LevelTen reports solar PPA prices rose 4.9% in Q3 2026, partly on Section 232 tariffs

LevelTen Energy reports that the average solar power purchase agreement price rose 4.9% to $64.23/MWh in the third quarter of 2026, up 6% year-over-year, with tariffs driving most of the recent increase. Sarah Wolf, LevelTen's director of North America transactions, said the Section 232 tariffs announced in early August could add $3/MWh to $7/MWh once they take effect later this year, and that much of the quarterly increase is anticipatory as buyers try to secure contracts before then. Wind PPA prices were relatively flat in the quarter but up 13.8% year-over-year, held back by federal permitting challenges.

White House release cites Section 232 tariffs of 25% on upholstered wooden furniture and kitchen cabinets

A White House release states that President Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs on imported wood products, including 25% on upholstered wooden furniture, 25% on kitchen cabinets and vanities, and 10% on softwood timber and lumber. The release does not give the effective date, the HTS codes or the countries covered. The rest of the document is a political roundup of crime statistics, tax provisions and investment announcements in North Carolina.

OPIS reports China TOPCon cell prices fell after Golden Week as industry weighs proposed price floors

The OPIS Global Solar Markets Report released Oct. 13 shows FOB China TOPCon M10 cell prices fell 0.86% week on week to $0.0463/W and TOPCon 210R cells fell 0.66% to $0.0454/W, ending two weeks of stability and leaving both formats about 13% below late-August peaks. A trader source said U.S. restrictions on stockpiling, under a temporary rule covering polysilicon and its derivatives ahead of Section 232 measures taking effect Dec. 4, were expected to further weaken overseas demand.

Wood Mackenzie report finds battery storage cheaper than gas peakers in 43 markets, with U.S. and Canada facing tariff-driven cost headwinds

Wood Mackenzie's latest Levelized Cost of Electricity report finds four-hour battery storage has fallen below open-cycle gas turbines on cost in all 43 global markets it modeled, and single-axis tracker solar is the lowest-cost new-build source in 43 of 48 markets. In North America, the report says near-term solar costs remain elevated under tariffs, AD/CVD actions and Section 232 import restrictions, with module prices projected to climb about 5% annually through 2030 and residential and commercial module prices forecast to jump 6% in 2027 and a further 14% in 2028.

Report: US polysilicon minimum import price increase may slip past Dec. 4

Industry checks reported by pv magazine indicate that an increase in US minimum import prices under the polysilicon Section 232 framework may not occur until after Dec. 4, with implementation potentially moving into early 2027, reflecting Commerce's desire to observe how the initial proclamation operates and to gather further investor feedback. The report says Commerce and CBP are expected to scrutinize imports declared at the minimum price, and shipments may be detained while the underlying transaction is verified.

China wafer prices hold steady as BIS stockpiling rule curbs U.S.-bound demand

China's N-type M10 and 210R wafer FOB prices were unchanged week on week at $0.149/pc and $0.153/pc, per the OPIS Global Solar Markets Report released Oct. 6, with wafer inventories estimated at around 25 GW. A temporary final rule issued in late September by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security restricts stockpiling of polysilicon and polysilicon derivatives ahead of Section 232 import adjustments taking effect Dec. 4, 2026, covering imports during the transition period from Sept. 22 to Dec. 3.

Trump announces Mesabi Metallics plans for $15B steel mill in Iowa

President Donald Trump announced on Sept. 28 that Minnesota steelmaker Mesabi Metallics plans to invest $15 billion in Iowa to build what would be the largest U.S. steel mill, adding 10 million tons of annual steel production capacity and 1,750 jobs, with steel production set to begin in 2030. The company, backed by India-based Essar Group, recently opened an iron ore mine in Minnesota that will supply pellets to the Iowa mill, and has agreed to spend an additional $3 billion to complete that mine in Nashwauk, Minnesota.

Wood Mackenzie report finds four-hour battery storage cheaper than gas peakers in 43 markets, with U.S. and Canada facing tariff-driven cost headwinds

Wood Mackenzie's latest Levelized Cost of Electricity report finds four-hour battery storage has fallen below open-cycle gas turbines on cost in all 43 global markets modeled, and single-axis tracker solar is the lowest-cost new-build source in 43 of 48 markets. North America is the exception: near-term solar costs in the U.S. and Canada remain elevated under tariffs, AD/CVD actions and Section 232 import restrictions, with module prices projected to climb about 5% annually through 2030, residential and commercial module prices up 6% in 2027 and a further 14% in 2028, and utility-scale developers buffered by 168 GW of safe-harbored capacity.

