Module Tech Buildout. SEG Solar secured another piece of land for 4GW of HJT cell manufacturing and TOYO got clearance for their cell import from Ethiopia. This comes on the dawn of the 232 exclusion, tariff rebate and other steps in an effort to build out the domestic manufacturing ecosystem. But with litigation on Topcon, it looks like HJT is stepping in for new cell capacity in addition to the PERC build out.
First Solar et al. We had relevant earnings from Mastec, Quanta and First Solar yesterday with an earnings call from Mastec coming in a couple of hours. Data center spending remains strong and First Solar sends a couple of warning shots at the solar industry regarding potential trade cases and defense of Topcon IP. Interesting release from them about their backlog growth which seemed strategically small given the moment. On another note, Quanta increased headcount by 25% to nearly 100,000 employees and guided to over 40billion of revenue for the year. Their Q3 revenue was up over 50% to 12billion.
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- Axios: How the permitting bill could change the energy landscape
- Reuters: SEG Solar secures land for planned $950 million cell plant
- Latitude Media: Are data centers ready to pay double to unclog the grid?
- PV-Magazine: U.S. customs frees detained Ethiopian solar cells as duty probe continues
- Utility Dive: GE Vernova in $9B deal to buy high-voltage manufacturer as gas turbine orders slow
- New York Times: A New Kind of Battery Is Taking Off. This One Stores Blistering Heat.
- PV-Tech: Corning’s solar sales rise 37% year-on-year to US$436 million in Q3 2026
- Energy Storage News: Portugal makes grid-forming mandatory for large-scale BESS and launches 1GW tender
- Canary Media: California’s long road to make EV charging more reliable
Opinion
Best, Yann