13GWh, Running How Well? There’s a lot of storage being built. I’m curious to how that storage is being commissioned and how fragmented the BMS and EMS systems are across those 13GWh given the need for safety and availability across those assets. Also, how much frustration is created for the asset management teams with having multiple platforms and if they’re missing any ingredients to running those assets. We’re still early in the storage world but the capacity is growing quickly.
Feedback Requested. For those of you in the room with data centers, what’s the conversation like around contracting for energy, power and timing? Solar versus storage or is it and? I’d love to get your intel on what you’re hearing.
News
1 Axios:
The energy squeeze behind the Iran war and AI boom
2 New York Times:
Here’s What It Costs to Keep a Coal Plant Open
3 Energy Storage News:
Nearly 13GWh of grid-scale BESS deployed globally in April
4 Utility Dive:
Crux gets $500M debt facility for clean energy investments
5 Bloomberg:
PE Firm Lightrock Raises $500 Million for New Clean Energy Fund
6 Reuters:
US set to drop criminal fraud case against India’s Gautam Adani, sources say, as deal reached in civil case
7 PV-Tech:
MN8 Energy bags US$300 million to extend credit facility
8 Solar Power World:
Canadian Solar to boost Texas panel factory to 10-GW capacity
9 PV-Magazine:
NERC inverter-based resource registration initiative enters final stretch for asset owners
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
The Indiana community caught between coal and the data center boom
Have a great day!
Yann
Opinion
Best, Yann
News
1 Politico:
Iran war is fueling China’s clean energy surge ahead of Trump-Xi talks
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar risks
3 Bloomberg:
Ford Soars Most in Six Years on Possible Hyperscaler Tie-Ups
4 Utilty Dive:
US annual electricity consumption to grow 55% by 2050
5 Axios:
The energy stakes of the Trump-Xi summit
6 Reuters:
Solar to surpass coal in Texas power generation in 2026, EIA says
7 PV-Tech:
US manufacturers files AD/CVD case against Toyo Solar and Origin Solar in Ethiopia
8 Energy Storage News:
Fluence doubles order intake, expects to book first big data centre deal this quarter
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Amazon bets on what could be a game-changing heat pump
Have a great day!
Yann
The Car Battery. Seems to me that every car company now has a battery division and for some reason, which blows my mind, we still think that the battery hardware can have points of differentiation. Let’s be clear, the only differentiation is whether you make the battery poorly, once you meet the threshold, there is no value proposition in the battery box. I.e. tell me the difference in your Dell and HP computer towers…
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
US Solar Makers Allege China Tariff Evasion Through Ethiopia
2 New York Times:
Tom Steyer Thinks California Is Ready for a Different Climate Message
3 Utility Dive:
Fluence Energy signs master supply agreements with two ‘major’
4 Reuters:
Fervo Energy raises $1.89 billion in US IPO
5 Yahoo:
California homeowners say solar is still worth it after NEM 3.0, but one add-on is critical
6 PV-Tech:
SEIA appoints former Republican governor as new CEO
7 Energy Storage News:
Ford officially launches US stationary energy storage subsidiary, deliveries to begin in 2027
8 PV-Magazine:
Integrated policy tools to solve the renewable energy siting crisis
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
Op-ed
Have a great day!
Yann
It’s Tim Pawlenty. I’ll start by saying that I’m a big fan of Governors. Almost nobody knows them coming in but with the real power they yield, they have to run their state and make an impact on the lives of their residents. SEIA now has one such former executive in Tim Pawlenty as the new CEO. In an announcement yesterday, SEIA made public the result of a 5 month search for Abby Hopper’s replacement. Join me in welcoming Tim to the trenches as he takes the reins of the trade association that represents us in DC.
The Car Battery. Seems to me that every car company now has a battery division and for some reason, which blows my mind, we still think that the battery hardware can have points of differentiation. Let’s be clear, the only differentiation is whether you make the battery poorly, once you meet the threshold, there is no value proposition in the battery box. I.e. tell me the difference in your Dell and HP computer towers…
News
1 Politico:
Solar trade group taps former GOP governor as new chief
2 Reuter:
US state governor pushes for grid reforms as power bills swell
3 PV-Magazine:
U.S. transformer market faces severe supply constraints as lead times extend to four years
4 Bloomberg:
JPMorgan Sees US Grid Failures Hitting Poorest Families Hardest
5 Utility Dive:
Sunrun saw steep sales drop in Q1 with end of solar tax credit, tariffs
6 PV-Tech:
JA Solar set to return to quarterly profit in 2026, industry inflection point expected in H2
7 Solar Power World:
Ford formally launches grid-scale battery business Ford Energy
8 Energy Storage News:
BloombergNEF forecasts 158GW of global energy storage deployments in 2026
9 Canary Media:
Balcony solar bill dies in Illinois after union voices opposition
Opinions:
10 Axios:
New signs Iran war is boosting clean energy
Have a great day!
Yann
