This is your SolarWakeup for April 28th 2025
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? I will be there alongside my FTC Solar colleagues to talk about all things smart trackers and how we’re aggressively rewriting the roadmap for helping asset owners to get their trackers to work smarter for them. Reach out if you’ll be in town!
News
1 Politico:
Republicans sprint to wrap up Trump’s tax bill
2 Wired:
Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Quietly Revolutionizing the Energy System
3 Utility Dive:
FirstEnergy faces minimal direct tariff impact, but ‘uncertainty’ weighs on customers - CEO
4 Canary Media:
A mass exodus begins at the Energy Department
5 Axios:
Oil drilling giants start tallying tariff drag
6 Reuters:
China's wind, solar capacity exceeds thermal power for first time, energy regulator says
7 PV-Tech:
Boviet Solar opens US module assembly plant in North Carolina
8 PV-Magazine:
New York redirects surplus solar funds after 10 GW distributed solar goal
Opinions:
9 Grist:
Balcony solar took off in Germany. Why not the US?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 25th 2025
Ohio’s HB 6. This story is so wild, it’s getting a movie made about it. Hundreds of billions are invested in delivering electrons to consumers and businesses every year, getting that money to flow into the right pockets makes for interesting story telling.
Intersolar Europe. Are you heading to Munich for Intersolar? Care to do a SolarWakeup meetup? Doing a poll to see who’s interested and I’ll set something up if there is enough attendance.
News
1 Utility Dive:
NextEra Energy CEO urges ‘energy pragmatism’ amid rising costs, demand
2 PV-Magazine:
Solar PPA market remains stable in Q1 2025
3 Solar Power World:
Trina Storage and FlexGen deploy 371-MWh BESS in Houston
4 Bloomberg:
Hedge Funds Seek Out Ways to Navigate Trump’s Anti-Climate Agenda
5 Politico:
Rubio eliminates office that oversees climate talks
6 Axios:
A power titan calls transmission key to Trump's agenda
7 Reuters:
Europe's power costs plunge as gas-led heating season ends
8 PV-Tech:
New Jersey seeks 300MW solar PV, expands community solar programme by 250MW
9 Energy Storage News:
Strata Clean Energy breaks ground on 150MW/600MWh Arizona BESS
10 Canary Media:
Ohio’s HB 6 utility scandal gets true-crime treatment in HBO film
Opinions:
11 New York Times:
Can 3,500 Percent Tariffs Protect the U.S. Solar Industry?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 24th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Puerto Rico Blackout Renews Pressure to Cancel Grid Contract
2 Canary Media:
Rising utility bills have Americans worried
3 PV-Magazine:
Enphase falls short on Q1 revenue, trims margin expectations due to tariffs
4 Los Angeles Times:
Fight intensifies over bill by former Edison executive to gut rooftop solar credits
5 Axios:
EPA fires or reassigns hundreds of staffers
6 Reuters:
German regulator plans to cut 1.5 billion euros of power grid fee costs
7 PV-Tech:
Germany awards 2.6GW capacity in oversubscribed ground-mount PV auction
8 Energy Storage News:
Bulgaria finalises €600 million funding for nearly 10GWh of energy storage
Opinions:
9 Vox:
Let’s not panic about AI’s energy use just yet
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 23rd 2025
Opinion
News
1 CNBC:
Bessent says he expects ‘de-escalation’ in U.S.-China tariff fight in the ‘very near future’
2 PV-Tech:
US DOC issues steep AD/CVD tariffs on Southeast Asian solar cells
3 Politico:
White House asked FERC’s Phillips to step down
4 PV-Magazine:
Solar industry launches platform for grassroots advocacy
5 Utility Dive:
Climate advocates brace for Trump executive order targeting nonprofits’ tax exempt status
6 Bloomberg:
India Solar Makers See Opportunities, Risks in Trade Turmoil
7 Axios:
Pope Francis' legacy includes call for climate action
8 Reuters:
US restarts solar, storage permitting but agency gaps hit projects
9 Canary Media:
Solar recycling startup looks to build $90M facility in Florida
Opinions:
10 New York Times:
Blackouts and the Collapse of Puerto Rico’s Colonial Bargain
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 22th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Associated Press:
China dominates solar. Trump tariffs target China. For US solar industry, that means higher costs
2 Axios:
The Midwest's data center boom is heating up
3 Utility Dive:
Trump administration ordered to resume IRA funding
4 New York Times:
Here’s What to Know About Rare Earth Minerals and Renewable Energy
5 Reuters:
Rio Tinto partners with Indian firm to explore low-carbon aluminium project
6 PV-Tech:
Catalyze secures US$85 million in financing for 75MW of distributed solar capacity
7 Energy Storage News:
American Clean Power report recommends energy storage-friendly market reforms to US grid operators
8 Canary Media:
Ohio grid disparities leave some areas with older, outage-prone equipment
