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
Feast And Famine. I had a chat with an old friend this week and we thought about the US solar market. On one hand the resi market is in total freefall, making it one of the worst global markets, and on the other side is the utility scale market which is building an enormous amount of capacity with growing PPA rates. Which is why you see the headlines of IPPs boosting investment into the US and module factories (aka assembly plants) growing for domestic supply while resi shrinks by 25%+ and struggles to find a foothold in the new market realities.
Inverter Thoughts. I’ll spend more time talking about this but the inverter supply chain is going to get tossed upside down in my opinion and folks (or the solar market) are not ready for it. I think that the battery market may also have similar aspects that are coming their way. Stay tuned to this storyline.
News
1 Bloomberg:
The Bust in US Home Solar Has Worsened After Trump Ends Subsidies
2 PV-Magazine:
SEG Solar to expand U.S. manufacturing with 4 GW Houston module plant
3 Reuters:
EDPR upbeat on US renewables market, sees profitable growth and new opportunities
4 New York Times:
Why America Is Removing So Many ‘Deadbeat’ Dams
5 Pv-tech:
PV inverter manufacturers reshape strategies as policy shifts drive regional production
6 Capital:
The $12 billion Nikola IPO and the fall of the so-called ‘Tesla of Trucking’
7 Axios:
Ford's secretive EV project could reinvent the way it designs and builds cars
8 Energy Storage News:
Organic flow battery company CMBlu closes €50 million Series C
9 Canary Media:
Organic flow battery company CMBlu closes €50 million Series C
Opinions:
10 Utility DIve:
Competitive markets are best for virtual power plants, consumers
Have a great day!
Yann
Oil Driving Renewables? This isn’t the first headline hyping the shift to renewables and it certainly feels good but let’s remember that the solar that’s being built today was thought of years ago. The key question is whether this is a step change moment to make renewables, namely solar and storage, more profitable. The gas commodities haven’t moved like oil, in fact they’re as low as ever and based on last week’s headlines could be going lower. So the view is that solar and storage is faster and cheaper but perception remains that gas is more reliable.
NERC Alert. If you’re not in tune with NERC Alerts, get smart of them. And now you know where the money is flowing, because large load losses can cause quite the issue in the grid that relies on stability like humans do on gravity and tension.
News
1 New York Times:
The Global Oil Crisis Seems to Be Helping One Industry - Renewable Energy
2 Bloomberg:
Biggest US Grid Must Redesign to Cope With AI Boom, CEO Says
3 UTility Dive:
AEP eyes exit from PJM, SPP over slow generation interconnection
4 Renewable Energy World:
NERC issues Level 3 Alert to address ‘immediate risks’ data center loads pose to the grid
5 Solar Builder:
Shoals opens battery manufacturing mega facility in northern Tennessee
6 Reuters:
Microsoft may shelve 2030 clean energy target as AI lifts power use, Bloomberg News reports
7 PV-Tech:
Corporate solar financing more than doubles to US$11.1 billion in Q1 2026
8 PV-Magazine:
U.S. inverter market faces policy, supply headwinds despite safe harbor pipeline
9 Energy Storage News:
Fortescue’s chairman says AI and battery storage ‘healed’ Australian mining grid in nanoseconds
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Resident-led campaign fails to reverse Ohio county’s ban on renewables
Have a great day!
Yann
