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US solar output hits record as AI data centers drive 66 GW demand surge
Edgen Stock·Jul 24 2026, 10:12Share to
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[1] US Solar Power Just Hit a Record High as AI Data Centers Push Electricity Demand to New Highs (https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/07/24/us ...)[2] US Solar Power Just Hit a Record High as AI Data Centers Push Electricity Demand... (https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/us- ...)[3] Solar just outproduced coal across the US power grid for the first time ever (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/solar ...)[4] Battery Storage Charges Ahead as Ultimate U.S. Renewable Energy Growth Enabler (https://www.enr.com/articles/63351-battery-st ...)
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Jul 24 2026, 11:19
Merck licenses experimental HIV pill to 7 generic makers in 129 countries
Merck signed seven voluntary licensing agreements with generic drug manufacturers to produce lower-cost versions of its experimental once-monthly oral HIV pill in 129 low- and lower-middle-income countries. "This is the first time that sub-Saharan African manufacturers have been included in licenses from the very beginning," Gregg Szabo, head of Merck's global vaccines and infectious diseases unit, said. The royalty-free agreements cover both the public and private sectors and include three sub-Saharan Africa manufacturers — Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, Quality Chemical Industries and UCL — and four Indian companies: Aurobindo, Cipla, Emcure and Viatris. The 129 countries covered account for a substantial majority of new HIV diagnoses globally, Merck said. The drug, alimatravir, is still in late-stage development and is expected to provide one month of protection from HIV-1 starting within one hour after dosing. Trial results are not expected until the second half of 2027, giving generic licensees time to scale up production, Paul Schaper, head of global pharmaceutical public policy at Merck, said. The agreements follow a similar move by Gilead Sciences in 2024, which granted royalty-free licenses to six generic drug manufacturers to make cheaper versions of its HIV prevention medicine lenacapavir in 120 low- and lower-middle-income countries. The World Health Organization has urged governments and drugmakers to improve access to affordable HIV medicines, including through voluntary licensing and greater generic competition. The licensing deal signals Merck's confidence in alimatravir's regulatory prospects while preempting access criticism that has dogged the industry. Investors will watch for Phase 3 data in the second half of 2027, which will determine the drug's commercial potential in developed markets. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 24 2026, 11:17
CS PowerTech opens $1B solar cell plant in Indiana, adding 1,200 jobs
CS PowerTech Inc., the largest silicon PV solar manufacturer in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ), opened the first phase of its flagship photovoltaic cell plant at the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company said Thursday. The facility, representing nearly $1 billion in local investment, will produce heterojunction bifacial N-type solar cells and is expected to reach more than 6 GWp of annual capacity at full build-out, supporting over 1,200 skilled jobs in Southern Indiana. "This facility will produce next-generation HJT solar cells, support domestic manufacturing, and ultimately strengthen grid reliability as our customers deploy the products," Rusty Schmit, President of CS PowerTech, said. The Jeffersonville plant is the first U.S. cell facility designed for HJT technology, which combines higher efficiency with bifacial energy capture from both sides of the panel. The plant complements CS PowerTech's existing module assembly facility in Mesquite, Texas, creating a vertically integrated domestic supply chain that spans cell production through module assembly. Canadian Solar Chief Executive Officer Colin Parkin said the HJT technology gives the company "the ability to deliver leading technology, improved energy yield, and long-term value for customers while strengthening domestic advanced manufacturing." CS PowerTech expects to ramp phase one to full capacity over the coming months and begin work on phase two before year-end. The company now employs more than 3,000 Americans across its U.S. manufacturing operations. **Why HJT matters for the solar market** Heterojunction cells combine a crystalline silicon layer with thin amorphous silicon layers on both sides, achieving higher conversion efficiencies than mainstream PERC or TOPCon technologies. The Jeffersonville plant's HJT cells will feed CS PowerTech's Texas module line, giving the company control over both the most technically demanding and the most capital-intensive steps of solar manufacturing. The U.S. push into HJT manufacturing is accelerating. SEG Solar announced plans for a U.S. HJT module plant this year, and Toyo Solar has moved toward building an HJT cell facility after facing antidumping duties on its TOPCon cells from Ethiopia. In China, Dinto Solar recently won a 1 GW HJT module supply contract with state-owned China Datang Corp., signaling sustained demand for the technology. **Investment implications** Canadian