This is your SolarWakeup for June 12th 2025
The Gas Goal. There’s an obsession in DC that gas is the only thing that can be built, but with volatile gas markets and drop in oil prices, production is coming down. Reality is that over the next 5 years there are three things that can be built, and the status quo build rate will barely cover the need we have for retirement recovery. The gas plants that are already on order will be built and besides that solar and storage will cover the gap. There is much more solar that could get built, that extra representing the opportunity our Country has to own the AI future.
Who, What, Where, and How Much. Who can build the gas power plants? EPCs are scheduled out well past the end of the decade. What turbines can anyone order? Turbine OEMs are seemingly sold out until 2032 and tariffs are not helping feedstock costs. Where are the turbines made? While there is some domestic manufacturing, more scrutiny of largely offshore gas turbine manufacturing should be discussed. How much will the energy market pay for gas output? And who will pay for the unknown fuel costs for decades to come? Capacity prices will have to rise and energy prices are too low in some market meaning there is significant market signal lacking in order to achieve these goals.
News
1 Financial Times:
US oil output set for first annual drop since pandemic
2 Utility Dive:
US utility-scale energy storage to double, reach 65 GW by 2027
3 BLoomberg:
US Energy Secretary Is Trying to Change Blue-State Minds About Fossil Fuels
4 Reuters:
China, Africa ask US to return to 'right track' on trade differences
5 Energy Storage News:
Growing need for BESS quality control, risk management strategies, insurer kWh Analytics says
6 New York Times:
Why Rooftop Solar Could Crash Under the G.O.P. Tax Bill
7 PV-Tech:
Top ten solar manufacturers ship 500GW modules in 2024
8 PV-Magazine:
Tracking the top states for community solar
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Sunnova and Mosaic bankruptcies highlight deepening rooftop solar woes
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 11th 2025
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Solar risks
2 Reuters:
NextEra CEO says renewables needed as bridge to expanding gas power
3 Bloomberg:
Oil-Rich University of Texas Wants to Cash In on AI, Crypto and Power
4 New York Times:
As Energy Costs Surge, Eastern Governors Blame a Grid Manager
5 PV-Tech:
European buyers remain optimistic, seek to expand module portfolios
6 Canary Media:
Texas finalizes $1.8B to build solar, battery, and gas-powered microgrids
Opinions:
7 Utility Dive:
A collaborative approach for meeting data center power needs and protecting ratepayers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 10th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
The path to cheap power will be very expensive
2 Bloomberg:
European Solar Profits Tumble to Record Low on Long Sunny Spring
3 PV-Tech:
Sonnedix, Renfe sign 420GWh PV supply agreement
4 Solar Power World:
Qcells to recycle solar panels in Georgia
5 Energy Storage News:
ERCOT’s projected load growth ‘unrealistic and impossible’, Ascend Analytics says
6 Canary Media:
This startup turns steel and aluminum waste into usable metals
7 PV-Magazine:
Grid operator SPP partners with Hitachi to speed interconnection studies
Opinions:
8 Utility Dive:
Baseload blind spot? Senate should unleash 24/7 clean-energy workhorses
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 9th 2025
Please Help Us. That’s the message from several members of Congress to their Senate colleagues regarding the tax credit cuts in the reconciliation bill. Specifically the 13 House members call out the placed in service, transferability and FEOC section of the bill. The reality is that America needs power and if we don’t generate all the solar we can, America will lose jobs and the AI race that sets up the path for the next century.
News
1 Politico:
13 House Republicans urge Senate to save green credits
2 New York Times:
In Georgia, Republicans Vote to Kill Green Jobs but Face Little Fallout
3 Data Center Dynamics:
FlexGen, Rosendin to develop utility-scale BESS solution for data centers
4 Canary Media:
Will Senate Republicans block the climate law rollback?
5 Reuters:
Sunnova Energy to lay off 718 employees
6 Bloomberg:
Warburg Pincus-Backed Solar Mosaic Files for Bankruptcy
7 Energy Storage News:
Eco Stor puts largest BESS in Germany online, former majority owner building Finland project
8 PV-Tech:
Vikram Solar secures SEBI nod for IPO, eyes expansion
Opinions:
9 PV-magazine:
Onyx Renewables secures $260 million financing
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 6th 2025
Head Down And Call The Senate. There’s a lot going on in DC but let me reset your mind on the simple task at hand. Call, advocate and lobby your US Senators. They have the bill in their chambers and have the power to make the changes you want to see. The rest is noise that you can’t control.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Elon Musk Aims to ‘Kill’ Trump Tax Bill as He Fails to Save EV Credits
2 NBC News:
Trump and Xi agree to new in-person meeting after phone call amid trade tensions
3 Los Angeles Times:
California broke law in cutting rooftop solar incentives, state Supreme Court is told
4 PV-Magazine:
California’s rooftop solar regulatory war wages on
5 Utility Dive:
Does PJM have a data center problem?
6 Axios:
Global clean-energy investment doubles fossil fuels
7 Reuters:
Sunnova Energy to lay off 718 employees
8 Solar Power World:
Republican senator pens op-ed seeking more measured approach to IRA changes
9 Energy Storage News:
US broke quarterly utility-scale BESS deployment records again in Q1 2025, ACP says
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
In Puerto Rico, a Struggle for Power Comes to Light
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 5th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Deseret News:
Opinion - Tax credits with a scalpel — how to boost American energy without killing innovation
2 New York Times:
Electricity Prices Are Surging. The G.O.P. Megabill Could Push Them Higher.
