This is your SolarWakeup for August 1st 2025
Tracker Safe Harbor. Yesterday, FTC Solar announced an innovative way to expand the use of single axis trackers for safe harbor purposes. The unique technology architecture that FTC brought to the market last year allows for sites to leave many decisions for later in the development process while procuring tracker components that will be usable regardless of the final site design. The information is outline in FTC’s white paper that you can see here.
News
1 Yahoo! Finance:
FTC Solar Launches Safe Harbor Strategy Leveraging Module-Agnostic Universal Torque Tubes & Engineering Services Expertise to Enable Tax Credit Certainty
2 Bloomberg:
China Polysilicon Makers Plan $7 Billion Fund to Ease Glut
3 Utility Dive:
CleanCapital acquires 64-project solar portfolio from Greenbacker
4 Solar Power World:
Democratic lawmakers ask government accountability office to review DOE’s actions against solar and wind
5 Axios:
Exclusive - DOE alums look to speed energy, climate tech deployments
6 Reuters:
Global power grid expansion fuels fresh copper demand surge
7 PV-Tech:
Trump’s 25% India tariff will add to US’ solar trade puzzle
8 PV-Magazine:
ComEd flips the switch on Chicagoland rooftop community solar portfolio
9 Energy Storage News:
Apex, esVolta put Texas BESS projects into commercial operation
10 Canary Media:
US aluminum producers need cheap, clean power. That may be tough to get.
Opinions:
11 Mother Jones:
Rooftop Solar Is a Miracle. Why Are We Killing It With Red Tape?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 30th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
India's Waaree Energies says US anti-dumping probe won't derail solar ambitions
2 Utility Dive:
New York launches 1 GW bulk energy storage solicitation using new credit
3 New York Times:
Trump Urges the U.K. to Drill More Oil, Criticizing Its Energy Policy
4 Axios:
EPA seeks to cancel scientific basis for climate regulations
5 PV-Tech:
Shell’s Savion sets up Ares-backed solar project ownership vehicle
6 Solar Power World:
OpenSolar announces software upgrade with AI integration
7 Energy Storage News:
Lithium-ion starting to dominate LDES pipeline
8 Canary Media:
A pioneering ‘second-life’ battery startup begins major Texas expansion
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
New York plots to keep solar on the burner while giving fossil fuels more gas
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 29th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Enphase Sees 20% Drop in Home Solar Market on Subsidy Loss
2 Axios:
EU trade deal with Trump seen as helping Europe ditch Russian fuels
3 Reuters:
Portugal to invest $466 million to boost grid management, battery storage after outage
4 PV-Tech:
Zelestra, EDP sign ‘first’ solar-plus-storage PPA in Spain
5 Solar Power World:
Energy storage spared by HR1, but can it thrive alone?
6 Energy Storage News:
‘21GWh of US ESS cell manufacturing capacity cancelled this year’
7 Canary Media:
The country’s biggest energy market struggles to reform amid soaring costs
8 PV-magazine:
States see widespread policy efforts to overcome grid issues
9 CNBC:
Private investors buy into largest-of-its-kind solar deal to electrify Kenya
Opinions:
10 UTility Dive:
Reimagining the grid for the 21st century with virtual power plants
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 28th 2025
Opinion
News
1 UTility Dive:
Electric utilities will invest more than $1.1T by 2030 to meet demand growth
2 Bloomberg:
Germans Are Finally Embracing Air Conditioning, Even Renters
3 Reuters:
Citigroup's head of energy transition decamps for Moelis role, sources say
4 Solar Builder:
Project planning gets a reality check after OBBB
5 PV-Tech:
Nautilus, Greenprint Capital enter US$275 million tax equity deal to build 130MW US community solar
6 Renewable Energy World:
Invenergy says Grain Belt Express will go forward despite DOE decision
7 Energy Storage News:
US imposes 93.5% tariff on Chinese battery anode products, but BESS spared
8 Canary Media:
Energy bill could cost North Carolina billions in lost investments and jobs
9 PV-Magazine:
Design solar for storage now, or retrofit at a premium later
Opinions:
10 Nevada Independent:
For future growth, Nevada needs solar. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ won’t help.
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 25th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
US electricity demand to grow 2.5% annually through 2035 - BofA Institute
2 Canary Media:
Powin fueled the US grid storage boom. Then the company crashed.
