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
This is your SolarWakeup for June 8th
Problem With Battery Manufacturing. As T1 buys Kore Power, I’ll repeat something I have been saying for several years. The supply chain with storage is different at the first step compared to solar. Storage cells start degrading the very first day they come off the assembly line and solar cells & modules do not. This means that it will require just in time manufacturing and huge backlogs in order to keep the plant running. This is the inherent advantage that the auto OEMs have because there’s a dual use to the cell manufacturing (with scale) and the Chinese mega-suppliers that are also providing the cells to the box integrators. Much like solar, there will be significant consolidation in the supply chain but also a de-coupling of the vertical integration of the one-stop shop nature.
News
1 Engineering.com:
China’s CATL moves sodium-ion batteries from pilot projects to commercial deployment
2 Electric:
T1 Energy buys KORE Power to cash in on the AI power boom
3 PV-Magazine:
Sol-Ark introduces new 12 kW hybrid inverter for North American residential solar market
4 Bloomberg:
LS Power Said to Near Deal for EDF’s American Renewables Arm
5 Axios:
Sobering numbers on data centers' resource needs
6 Reuters:
China's solar majors charge into batteries as panel sales falter
7 Solar Builder:
Ampacity expands solar tracker installation program
8 PV-Tech:
Boralex shareholders approve Brookfield acquisition
9 Canary Media:
NYC’s big, clean power line is officially up and running
Opinions:
10 Energy Storage News:
Why some US BESS developers are forgoing the investment tax credit
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 5th
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
LS Power Said to Near Deal for EDF’s American Renewables Arm
2 Reuters:
US solar-storage build spurred by gas plant waits
3 Solar Power World:
PG&E surpasses 1 million customers with solar systems connected to grid
4 Canary Media:
Indiana coal plant that Trump forced to stay open is not operating
5 Axios:
Trump to announce nearly $700 million in coal support
6 PV-Tech:
EDP to spend €1.3 billion on renewables in France
7 PV-Magazine:
The hidden underperformance crisis in solar portfolios
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
Speed to power requires more transmission, not less competition
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 2nd
Opinion
News
1 PV-Tech:
Nextpower sues GameChange over IP breach as GameChange announces rebranding
2 Utility Dive:
Load growth can help modernize grid, but cost-shift risks are significant
3 The Guardian:
Solar energy helps US farms stay afloat – but Republicans’ bill could change that
4 PV-Magazine:
The U.S. will have more than 950 clean energy manufacturing facilities by 2030
5 BLoomberg:
Fluence Shares Soar on Design for Nvidia AI Data Center Factory
6 Axios:
New climate fund targets "rebuilding the physical economy"
7 Reuters:
SEG Solar announces third US solar panel factory in Texas
8 Canary Media:
Thanks to two new laws, more Virginians can save with community solar
Opinions:
9 Latitude Media:
Why did residential solar installer Freedom Forever go under?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 1st
Storage Is Hot and Complicated. The NXT deal to acquire Prevalon made quite the splash this weekend and by my text messages, a lot of you have questions about what it means. I don’t think that my thoughts would be adequately outlined in this short format but I may be open to hosting a short conference call if folks are interested on this topic and the overall status of the storage market. It’s quite similar to the early solar days, think LDK/SPI (if this rings any bells for some of you).
News
1 Bloomberg:
Solar Company Nextpower Hits All-Time High on AI Battery Deal
2 New York Times:
Why Green Investors Are Backing Republican Candidates
3 Axios:
AI is turning energy into the hottest business in America
4 Mother Jones:
Our Power Grid Is in Better Shape This Summer, Thanks to Solar and Batteries
5 PV-Tech:
Module test failures continue to increase in Kiwa PVEL’s 2026 Module Reliability Scorecard
6 Energy Storage News:
German regulator’s grid fee decision ‘restores investor confidence’ in energy storage market
7 Canary Media:
The tax credit cliff has hit EV sales hard
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
Distributed solar’s biggest enemy is process, not technology
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 28th
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Data center firm DigitalBridge in $1.1B deal to buy ArcLight
2 Axios:
Tech giants back new data center climate initiative
3 Bloomberg:
Jefferies Says Investors Boost ‘Nuclear Exposure’
4 Reuters:
Aluminium price spike from Mideast war fans costs for US solar industry
5 PV-Tech:
PowerBridge expands energy portfolio with Enphase patent acquisition
6 Energy Storage News:
California Energy Commission approves 3.2GWh BESS project through Newsom’s accelerated permitting scheme
7 Canary Media:
New York state gives up on its most ambitious climate targets
8 PV-Magazine:
Environment America’s updated renewable energy dashboard reveals growth of clean technologies in the U.S.
Opinions:
9 Hawaii Public Radio:
Hawaiʻi solar energy projects at risk after tax credit is signed into law
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 27th
The Tifosi Is Electric (i.e. Mad). Ferrari dropped an all electric speedster, and Ferrari World is mad about it. Anyone know whose cells they are using?
News
1 Politico:
Rep. Chip Roy loses runoff for Texas attorney general to a MAGA challenger
2 Utility Dive:
New Mexico regulators approve SPS’ $9B, gas-heavy resource plan
3 Bloomberg:
Repsol Moves Up Ranking of Europe’s Top Renewable Fuel Makers
4 Reuters:
SoftBank hires banks for US IPOs of SB Energy and AI robotics spinoff Roze, sources say
5 Axios:
Fusion energy poised for simpler U.S. review
6 PV-Tech:
Australia awards 7.8GW of renewable energy under Capacity Investment Scheme Tender 7
7 Solar Power World:
Renewable energy sees double-digit growth in Trump’s second term
8 Energy Storage News:
CATL supplying 1.5GWh for Grenergy’s long-term tolled Spanish BESS projects
9 Canary Media:
This AI tool helps community solar developers connect to the grid sooner
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
State-level permitting cuts solar siting conflict, new database shows
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 26th
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
US summer generating capacity increases by 75 GW since 2025
2 Bloomberg:
China’s Solar Installations Fall for Fourth Straight Month
3 Energy Storage News:
BloombergNEF ups BESS forecast as renewables add resilience from fossil fuel price shocks
4 Axios:
Oil prices sink on signs of U.S.-Iran deal
5 Reuters:
Energy tycoon Riquelme confirms challenge for Real Madrid presidency
6 Canary Media:
Another first for renewables
7 PV-Magazine:
‘Buy the dip’ on T1 Energy’s Fuzzy Panda domestic doubt, Roth says
Opinions:
8 PV-Tech:
Giant NextEra-Dominion merger should be met with ‘caution’ to avoid rate increases, groups warn
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 20th
Opinion
News
2 Reuters:
NERC says strong resource additions boost US summer grid readiness, risks remain
3 New York Times:
The New 'Gold Rush' of Geothermal Energy
4 Utility Dive:
New cybersecurity industry coalition aims to lead US critical infrastructure
5 Bloomberg:
Heat Strains US Power Grids That Need Off-Season Repairs
6 PV-Tech:
SNEC and Intersolar Munich 2026
7 Energy Storage News:
AC and DC augmentation in BESS
8 Canary Media:
How big can solar go? These 3 projects show us the gigascale future
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
U.S. solar faces massive gap between stated capacity and real factory output
Have a great day!
Yann
