:
Data center boom to make Portugal one of Europe's fastest-growing power markets, EDP says
7 PV-Tech:
Origis Energy inaugurates first half of 2GW Texas solar-plus-storage complex
Opinions:
8 Solar Buildermag:
Report - U.S. data center development slows in Q1
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 30th
Inverter Rule Deployed. Just as I wrote about my concerns on the inverters, the FCC came out with a rule about inverter production. Somewhat going further than I expected in that it ‘bans’ all countries of origin but then limits it to ‘new models’. Having heard some experts on what this could mean and how it rolls out, there is room for interpretation on how bad and impactful this could be. More to come.
News
1 Canary Media:
Trump admin bans ‘new’ foreign-made inverters. What does that mean?
2 PV-Tech:
US government bans foreign-produced inverters
3 Bloomberg:
US Risks Broadening China Clash With Robot, Inverter Curbs
4 New York Times:
Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers
5 Energy Storage News:
Battery storage is an important growth driver, NextEra CEO says, amid merger to create largest regulated utility in US
6 UTility Dive:
CMS Energy plans to sell renewable assets to focus on regulated utilities
7 PV-Magazine:
Enphase leans into Europe, TPO and new tech as U.S. residential solar slump persists
Opinions:
8 Reuters:
Europe's energy transition is now an economic security race
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 29th
Inverter Supply Chains. I worry about this one and worry about the lack of concern from the broader market. Whatever happens at the DC level could range from disruptive to market altering but any situation will cause headaches for the market. The growth of domestic manufacturing will have to come from players that are subpar and not ready for primetime while the larger folks have learned their lessons with scaling power manufacturing. My point being, you should get ahead of this now.
News
1 PV-Tech:
European PV inverter manufacturing
2 Bloomberg:
As US Residential Solar Industry Craters, Florida Bucks Trend
3 Utility Dive:
PJM board proposes backstop capacity auction, data center curtailment plans
4 Reuters:
Big Tech takes on power project risk to avoid forecast jump in prices
5 Energy Storage news:
Inside the container
6 Canary Media:
Solar-powered EV carshare pilot launches in Massachusetts
7 PV-Magazine:
MN8 Energy to acquire Greenbacker for $375 million, creating 6 GW renewable energy platform
Opinions:
8 Solar Power World:
Op-ed
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 28th
A Premium Launch. Next month, after 14 years, I’ll be launching a limited size premium distribution of the SolarWakeup commentary. Consider it a micro consulting view of the solar market reserved for those of you that want another voice in your dataset on the most important trend. A two-way conversation to shape the dialogue and get inputs from your competitors and peers to help your decision making. More information coming soon.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
As solar breaks records, its security must catch up
2 Utility Dive:
Trump’s ‘vindictive’ use of energy, other grants sparks backlash
3 Bloomberg:
Backlash Over Data Centers, Power Costs Tests GOP’s Hold on Ohio
4 Axios:
Cracks appear in the vision of off-grid AI data centers
5 Reuters:
Tata Power eyes first solar exports to Europe as EU curbs China reliance
6 PV-Tech:
US DOC starts AD/CVD probe into Ethiopian solar cell producers, Toyo claims it ‘does not use Chinese wafers’
7 Energy Storage News:
Energy storage generates nearly 20% of CATL’s revenues in first half of 2026
Opinions:
8 Solar Power World:
Op-ed
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 27th
We’re Back! Heading into the Summer finale, SolarWakeup is back to full-time scheduling, which means 3-4 episodes a week to bring you the meaningful news of the day that affects executives in the solar industry. Please share this with your colleagues who may not be staying up to date. I have some exciting updates for you this week on some new launches within the platform. It’s always great to hear from you, if you have news, tips or ideas of interesting things in solar, you can hit reply to these emails and get right into my inbox.
News
1 Reuters:
BP nears deal to sell solar business to Kuwait-backed group, FT reports
2 Utility Dive:
GE Vernova gas turbine backlog climbs to 116 GW
3 PV-Magazine:
States can pursue 20 strategies to speed low-cost clean energy, says Energy Innovation
4 Axios:
What it's like inside the data centers powering the AI boom
5 Solar Builder:
Canadian investment firm Brookfield agrees to $7B deal for Aypa Power
6 Bloomberg:
China Aims to Boost Renewable Energy Consumption 53% by 2030
7 PV-Tech:
Panamint Capital breaks ground on 1.2GWdc Texas solar project
8 Solar Power World:
SC judge determines solar manufacturing needs ‘heavy industrial’ zoning
9 Energy Storage News:
‘Set it and forget it’
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Solar is booming in Indiana. Not everyone is happy about it.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 23rd
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Robotaxi infrastructure draws investor rush
2 Utility Dive:
US data center electricity use could more than double by 2030 - report
3 Solar Power World:
SEIA publishes report for increasing solar inverter cybersecurity
4 Energy Storage News:
FEOC compliance for BESS is a decade-long obligation
5 PV-Magazine:
Toyo says products made in Texas facility in 2025 expected be eligible for 45X tax credits
6 Bloomberg:
Germany to Slash Renewable Subsidies As Solar Surge Tests Grids
7 Reuters:
Morocco-Germany $30 billion power cable stalled by governance disagreements, sources say
8 Canary Media:
Balcony solar is sweeping the US, but who’s actually selling it?
9 Wall Street Journal:
Heineken Is Trying a Heat Battery to Generate Steam for Its Brewing
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Why States Are Making It Harder to Save Money With Solar Panels
Have a great day!
Yann