Solar shares trade at a discount to U.S. solar peers as the company navigates tariff uncertainty and the shift from Chinese manufacturing to domestic production. The Jeffersonville plant, backed by the Inflation Reduction Act's domestic manufacturing credits, could improve margins by reducing exposure to import duties and shipping costs. Phase two expansion, expected before year-end, would add further capacity and potentially lift the company's U.S. market share above its current position as the largest domestic silicon PV manufacturer. Indiana Governor Mike Braun called the investment "good-paying jobs for Hoosiers" that reinforces the state's role in advanced manufacturing. The plant received support from state and local economic development agencies, though specific incentive terms were not disclosed. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 24 2026, 11:14
Trump's Iran escalation wipes $889B from Big Tech in single day
President Donald Trump's threat to launch a "massive attack" against Iran sent the Magnificent Seven into an $889 billion tailspin Thursday, the deepest single-day wipeout since the April 2025 tariff shock. "The bond bid reflects positioning for a prolonged conflict, but strong fundamental readings from companies will be overshadowed by financial conditions tightening risk increasing," said Dennis DeBusschere, head of macro research at 22V Research. The Nasdaq Composite sank 2.1%, the S&P 500 fell 1.2% to break below its 50-day moving average, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 507 points, or 1%. Oil settled above $100 a barrel for the first time in two months after Iranian-backed Houthis attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, threatening the Bab al-Mandeb strait — an alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz. Alphabet shares plunged 7.1%, losing $293.8 billion in market value — the sixth-largest one-day loss for any U.S. company on record — while Tesla cratered 14.5%, shedding $214.5 billion. Alphabet's free cash flow turned negative in the second quarter for the first time in its history, amplifying investor unease about hyperscaler spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure. The risk is that a sustained disruption to both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea chokepoint worsens global inflation, forcing central banks to adopt a more hawkish stance. If the conflict does not escalate further, strategists at Yardeni Research and Fundstrat argue the selloff represents a buying opportunity — the S&P 500 fell roughly 10 percent during the first U.S.-Iran military confrontation earlier this year before rebounding sharply. **Oil's double chokepoint problem** By June, 98.6 percent of Saudi crude exports were shipping from the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu to avoid Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, according to Wood Mackenzie data. The problem is that Yanbu has its own bottleneck: the Bab al-Mandeb strait, where Houthi attacks now threaten passage. "What looked like diversification was in reality a shift from one strategic bottleneck to another," said Ian Solis, data analyst for tech and maritime operations at Wood Mackenzie. The Strait of Hormuz handles about 21 percent of global oil trade, and the Red Sea route carries roughly 12 percent of seaborne crude — meaning a simultaneous disruption could cut off nearly a third of the world's oil supply. The last time oil traded above $100 a barrel on Middle East supply fears was in February 2025, when the initial U.S.-Iran confrontation sent Brent crude to $103. Prices retreated within three weeks as diplomatic channels opened. This time, the Houthi naval blockade threat adds a new dimension: Asia, which relies on the Bab al-Mandeb for crude from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea terminal, stands to lose a major supply artery if the strait comes under sustained disruption, Solis said. **Tech's AI spending reckoning** The geopolitical selloff collided with a separate crisis of confidence in Big Tech's capital expenditure plans. Alphabet saw free cash flow turn negative for the first time as a public company, while Tesla's earnings miss reignited concerns about demand. Collectively, the Magnificent Seven erased $889.3 billion in market value Thursday, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Communication Services was the worst-performing S&P 500 sector, falling 5.2 percent, while Industrials gained 1.8 percent as defense stocks rallied — Lockheed Martin jumped 10.5 percent. "That's unsettling some investors because it highlights one of Wall Street's biggest debates about hyperscalers: Is the AI spending worth it if Big Tech companies begin outspending their operating cash flows to fund those ambitions?" wrote Kit Norton and Janet Cho of Barron's. On Thursday, the market's answer was no. Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, said the S&P 500's relative resilience despite the geopolitical backdrop suggests investors are recognizing that historical crises tend to create buying opportunities. "This time may also prove no exception," he said. Fundstrat's Tom Lee noted that the selloff reflects uncertainty rather than fundamental deterioration, and that past risk-off episodes have consistently become entry points for long-term investors. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.