This is your SolarWakeup for March 25th
Insurance Innovation Rewarded. Congratulations to the team at kWh Analytics, especially Jason Kaminsky and Richard Matsui who couch surfed their way to building an incredible business. A 14 year overnight success as they say, as kWh gets acquired by Beazley.
News
1 Yahoo Finance!:
Beazley agrees to acquire US-based kWh Analytics
2 PV-Magazine:
California’s SB 886 could make storage a prerequisite for data center interconnection
3 Canary Media:
Suddenly, the US manufactures a ton of grid batteries
4 Axios:
Rare offshore wind reversal highlights shift under Trump
5 Bloomberg:
Expensive Oil Is EV Makers’ Best Sales Pitch
6 Reuters:
CERAWeek opens with protests as energy chiefs clash
7 PV-Tech:
Solar wafer origin could be ‘significant risk’ for US industry, lawyers warn
8 Energy Storage News:
Nebraska advances energy storage and data centre-focused bill
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
Aurora warns resi installers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 23rd
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
DOE taps SoftBank arm to develop 9.2 GW of gas generation in Ohio
3 New York Times:
Hochul Moves to Delay and Alter Climate Law, Citing Energy Prices
4 Axios:
Iran war looms over global energy summit
5 PV-Tech:
Solar wafer origin could be ‘significant risk’ for US industry, lawyers warn
6 Solar Power World:
Michigan Senate committee advances bills for state VPP program
7 Canary Media:
Where in the world is clean energy technology made?
8 PV-Magazine:
Massachusetts mandates 15-month permitting deadline for solar and storage
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
‘US battery manufacturing will surpass 100% of demand’, US ESC report states
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 19th
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.
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
This is your SolarWakeup for March 18th
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.
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
This is your SolarWakeup for March 17th
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.
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
This is your SolarWakeup for March 16th
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.
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
This is your SolarWakeup for March 13th
Opinion
News
1 Puck News:
Katie Miller’s Solar Express
2 Utility Dive:
PJM is now using ambient-adjusted transmission ratings. Other grid operators will soon follow.
3 Bloomberg:
Longi Chief Calls for Tech Innovation to Reverse Solar Downturn
4 Axios:
U.S. oil stockpile is at a three-decade low
5 Reuters:
RWE in $20 billion US expansion push, shares near 16-year high
6 Solar Builder:
IPX Power launches as independent power producer following Intersect spinoff
7 PV-Tech:
Primergy closes US$760 million refinancing for Gemini solar-plus-storage project
8 Canary MEdia:
Virginia to become second state that allows balcony solar
9 PV-Magazine:
Swift Solar acquires Meyer Burger assets to scale U.S. HJT and perovskite production
Opinions:
10 Energy Storage News:
US BESS industry is ‘primed for years of growth’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 11th
UNC Climate Summit. Some conferences may lack industry notoriety but are full of solar celebrities. I spent the last two days networking in the halls of UNC’s conference center hearing about lots of AI and ideas around solar’s future but also stories from the past from folks like Markus Wilhelm (Strata Solar CEO), Ahmad Chatila and Jigar Shah. I even made my first appearance on the infamous SunCast video stream. Hats off to the organizers for the summit. It was made extra special for us at FTC as we announced our first expansion of our MSA with Strata Solar, adding 1GW of trackers to the agreement.
News
1 Solar Power World:
Strata Clean Energy signs 1-GW FTC Solar tracker supply agreement
2 Politico:
‘We’ve got to pay attention’
3 Utility Dive:
Utilities are spending billions on the data center boom. What are the risks?
4 Bloomberg:
Jefferies Makes the Case to Double Down on Clean Tech Investments
5 New York Times:
‘The Old Game Is Back’
6 Reuters:
US utilities scale up grid-boosting tech to meet surging demand
7 PV-Tech:
Polysilicon prices plunge, with maximum decline exceeding 12%
8 PV-Magazine:
Eaton invests $75 million in SPAN to scale smart home electrical panels
Opinions:
9 Energy Storage News:
EU ‘Made in Europe’ regulation welcomed but ‘will not remove dependency on China’
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 9th
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Why the Iran crisis is a mixed bag for clean energy
2 Bloomberg:
Oracle and OpenAI End Plans to Expand Flagship Data Center
3 Utility Dive:
2026 fire season off to ominous start after relatively mild 2025
4 Politico:
Senator mocked ‘green energy crap.’ His house runs on it.
5 Reuters:
Asia has limited options to diversify from Mideast energy reliance
6 PV-Tech:
Europe’s ‘Made in EU’ plans draw mixed reactions from solar industry
7 Solar Power World:
Bankable solar now depends on better irradiance data
8 Energy Storage News:
Fluence completes ahead-of-schedule delivery of all enclosures to 600MWh BESS in Australia
9 PV_Magazine:
Setting the stage for U.S. energy storage
Opinions:
10 Canary M:
Trump asks tech titans to sign an energy pledge, but is it just PR?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for March 6th
Opinion
News
1 Axios:
Trump, tech giants say AI pledge will contain power costs
2 Reuters:
Cuba hit by widespread power blackout amid US oil chokehold
3 Utility Dive:
Tariff refunds
4 Herald Online:
SC orders Silfab Solar to stop work after second Fort Mill chemical spill this week
5 Solar Power World:
New Jersey expands state community solar program by 3 GW
6 Bloomberg:
Mexico Gets $500 Million EV Charging Boost as Investment Rises
7 PV-Tech:
Maxwell develops perovskite/HJT cell with 32.5% conversion efficiency
8 Energy Storage News:
Jupiter Power receives approval for 2.8GWh Massachusetts BESS
9 PV-Magazine:
Artemis raises $6 million to scale distributed solar software
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
An oil company quietly dug a surprisingly deep geothermal well
Have a great day!
Yann
