Tag Archives: Daily Rundown

This is your SolarWakeup for September 24th

New Boots on the Ground is coming from construction sites. Abby and I are planning in-person interviews as we head into RE+. Want to be part of one?

Red Sea shipping risk is a real cost problem now. If the Houthi situation worsens, diesel costs rise, ships reroute around the Cape, and pressure builds on an already-overloaded Panama Canal. What does that do to your battery container timelines?

232 import quotas just landed. Non-PO-related module imports are effectively closed off, and I still expect the minimum import price to rise by Q1. Is your supply chain positioned for that shift, or still betting on the workaround?

PPA rates are higher than they were five years ago — but not more flexible. I don’t expect that to change until data center approvals resume after the midterms. What’s your pipeline assuming happens between now and November 3rd?

Commerce is picking winners on 232 tariff rebates. Invest in a new cell factory, get a rebate — unless you’re FEOC-linked. Who does that leave out?

Want the full story on all of this? Subscribe to the SolarWakeup Daily Brief at solarwakeup.com/join — and if you or your company want to sponsor the newsletter or Boots on the Ground, reach out. We’re looking for a few great partners.

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 23rd

New Boots on the Ground. Abby and I would love your feedback and a LinkedIn post to help spread the word. solarwakeup.com/boots

Trump export ban. The logic is lower domestic prices, but some experts warn of long-term ramifications for US diesel access. We’ve been here before — lifting the oil export ban back in 2014-2015 is part of what got us the ITC extension. Are we coming full circle on energy policy?

A North Carolina gas premature. Duke Energy’s 255MW request was denied because the data center demand behind it hasn’t actually materialized yet. How many other “approved” pipelines are running ahead of real demand?

Newsom signed data center bills, including one requiring data centers to share wildfire cost liability tied to transmission risk. That kind of cost-sharing has never applied to solar generation. Could that change too?

Capex really an IRA story? PV Magazine says yes — I’m not so sure it’s that simple. FEOC, the FCC rule, prior trade cases, 232’s minimum import price — which one’s actually doing the work?

Want the full story on all of this? Subscribe to the SolarWakeup Daily Brief at solarwakeup.com/join, and we’re looking for fun places to record another episode of Boots on the Ground if you’re interested in sponsoring that!

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 22nd

New Boots on the Ground is live. Abby and I recorded Monday morning, covering diesel costs and the political battles shaping this week. Catch it now at solarwakeup.com/boots

PPA flexibility isn’t real, and it matters. If your project pipeline assumes offtake prices can absorb 232, FEOC, or diesel cost increases, that assumption may not hold. Is your pipeline actually built on flexible pricing, or just hoping it is?

Texas just made data center development more accessible. The PUC dropped its proposed $50,000/MW non-refundable study fee in favor of a flat $100,000 fee regardless of load size. Who does this open the door for that couldn’t compete before?

The politics-versus-policy gap on data centers, in one poll. 58% net disapproval, but less than 1% say it’ll decide their vote. So what happens the day after the midterms?

Solar developers have an edge data center companies don’t. Twenty-plus years of community engagement — ranchers, farmers, school boards. Could that become the real asset in AI-era land deals?

Want the full story on all of this? Subscribe to the SolarWakeup Daily Brief at solarwakeup.com/join — and if you or your company want to sponsor the newsletter or Boots on the Ground, reach out. We’re looking for a few great partners.

Opinion

Best, Yann

This is your SolarWakeup for September 17th

New Boots on the Ground is live. Abby and I dig into vehicle-to-grid, and it’s already looking like we know what we’re talking about: today’s headlines bring school bus fleets into the VPP conversation. Catch it now, and check us out on YouTube too. solarwakeup.com/boots

Congress bails, diesel bites — The House adjourned early amid a push to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth, pushing government funding and 45X expansion into a post-midterm lame-duck fight. Meanwhile diesel costs are quietly hitting every line item in your solar budget.

Comment period is open — The Federal Register wants your feedback on the bulk power executive order. Some developers are already rethinking inverter suppliers before any rule even exists.

Buses as batteries. School districts are eyeing idle bus fleets as virtual power plants. Maybe time for a new PPA model built entirely around it?

No tracking, no rows. Mounting startup Planted just raised $32M betting smaller poles and less steel beat traditional trackers. Does the math work in the US? 

Want the full story on all of this? Subscribe to the Wake Up Daily Briefing at solarwakeup.com/join  — and if you or your company want to sponsor the newsletter or Boots on the Ground, reach out. We’re looking for a few great partners.

Opinion

Best, Yann