This is your SolarWakeup for May 9th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Pope Leo XIV Might Be the Climate Champion We Need
2 Politico:
Johnson targets smaller tax package with $1.5T in spending cuts
3 Reuters:
Republican US lawmakers voice support for IRA energy tax credits
4 Utility Dive:
PJM, utilities urge FERC to dismiss call for colocation settlement talks
5 Solar Power World:
Energy storage developer Hecate Grid rebrands as Fullmark Energy
7 Energy Storage News:
Virginia governor vetoes energy storage legislation
8 Canary Media:
New California bill would undo some 20-year rooftop solar contracts
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Sunrun posts positive cash generation, rises on Q1 earnings report
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 8th 2025
Greetings From Munich. Intersolar still shows up in droves. Some 15+ convention halls filled with booths covering every imaginable angle of the solar and storage markets. My first Intersolar, in Freiburg, was also a large show, this one gives credibility to the enormous financial impact that solar has on the world and its importance to the energy infrastructure. When we look at the blackout in Spain last week, which looks to have started due to a trip on a large power plant, we’ll start to see how other flexible resources can be used to ramp up and holdover during grid instability moments.
News
1 PV-Tech:
‘Rocky road ahead’ for US solar, SEIA CEO warns
2 Utility Dive:
Texas renewables restrictions could increase power prices by 14% in 2035
3 NBC:
Puerto Rico governor under fire as federal funds for solar projects are stalled
4 Reuters:
US tariffs, Europe slowdown reshape global solar panels trade
5 Solar Power World:
Sunrun launches new solar/storage subscription that ‘flexes’ with changing power needs
6 Energy storage News:
SolarPower Europe forecasts 45% CAGR for battery storage to 2029, urges policymakers to do more
7 PV-Magazine:
Tariffs reshape project economics for U.S. energy storage
Opinions:
8 Axios:
Why cars will never be smartphones on wheels
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 7th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Trump proposes slashing DOE budget by $19.3B
2 PV-Magazine:
SolarEdge rebounds on Q1 earnings surprise
3 Bloomberg:
Buffett Handing Complicated Climate Legacy to Berkshire Energy Head
4 Axios:
AI development's other challenge besides power
5 New York Times:
Trump Is Picking New Climate Fights With States. Here’s Why.
6 Reuters:
Trump funding cuts force layoffs at US renewable energy research lab
7 Energy storage news:
OCI Energy on 4-hour Texas BESS and what US-China tariffs mean for procurement
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
Floating PV needs policy and incentives to realise considerable potential
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 5th 2025
Our Latest Quarter. On Thursday I spoke to the market about FTC Solar’s latest quarter and the progress were making in our execution. Our revenues continue to steadily rise as many of you recognize the technology that FTC makes has improved labor efficiency and innovates on many fronts. With our team rising to the occasion and growing, we’re in a great spot to keep up the momentum. The business is made up of the innovative 1P tracker and our amazing team, you can find both in Munich this week at the Intersolar show, booth A5.131. If you need to get in touch with someone from my team, just let me know.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
FTC Solar revenue jumps 58% in Q1
2 Reuters:
Dominion beats quarterly estimates on Virginia, South Carolina power demand
3 Utility Dive:
Corning increased solar Michigan facility investment to $1.5B
4 Bloomberg:
Buffett Exit to Lift Energy Executive Abel to Berkshire CEO
5 Axios:
New report sees corporate climate risk tripling by 2050
6 PV-Tech:
Stonepeak acquires stake in Repsol’s 777MW US solar-plus-storage portfolio
7 Energy Storage News:
Cygni Energy opens 4.8GWh BESS assembly plant in Hyderabad, India
8 Canary Media:
Chart - Clean energy dominated global power construction in 2024
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
What Australia’s Vote Means for Climate in a Major Coal Economy
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 2nd 2025
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? I will be there alongside my FTC Solar colleagues to talk about all things smart trackers and how we’re aggressively rewriting the roadmap for helping asset owners to get their trackers to work smarter for them. Reach out if you’ll be in town!
News
1 Reuters:
Spain's grid denies dependence on solar power to blame for blackout
2 Bloomberg:
Brookfield Weighs US Manufacturing Investment Following Tariffs
3 Axios:
From subs to bases, "climate change crap" has consequences for U.S. military
4 CNBC:
First Solar stock plunges as CEO says Trump tariffs pose ‘significant economic headwind’
5 PV-Tech:
Hanwha to buy REC Silicon for US$88.8 million, shareholders criticise ‘lowball’ offer
6 Wall Street Journal:
Solar-Panel Installer Sunnova Prepares for Bankruptcy Filing Within Weeks
7 Utility Dive:
Policy uncertainty could trigger ‘recession’ for renewables, analyst says
8 Energy Storage News:
Fluence to provide BESS for NTR’s grid-forming Finland project
9 Canary Media:
North Carolina factories and mills cool on clean energy transition
10 PV-Magazine:
Legislators call for increased transparency with PJM
Opinions:
11 New York Times:
Climate Change Urgency Has Declined. The Green Transition Hasn’t.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 30th 2025
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? I will be there alongside my FTC Solar colleagues to talk about all things smart trackers and how we’re aggressively rewriting the roadmap for helping asset owners to get their trackers to work smarter for them. Reach out if you’ll be in town!