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
How robotics is reshaping solar module installation
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 16th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
China trade war risks stifling America's electric car movement
2 Reuters:
UK's energy regulator to confirm electricity grid reforms
3 Canary Media:
In California, solar generation could finally surpass gas this year
4 LAist:
California bill to cut solar incentives prompts fierce debate
5 PV-Magazine:
Familiar factions clash in final trade hearing
6 PV-Tech:
Australia’s federal election
7 UTility Dive:
Why microgrids are the key to grid resilience
Opinions:
8 Wall Street Journal:
The White House Targets State Climate Laws
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 15th 2025
Opinion
News
1 PV-Tech:
Four Republican senators urge ‘stable’ approach to renewables tax credits
2 New York Times:
Rewiring Britain for an Era of Clean Energy
3 Axios:
AI's climate impact is still a black box
4 Reuters:
US steel tariffs set to hike costs, lead times in clean power
5 Politico:
Trump’s economic tumult tests the oil industry’s patience
6 Utility Dive:
American Battery reports production milestone, land sale
7 Energy Storage News:
US BESS investment ‘already impacted’ by tariffs, but industry predicted to remain resilient
8 PV-Magazine:
Commercial solar joint venture launched with $400 million investment
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Why coal won’t solve the looming grid-reliability crisis
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 11th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Politico:
Trade shake-up - Bessent leads on trade as Lutnick plays ‘bad cop’ — and Navarro is sidelined
2 New York Times:
Trump Threatens Climate Policies in the States
3 Bloomberg:
Texas Is Ground Zero for the US Battery Boom
4 Axios:
Fears of AI speeding up climate change "overstated"
5 Reuters:
Google deploys AI to speed up connections at PJM, largest US power grid
6 PV-Tech:
Oxford PV, Trinasolar enter perovskite-silicon tandem patent licensing agreement
7 Energy Storage News:
Sunraycer Renewables closes US$475 million financing for two solar-plus-storage projects in Texas
8 Canary Media:
Maryland’s sweeping new energy legislation is a mixed bag for climate
9 PV-Magazine:
Four GOP senators resist IRA tax-credit repeal
Opinions:
10 Utility Dive:
The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 10th 2025
Opinion
News
1 Ruters:
German tech startup 1Komma5 joins Klarna in shelving US IPO plans
2 Utility Dive:
Trump aims to boost coal, in part by ordering power plants to stay open
3 PV-Magazine:
Pennsylvania governor energizes Lightning Plan with ‘all-of-the-above’ approach
4 BLoomberg:
Trump Puts 90-Day Pause on Higher Tariffs, But Hikes China Rates
5 PV-Tech:
Excelsior closes US$1 billion US renewables equity fund
6 Renewable Energy World:
‘States are not powerless’ against federal clean energy pushback. It’s community solar’s time to shine
7 Energy Storage News:
US battery gigafactories face delays and cancellations amid market uncertainty
8 Canary Media:
Base Power lands $200M for rapidly growing home-battery business
Opinions:
9 Axios:
Oil prices falling into zone that discourages production growth
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 9th 2025
Deal Season? There are so many balls in the air that it’s sometimes hard to focus on the 3 that you actually want to juggle but let’s give it a whirl. First, it’s clear that the market is looking for the White House to make some trade deals, sooner the better. Second, the Senate and the House appear out of sync with each other on what’s going on with the budget/tax/debt ceiling plan and the House seems to have a shortfall in votes absent a broader deal. For those of us on the sidelines and in the weeds fighting for the IRA, let’s keep pushing on how important the tax credit and solar benefits are to the economy, AI and energy dominance. Lastly, let’s keep focusing on deploying and finding ways to help each other. This is a moment where I am leaning on my relationships and finding ways to work together. If there’s anything I can do to be helpful, don’t hesitate to reach out.
News
1 Reuters:
Renewables provided record 32% of global electricity in 2024, Ember says
2 Politico:
‘He’s just not going to change my mind’
3 New York Times:
Trump Signs Orders Aimed at Reviving a Struggling Coal Industry
4 Axios:
Oil prices ride a highway to the danger zone
5 Utility Dive:
AIP Management invests $500M in US solar producer
6 PV-Tech:
‘We want it to feel like magic’
7 Energy Storage News:
Tata Power deploys battery storage to support critical infrastructure in Mumbai, India
8 PV-Magazine:
Robots to work side-by-side with humans to demonstrate solar module installation
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Trump’s tariffs undermine his energy and manufacturing goals
Have a great day!
Yann
