Tourney Time. Today is the Last Day! Sign up for the annual SolarWakeup March Madness Challenge. Search for SolarWakeup 2026 on ESPN TC or create your bracket for Women’s and Men’s tournament challenges here, password is gosolar. Winner gets bragging rights and the morning paragraph on a topic of their choice.
Onsite Batteries And Investigations. It is no surprise to me that data centers are bringing batteries for backup, for interconnection and for power quality to the inside of the fence at the data centers. Cells are simply too power hungry for typical instant backup. The interesting part of that is how it relates to local content, FEOC and the ongoing OICTS investigation about foreign influence into the grid and related parts. For solar that seems to be largely centered around inverters but for storage it likely impacts domestic sources of BMS and EMS software. This is often overlooked but more importantly the likelihood that cybersecurity is coming to this is largely ignored, for now, especially when storage goes behind the meter at data centers.
News
1 PV-Magazine:
How on-site batteries are fast-tracking data center grid connections
2 Utility Dive:
13 DOE emergency orders have cost Americans $235M, Sierra Club says
3 Axios:
Higher energy prices might eat your tax refund, economists say
4 Reuters:
Brazil secures 19 gigawatts at power capacity auction to strengthen energy supply
5 PV-Tech:
Origis Energy begins operations at 210 MW Indiana PV project
6 Energy Storage News:
Over 17GWh of BESS deployed globally in February 2026
7 Canary Media:
Trump deal for a $33B gas megaplant in Ohio faces huge hurdles
Opinions:
8 Bloomberg:
Trump’s Energy Emergency Is Self-Fulfilling
Have a great day!
Yann
Tourney Time. Sign up for the annual SolarWakeup March Madness Challenge. Search for SolarWakeup 2026 on ESPN TC or create your bracket for Women’s and Men’s tournament challenges here, password is gosolar. Winner gets bragging rights and the morning paragraph on a topic of their choice.
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Mass. governor orders state to pursue 15 GW of resources, including storage, VPPs
2 Bloomberg:
EVs Avoided Use of 2.3 Million Barrels of Oil Per Day In 2025
3 Reuters:
AI power dash transforms clean energy offtake market
4 PV-Tech:
What is dictating solar module price increases?
5 Energy Storage News:
‘Interconnection remains the big bottleneck’
6 Canary Media:
The fight over California’s community solar plan is heating up
7 PV-Magazine:
U.S. government confirms Tesla as mystery buyer in $4.3 billion LG Energy Solution LFP deal
8 Axios:
Meet the sustainability exec at the center of the AI boom
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
As War Chokes Natural Gas Supply, Asia Turns Back to Coal
Have a great day!
Yann
Tourney Time. Sign up for the annual SolarWakeup March Madness Challenge. Search for SolarWakeup 2026 on ESPN TC or create your bracket for Women’s and Men’s tournament challenges here, password is gosolar. Winner gets bragging rights and the morning paragraph on a topic of their choice.
Opinion
News
1 PV-Tech:
AI in PV plant operations
2 Bloomberg:
US Data Center Boom Slows Due to Power Grid Limits, WoodMac Says
3 UTility Dive:
Data center demand spike could drive 79% ERCOT price hike in 2027
4 NPR:
Oil and gas prices are soaring. Some countries are ready with solar panels and EVs
5 New York Times:
Hydropower Line From Quebec to Queens Could Power a Million N.Y.C. Homes
6 Axios:
Nuclear, fusion companies sign deals with Japanese counterparts
7 Energy Storage News:
New York leads US in BESS moratoriums, recent data shows
8 Canary Media:
Which states have the most grid batteries?
9 PV-Magazine:
Alabama senator seeks statewide ban on solar installations
Opinions:
10 Reuters:
India may soften new grid-supply rules for renewable power producers
Have a great day!
Yann
Price Shocks Everywhere. There are no shortage of places to see the price shocks in energy. From the gas pump, to PJM wholesale costs or shipping, everyone is paying more for energy. So when I think about how to help achieve that, I also think about the tariffs coming to batteries for example and think that we should be taking a step to lower energy costs by focusing on safety and not building more commodity factories which is what I consider the battery boxes to be. There’s also a pending 232 on poly coming that will further increase panel prices potentially. For storage, there’s a pending cybersecurity docket at Commerce that could focus on BMS and EMS for grid safety and leverage global manufacturing capacity to fast track the energy storage build out for the growing energy demand.
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Oil Gets More Expensive. Batteries Keep Getting Cheaper
2 Utility Dive:
‘Clear warning signs’ as PJM wholesale power costs jump 54% in one year
3 Sierra Club:
The Solar Industry Has Been Bogged Down by Red Tape. Digital Tools Are Changing That.
4 Mother Jones:
The Battle Over Solar on Farmland
5 PV-Tech:
Top ten solar manufacturers shipped over 500GW of modules in 2025
6 Solar Power World:
Maryland legislators include utility solar in statewide energy savings initiative
7 Energy Storage News:
Google completes US$4.75 billion Intersect Power acquisition, initial focus on California & Texas solar-plus-storage
8 Canary Media:
A chapter of California’s rooftop solar battle closes
9 PV-Magazine:
AI datacenters rewrite the solar PPA playbook
Opinions:
10 Axios:
Iran war reignites debate over U.S. oil exports
Have a great day!
Yann
