This is your SolarWakeup for May 7th
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.
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
This is your SolarWakeup for May 5th
Power Of Compute. Just after yesterday’s headlines about nuclear failures and solar’s growth, we have the IPO for Fervo energy, a geothermal tech provider. With the headline valuation, you can see that the promise of future opportunity is driving the market for anything that can get more electrons to the AI / Data Center trend.
News
1 Reuters:
Fervo Energy eyes $6.5 billion valuation in US IPO
2 Politico:
Democratic leaders want an affordability debate on AI. Critics say they’re ducking the real fight.
3 Bloomberg:
AI Boom to Add Hidden Extra Cost to Northeast US Power Bills
4 The Guardian:
Solar booms in industrial US midwest as energy crisis persists
5 PV-Tech:
CIP acquires Orsted onshore unit, launches Perigus Energy with 826MW capacity
6 Utility Dive:
Dominion upbeat on offshore wind as cost estimate eases, sales rise
7 Energy Storage News:
US administration ‘must make it easier to get things built,’ DOE chief of staff says
8 Canary Media:
For cheaper power, Virginia’s local utilities build small grid batteries
Opinions:
9 PV-Magazine:
Tigo Energy expands Predict+ capabilities to enhance financial forecasting for United States energy producers
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 4th
May The Fourth. Be with you. (Yes, I still have never watched Star Wars)
News
1 Politico:
Data centers used to be a prize. States are having second thoughts.
2 UTility Dive:
Southern Co. electricity sales soar on 42% data center growth
3 PV-Magazine:
First Solar reaffirms 2026 guidance as CuRe launch and record India sales drive Q1 margin expansion
4 Bloomberg:
Nuclear AI Startup Fermi Promised Land and Ample Power. But It Couldn't Sign a Single Client
6 PV-Tech:
Tata Power targets 10GW ingot-wafer capacity with US$685 million investment
7 Energy Storage News:
Data centres’ speed-to-power need driving US LDES commercialisation
8 Canary Media:
Used EVs are on the upswing in America
Opinions:
9 Solar Power World:
How dual-use solar gets built
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for May 1st
Negative Rates. West Texas gas is negative which means that the cost of storage is greater than the demand for the commodity. Basically generators are choosing between paying for storage or how much they pay for buyers.
News
1 Axios:
Where the energy shock is turned upside down
2 Bloomberg:
The AI Boom Is Cushioning the US Economy From Iran War Impact
3 UTility Dive:
Senators vow to block permitting reform over Trump’s renewables obstruction
4 Reuters:
First Solar's quarterly sales rise on higher solar panel demand
5 PV-Tech:
Indian PV manufacturer Inox Solar acquires Boviet Solar’s US module assembly operations
6 Energy Storage News:
US administration ‘must make it easier to get things built,’ DOE chief of staff says
7 Canary Media:
Two California bills would push utilities to get more out of their grids
Opinions:
8 PV-Magazine:
Solar Manufacturing USA 2026
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 30th
Feature In The System. In yesterday’s Senate hearing several Senators voiced their concerns about the ongoing silent but obvious campaign to halt solar development progress. Especially during a time when demand is skyrocketing, gas turbines are slow to come by and global fossil production / logistics are impacted by the Middle East conflicts; solar should be the generation that the US doubles into, focused by the private capital and demand for our generation. Secretary Burgum wasn’t interested taking a firm position whether the Interior department would be opening the floodgates of demand aside from disagreeing (vehemently) about the federal court’s ruling that the DOI memo should be rescinded.
News
1 Latitude Media:
Senators say permitting reform hinges on DOI advancing solar, wind permits
2 Bloomberg:
Meta’s Need for Gas Power Boosts Entergy Spending by $14 Billion
3 Utility Dive:
CAISO expects ‘solid launch’ for EDAM, first Western day-ahead market
4 Barrons:
Enphase Stock Falls After Earnings as Solar Slump Overshadows Data Center Push
5 New York Times:
The World Needs Natural Gas Now, but the U.S. Is Exporting All It Can
6 Reuters:
TotalEnergies to wait for stable Strait of Hormuz transit before resuming operations in region
7 PV-Tech:
EU bans funding for energy projects using Chinese inverters—will it move the needle on cybersecurity?
8 Energy Storage News:
‘A turning point’
9 Canary Media:
A new bill would help VPPs replace peaker plants in California
10 PV-Magazine:
More than 67 GW storage, 14 GW solar seek interconnection in PJM’s reopened queue
Opinions:
11 Axios:
What's next for oil after the UAE's decision to quit OPEC
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 28th
Opinion
News
1 New York Times:
How Do You Measure A.I. Firms’ Gargantuan Energy Plans? In ‘Bragawatts.’
