Over 50 House Republicans sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Nov. 14, urging the department to stop imports of Chinese solar inverters. The lawmakers highlighted concerns raised by a Reuters investigation that uncovered undocumented rogue communication devices in Chinese inverters. "The integration of critical grid technologies, such as utility-scale solar and battery inverters, sourced from foreign entities of concern pose unacceptable national security, economic and supply chain risks," it said.

Polysilicon prices have increased slightly amid uncertainty relating to foreign entity of concern policy initiatives and the Section 232 national security probe, reports OPIS. The industry expected results from the Section 232 investigation as early as this month, but recent updates suggest a delay until at least January 2026. Despite these headwinds, solar-grade polysilicon capacity as increased in the US, partially due to restarting previously idled sites.

The Trump administration is working hard to position coal as a reliable energy source, but research indicates otherwise. A new analysis shows that coal generators experience an outage rate of more than 12% due to equipment-related issues. Wind, for comparison, averages 6.6%. High-profile outages such as the Sandy Creek plant in Texas further undermine the reliability of the energy source and raise concerns about keeping aging coal-burning power plants on the grid.

Transitioning away from fossil fuels has become a hot topic at COP30 and leaders are discussing the topic through the summit's "action agenda" -- not its formal one. Some nations and coalitions are calling for a formal roadmap for fossil fuel transition, but significant opposition exists and the need for consensus at COP summits has previously hindered binding commitments. As a result, discussions at COP30 will likely focus on building a voluntary coalition and initiating a multi-year dialogue, rather than producing an enforceable plan or timeline.

A coalition of state legislatures representing many of the states in PJM Interconnection's service area is seeking support for the Protecting Ratepayers Proposal -- a strategy that would allow data center interconnections, but only if they're curtailed during periods of peak demand to curb costs. The approach is similar to PJM's previous "non-capacity-backed load" proposal, which was dropped amid opposition from data center operators and tech giants. PJM is now evaluating a "price-responsive demand" structure, which it says would operate like voluntary NCBL. It remains to be seen whether PJM can strike a balance to support data center growth while maintaining low prices and grid reliability.

The US residential solar industry is facing a significant transition as the federal Investment Tax Credit phases out at the end of 2025, writes Fox Swim of Aurora Solar. The shift is expected to drive a short-term downturn in demand, with projections indicating a 26% drop in 2026. While the ITC's expiration challenges the industry, it also encourages innovation and operational efficiency to sustain adoption in a post-incentive landscape, writes Swim.

Wind and solar are cheaper than new fossil fuels at scale and better for human health, yet the transition continues to stumble. Jay Gulledge of the University of Tennessee explores the issue, with a focus on why regulatory delays, political headwinds and high financing costs are barriers to growth. The US, large energy projects takes 4.5 years to permit, on average, and transmission interconnection can take another 10 years or more.

First Solar plans to invest $330 million in a production facility in Gaffney, S.C., to convert thin-film solar cells into Series 6 Plus modules. Operations are expected to begin in the second half of 2026. The plant will create more than 600 jobs and add 3.7 gigawatts of solar capacity.