3 Utility Dive:
House budget bill would kill 330K solar, storage jobs
4 BLoomberg:
The Missing Engineers
5 Axios:
What to know about rare earths in the China-U.S. trade dispute
6 Reuters:
Five charts on key US electricity and power generation trends
7 Solar Power World:
Crux tax credit marketplace releases first annual report on clean energy investment dynamics
8 Energy Storage News:
US import tariff analysis spells out extent of challenge facing US battery storage industry
9 Canary Media:
Massachusetts grid breakthrough could benefit customers while boosting solar
10 PV-Magazine:
Automated solar permitting bill sails through New Jersey Assembly
Opinions:
11 Solar Builder:
Future of residential solar at risk
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 3rd 2025
Opinion
News
1 BloomBerg:
Senate Begins Putting Its Stamp on Giant Trump Tax, Debt Limit Bill
2 Financial Times:
Chinese battery glut plugs into solar boom to power Pakistan
3 PV-Magazine:
Leading threat to farmland is real estate development, not solar, agricultural analysts say
4 Reuters:
Azerbaijan, BP sign agreements on solar power plant in Karabakh
5 PV-Tech:
National Grid Renewables rebrands to Geronimo Power
6 Energy Storage News:
Powin could cease operations by end of July if ‘present business circumstances do not improve’
7 Canary Media:
In N.C., all eyes on Senator Tillis as IRA tax credits hang in balance
8 Utility Dive:
Why better monitoring of US transformers is a national security imperative
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
Save Us, Senators, From a Very Expensive Mistake
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for June 2nd 2025
Opinion
News
1 Energy Storage News:
Republican Senator praises energy tax credits during visit to Fluence factory in Utah
2 Canary Media:
The quiet demise of Texas’ anti-renewables legislation
3 Utility Dive:
California’s solar, wind curtailment jumped 29% in 2024
4 PV-Magazine:
Residential loan provider Mosaic issues pause on operations
5 Reuters:
Swiss solar panel maker Meyer Burger files for insolvency for German subsidiaries
6 Axios:
Supreme Court narrows key environmental law's scope in 8-0 ruling
7 PV-Tech:
Waaree Energies secures 586MW US solar module supply deal
Opinions:
8 Washington Post:
Trump is forcing this dirty, costly coal plant to stay open
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 30th 2025
Back To The Basics. Solar has grown so much and the costs are down, why does it still need subsidies? Is literally the oldest, and most idiotic, argument in the playbook. My first solar project that I sold got an ITC worth nearly $3 per watt. Today, the taxpayer provides a tax credit for projects that is far below that. Meanwhile, oil and gas wells get credits and depreciation that has increased over time since the price of the commodity has increased. Oil and gas also get to offset active income which solar does not get to benefit from.
Good For Consumers. Solar will still get built but the costs will hurt businesses and consumers, driving up the cost of electricity for the overall economy to operate. If the government were concerned about lowering the cost of the credit it could look at how to lower the input capex costs burdened by duties and tariffs or even increase domestic manufacturing credits so that manufacturers produced goods with lower costs to the projects claiming the ITC.
DOGE Chimes In. On his last day at DOGE, Elon Musk agrees with me and his view from the past decade, which is if we want a level playing field for energy, it isn’t just about cutting solar credits but all energy tax benefits that far outweigh the cost of solar and underwhelm the comparable value given solar’s position to generate the energy needed for American Energy Dominance.
Smarter Power Electronics. Whether it’s the grid in the US or more recently in Spain, we have to make our power electronics smarter. Inverters can be a more valuable tool to grid operators with ride through capabilities and energy storage with advanced energy management systems (EMS) are a critical damper to grids that need that additional operational intelligence. As a market, especially asset owners, I would urge all you to investigate the reality of enhancing your capabilities with an EMS swap for your storage assets to increase availability and grid value.
News
1 Politico:
Musk, Tesla blast GOP plans to end clean energy tax credits in megabill
2 Utility Dive:
Transformer, breaker backlogs persist, despite reshoring progress
3 Bloomberg:
Spain Blackout Blame Game Heats Up as Iberdrola Points to Grid
4 Axios:
More climate tech projects are dying on the vine
5 Reuters:
Record US clean power run rolls on through May
6 PV-Tech:
The hidden digital highways threatening critical solar PV infrastructure
7 Energy Storage News:
Republican Senator praises energy tax credits during visit to Fluence factory in Utah
8 PV-Magazine:
Why Pennsylvania’s efforts to legalize community solar might make a breakthrough
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Why the solar industry is counting Ohio’s newest energy law as a win
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 29th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Federal court strikes down Trump’s tariffs on countries around the world
2 India Times:
Chinese 'kill switches' found in equipment at US solar firms trigger national security fears. What are they?
3 Solar Power World:
Meyer Burger lays off workforce at Arizona solar panel factory
4 Reuters:
Trump administration cancels Sunnova's $2.92 billion government loan guarantee
5 Utility Dive:
Vistra solar, battery projects in MISO face supply chain delays
6 PV-Tech:
SolarEdge opens Indian R&D hub, plans 200 hires by 2027
7 Energy Storage News:
Massachusetts moves toward goal of procuring 5,000MW of BESS by 2030
8 Canary Media:
Li-Cycle’s quest to recycle lithium-ion batteries ends in bankruptcy
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Texas legislature passes bill to expedite solar, energy storage permitting
Have a great day!
Yann