2 Bloomberg:
Hormuz Crisis Is ‘Biggest Energy Disruption Ever,’ Yergin Says
3 Utility Dive:
What’s stalling data center projects? Public opposition and power access lead delays.
4 Axios:
Trump's oil export surge — and ceiling
5 Reuters:
Nuclear reactor maker X-Energy valued at $11.9 billion in stellar Nasdaq debut
6 PV-Tech:
Saatvik moves into transformers with 80% Melcon acquisition
7 Energy Storage News:
Grid-forming inverters feature in 74% of Australia’s 33.2GW NEM battery storage pipeline
8 PV-Magazine:
California’s regressive rooftop solar policy hit with second appeal to State Supreme Court
Opinions:
9 Canary Media:
Are long-promised solar perovskites finally hitting mass production?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 24th
Opinion
News
1 Utility Dive:
GE Vernova gas turbine backlog hits 100 GW as prices rise
2 Bloomberg:
SoftBank Prepares to Manufacture Batteries for AI Data Centers
3 Solar Power World:
Commerce releases prelim antidumping tariffs in India, Indonesia, Laos solar case
4 Reuters:
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
5 Axios:
Oil prices and stocks are talking past each other right now
6 PV-Tech:
Masdar forms renewables JV with Montenegro state utility
7 Energy Storage News:
Tesla reports declines in quarterly energy storage revenues and deployments
8 PV-Magazine:
NextEra Energy adds record 4 GW of renewables and storage backlog in Q1
Opinions:
9 New York Times:
How the Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket Upended Climate Policy
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 23rd
Opinion
News
1 PV-Magazine:
Court blocks “de facto moratorium” on federal solar permitting
2 Axios:
Solar power drives a renewables inflection point
3 Bloomberg:
Europe Power Markets See More Negative Prices as Solar Surges
4 Reuters:
Five charts on how US clean electricity output keeps climbing
5 PV-Tech:
EU is open to ‘harsh’ enforcement of cybersecurity for solar energy
6 Energy Storage News:
Strait of Hormuz closure creates complexity for global energy storage markets
7 Politico:
Trump’s pick to lead CISA withdraws nomination after months of political impasse
8 Utility Dive:
What does Trump’s wartime powers flex mean for transformers and other grid equipment shortages?
9 Solar Power World:
Policy change virtually stops new community solar development in Maine
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
Are long-promised solar perovskites finally hitting mass production?
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 21st
Miami Grand Prix. It seems to me that amongst my readership some of you will be in my hometown for the Formula 1 race on May 1st. If you’re in need for some company, don’t hesitate to reach out and we can talk some solar and storage or of course more importantly about energy storage strategy in Formula 1 cars.
News
1 Bloomberg:
Cheap Batteries Are Taking Over the World’s Power Grids
2 Utility Dive:
FERC tees up June decision on data center interconnection reform
3 New York Times:
The Long-Term Plan to Scrub Carbon From the Sky
4 Axios:
Renewable energy gets an Iran war boost
5 Yale Climate Connections:
As Cuba’s grid fails, solar power becomes a lifeline
6 Reuters:
Fervo Energy discloses revenue fall in US IPO filing
7 PV-Tech:
Toyo centres US efforts in Texas as it looks to build policy-proof supply chain
8 Energy Storage News:
‘We’ll never be the cheapest’
9 PV-Magazine:
Solar developers face high-stakes tax credit risks as FEOC rules tighten
Opinions:
10 Canary Media:
What to know before you get balcony solar
Have a great day!
Yann
This is your SolarWakeup for April 16th
Opinion
News
1 Bloomberg:
Germany Pushes for New Solar Farms to Be Equipped With Batteries
2 Reuters:
Carmakers navigating the costly and tricky transition to battery storage systems
3 PV-Tech:
US DOE proposes 52% cut to National Laboratory of the Rockies funding
4 Solar Builder:
Gov. Spanberger signs suite of solar, storage bills for Virginia
5 Utility Dive:
Distributed batteries get legislative, utility lift in California
6 Solar Power World:
Total community solar in the US reaches 10 GW
7 Energy Storage News:
‘Unfettered optimism’ on US BESS degradation hits wall of operational reality
8 Canary Media:
Georgia Power will now let data centers bring their own clean energy
9 PV-Magazine:
Residential solar company Freedom Forever files chapter 11 bankruptcy
Have a great day!
Yann