News
1 Bloomberg:
The Five Seconds That Plunged Spain Into Darkness
2 UtilityDive:
MISO summer capacity prices jump to $666.50/MW-day as power supplies shrink
3 The Hill:
Restrictions on wind, solar unpopular among Texas Republicans
4 PV-Magazine:
U.S. residential solar falls to lowest-ever $2.50 per watt, said EnergySage
5 Reuters:
Spanish grid operator's first assessment rules out cyberattack behind blackout
6 Solar Builder:
U.S. energy storage industry commits $100 billion in domestic batteries
7 PV-Tech:
Nexamp secures US$340 million financing for US distributed solar and energy storage
8 Solar Power World:
Panasonic quits solar and energy storage business
9 Canary Media:
Community solar is winning over Republican lawmakers around the US
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Trump’s 100 Days of Upending Climate Policy
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 28th 2025
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? I will be there alongside my FTC Solar colleagues to talk about all things smart trackers and how we’re aggressively rewriting the roadmap for helping asset owners to get their trackers to work smarter for them. Reach out if you’ll be in town!
News
1 Politico:
Republicans sprint to wrap up Trump’s tax bill
2 Wired:
Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Quietly Revolutionizing the Energy System
3 Utility Dive:
FirstEnergy faces minimal direct tariff impact, but ‘uncertainty’ weighs on customers - CEO
4 Canary Media:
A mass exodus begins at the Energy Department
5 Axios:
Oil drilling giants start tallying tariff drag
6 Reuters:
China's wind, solar capacity exceeds thermal power for first time, energy regulator says
7 PV-Tech:
Boviet Solar opens US module assembly plant in North Carolina
8 PV-Magazine:
New York redirects surplus solar funds after 10 GW distributed solar goal
Opinions:
9 Grist:
Balcony solar took off in Germany. Why not the US?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 25th 2025
Ohio’s HB 6. This story is so wild, it’s getting a movie made about it. Hundreds of billions are invested in delivering electrons to consumers and businesses every year, getting that money to flow into the right pockets makes for interesting story telling.
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? Care to do a SolarWakeup meetup? Doing a poll to see who’s interested and I’ll set something up if there is enough attendance.
News
1 Utility Dive:
NextEra Energy CEO urges ‘energy pragmatism’ amid rising costs, demand
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar PPA market remains stable in Q1 2025
3 Solar Power World:
Trina Storage and FlexGen deploy 371-MWh BESS in Houston
4 Bloomberg:
Hedge Funds Seek Out Ways to Navigate Trump’s Anti-Climate Agenda
5 Politico:
Rubio eliminates office that oversees climate talks
6 Axios:
A power titan calls transmission key to Trump's agenda
7 Reuters:
Europe's power costs plunge as gas-led heating season ends
8 PV-Tech:
New Jersey seeks 300MW solar PV, expands community solar programme by 250MW
9 Energy Storage News:
Strata Clean Energy breaks ground on 150MW/600MWh Arizona BESS
10 Canary Media:
Ohio’s HB 6 utility scandal gets true-crime treatment in HBO film
Opinions:
11 New York Times:
Can 3,500 Percent Tariffs Protect the U.S. Solar Industry?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 24th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Puerto Rico Blackout Renews Pressure to Cancel Grid Contract
2 Canary Media:
Rising utility bills have Americans worried
3 PV-Magazine:
Enphase falls short on Q1 revenue, trims margin expectations due to tariffs
4 Los Angeles Times:
Fight intensifies over bill by former Edison executive to gut rooftop solar credits
5 Axios:
EPA fires or reassigns hundreds of staffers
6 Reuters:
German regulator plans to cut 1.5 billion euros of power grid fee costs
7 PV-Tech:
Germany awards 2.6GW capacity in oversubscribed ground-mount PV auction
8 Energy Storage News:
Bulgaria finalises €600 million funding for nearly 10GWh of energy storage
Opinions:
9 Vox:
Let’s not panic about AI’s energy use just yet
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 23rd 2025
Opinion
News
1 CNBC:
Bessent says he expects ‘de-escalation’ in U.S.-China tariff fight in the ‘very near future’
2 PV-Tech:
US DOC issues steep AD/CVD tariffs on Southeast Asian solar cells
3 Politico:
White House asked FERC’s Phillips to step down
4 PV-Magazine:
Solar industry launches platform for grassroots advocacy
5 Utility Dive:
Climate advocates brace for Trump executive order targeting nonprofits’ tax exempt status
6 Bloomberg:
India Solar Makers See Opportunities, Risks in Trade Turmoil
7 Axios:
Pope Francis' legacy includes call for climate action
8 Reuters:
US restarts solar, storage permitting but agency gaps hit projects
9 Canary Media:
Solar recycling startup looks to build $90M facility in Florida
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Blackouts and the Collapse of Puerto Rico’s Colonial Bargain
Have a great day!
Yann