3 Bloomberg:
Europe’s Solar Power Growth Set to Dip for First Time Since 2016
4 New York Times:
Europe’s Solar Power Growth Set to Dip for First Time Since 2016
5 Reuters:
Boom fades for US clean energy as Trump guts subsidies
6 Solar Builder:
Sunrun and Tesla Electric team up on fixed-rate solar and storage plan for Texas
7 PV-Tech:
Sonnedix secures US$2.35 billion through refinancing deals to fund European growth
8 Solar Power World:
2025 Top Solar Contractors - Inside the List
9 Energy Storage News:
US imposes 93.5% tariff on Chinese battery anode products, but BESS spared
Opinions:
10 PV-Magazine:
Georgia Power agrees to give community solar a path forward
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 24th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
Booming solar and storage are propping up Puerto Rico’s grid this summer
2 E&E News:
Trump is escalating his attacks on wind, solar
3 Bloomberg:
China’s Key US Energy Imports Near Zero Before Vital Trade Talks
4 Reuters:
NextEra beats quarterly profit estimates on massive power demand
5 PV-Tech:
‘Reciprocal’ tariffs negatively impacted Enphase Q2 gross margins
6 Energy Storage News:
GridBeyond begins optimisation of Gore Street’s 400MWh first California BESS project
7 Canary Media:
Trump admin cancels $4.9B loan for biggest transmission line in US
8 PV-Magazine:
Investments in community solar continue despite federal headwinds
9 Axios:
International law includes climate-change obligations, UN court says
Opinions:
10 Wall Street Journal:
The Real Risk to the Electric Grid
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 22nd 2025
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
Why Trump’s War on Solar Power Will Fail
2 Electrek:
Corning snaps up JA Solar’s US factory as Chinese parts face tax credit ban
3 PV-Tech:
Indian PV companies among targets of new AD/CVD petition launched in US
4 PV-Magazine:
Sunrun to close $431 million securitization
5 Utility Dive:
Wood Mackenzie sees extended ‘sunset’ for costly coal power
6 Bloomberg:
French Power Slips on Wind Surge, Deepening Discount to Germany
7 Axios:
Group offers energy and industrial playbook for countering China
8 Reuters:
Rush for US gas plants drives up costs, lead times
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Rooftop solar braces for fallout from Trump’s megabill
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 18th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Reuters:
Solar, wind projects on US lands will get extra scrutiny
2 PV-Tech:
Indian PV companies among targets of new AD/CVD petition launched in US
3 Axios:
We've had a record number of flash flood warnings this year
4 Canary Media:
Trump’s rural energy freeze hits Midwest, GOP districts hardest
5 PV-Magazine:
Solar developer secures $260 million for 94 MW facility in Kentucky
6 Bloomberg:
Talen Buys Two Gas-Fired Plants in Race to Meet AI Power Demand
7 Solar Power World:
Enphase now shipping batteries with higher domestic content
8 Energy Storage News:
LG ES to supply US-made BESS for DESRI’s Arizona Santa Tera solar-storage project
Opinions:
9 Utility Dive:
Utilities may speed renewable projects under new tax credit timeline - Jefferies
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 17th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Trump Softens Tone on China to Secure Xi Summit, Trade Deal
2 Utility Dive:
Virtual power plants helped save the grid during heat dome
3 The Conversation:
California farmers identify a hot new cash crop - Solar power
4 Axios:
GM, Redwood Materials to team on U.S.-built batteries for storage
5 Reuters:
EDF weighs stake sales in North American, Brazilian renewables units
6 PV-Tech:
UL Solutions grants ABB industry’s first certification for 2,000V switch-disconnector
7 PV-Magazine:
California irrigation district calls for halt of farmland conversion for solar
Opinions:
8 Canary Media:
Trump’s push to keep coal plants running could cost consumers billions
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for July 16th 2025
Energy Cost Inflation. That is the goal in the first phase while slowing down solar production. With the cost of non-domestically manufactured gas turbines nearly quadrupling this decade, matched by a 7 year backlog in EPC contractors, the industry benefitting most from the slowing of solar’s growth is now clear. The cost will be an increase of cost of electricity for consumers not in a position to access their own energy supply. It’s all a bit sad to see given what solar could be after 20 years of investments, driving the cost of energy down while making it clean and more reliable within a diverse system of energy production.
News
1 Axios:
Trump pledges more power to match AI investments in Pennsylvania
2 NPR:
Power prices are expected to soar under new tax cut and spending law
3 Bloomberg:
Southern Wins Approval on Big Spending Plan as AI Demands New Power
4 Utility Dive:
The regulator’s dilemma - balancing grid modernization with rising power bills
5 Reuters:
Indian clean energy firm SAEL to invest $954 mln in solar manufacturing plant
6 Solar Builder:
California Senate Committee moves to preserve net metering rights in AB 942
8 Solar Power World:
US launches new tariff investigation into imported polysilicon
9 Energy Storage News:
Noise and cybersecurity standards key to Verbund and Fluence’s 186MWh Germany BESS deal
10 Canary Media:
USDA abruptly cancels rural energy grant application window
Opinions:
11 PV-Magazine:
U.S. solar projects face development crunch while Canada says “Build, baby, build”
Have a great day!
Yann