Wood Mackenzie: four-hour battery storage now cheaper than gas peakers in markets worldwide

Wood Mackenzie published an analysis finding that the levelized cost of electricity for four-hour battery storage is now cheaper than gas peakers in markets across the globe, and a spokesperson told Utility Dive that in the United States, for a 2026 commercial operation date, four-hour battery storage is 65% to 75% cheaper than new open-cycle gas turbine peakers, depending on whether state-level carbon pricing applies. The firm projects gas turbine prices rising to $600/kW by the end of 2027, a 195% increase since 2019, and says four-hour storage in the Middle East and Africa will fall 33% to $80/MWh by 2035.

Wood Mackenzie report finds four-hour battery storage cheaper than gas turbines in all 43 modeled markets

Wood Mackenzie's latest global levelized cost of electricity report states that four-hour battery storage is now less expensive to install than open-cycle gas turbines in all 43 markets where both technologies were modeled, with storage in the Middle East and Africa forecast to fall 33% to $80/MWh by 2035 from $120/MWh in 2026. The report says single-axis tracker solar is the lowest-cost new-build technology in 43 of 48 modeled markets, and that in North America near-term solar costs face pressure from tariffs, antidumping and countervailing duty actions and new Section 232 import restrictions, with utility-scale solar partially protected by 168 GW of safe-harboured capacity.

pv magazine analysis: U.S. cell fab build-out quality matters more than technology choice

In a pv magazine USA analysis, Ryan Kennedy writes that counting announced c-Si cell capacity and focusing on the technology selected by the first U.S. cell fabs misses the key issue, which he says is building high-quality, performance-leading cell factories. The article forecasts quarterly U.S. c-Si cell production through Q4 2027, with upside and downside scenarios, from the new Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report, and notes the analysis follows the Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 event in Austin, Texas on 22-23 September.

pv magazine analysis forecasts U.S. module production through 2027 amid Section 232 cell-import uncertainty

In a pv magazine USA analysis, Ryan Kennedy presents the Solar Manufacturing USA Quarterly report's bottom-up forecast of domestic U.S. module production to the end of 2027, tracking capex and output for more than 40 companies. The analysis says the largest swing factor is imported solar cell volumes ahead of and after Section 232 at the start of December, and that 2026 volumes remain unknown. It adds that the forecast's downside would apply if project offtake falls short of production targets or buyers push back on cells under MIP conditions.

In case you missed it: Solar stories of the week

Global polysilicon prices hold steady as China price gains meet buyer resistance

U.S. Commerce temporary final rule restricts polysilicon stockpiling ahead of Section 232 import adjustments

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a temporary final rule restricting stockpiling of polysilicon and its derivatives ahead of Section 232 import adjustments taking effect on Dec. 4, 2026, covering imports during the transition period from Sept. 22 to Dec. 3. The rule followed trade data showing a sharp increase in polysilicon imports after the Section 232 measures were released in early August. One market participant said the rule could curb China-origin wafers, cells and modules entering through circumvention channels involving smaller traders and companies, with limited direct impact on global polysilicon demand.

Toyo announces $240 million in module supply agreements ahead of Texas factory ribbon cutting

Toyo Co., Ltd. announced binding module supply agreements with multiple U.S. offtakers worth approximately $240 million, with the modules to be manufactured at its Humble, Texas facility for utility-scale, commercial and industrial, community solar and data-center projects. The company will hold a ribbon cutting on Oct. 6 for the start of work on its 1.5 GW HJT solar cell plant and full-scale operation of its co-located 2 GW module assembly facility, an event that will include a speech by U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler.

OPIS reports China and U.S. TOPCon module prices hold ahead of Section 232 minimum import prices

OPIS's Global Solar Markets Report of Sept. 22 assessed the Chinese Module Marker for TOPCon modules below 645W from China unchanged at $0.108/W FOB China, and U.S. delivered duty paid prices for TOPCon modules 645W and below unchanged at $0.290/W, with Southeast Asian cargoes at $0.277/W and Indian cargoes at $0.332/W. Section 232 minimum import prices are set to take effect Dec. 4, and OPIS reports uncertainty over whether the proclamation's "first arm's-length sale" rule would subject U.S.-assembled modules using imported cells to the $0.38/W module MIP.

White House cites Section 232 tariffs on wood products in North Carolina record release

A White House release states that President Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs on imported wood products, including 25% on upholstered wooden furniture, 25% on kitchen cabinets and vanities, and 10% on softwood timber and lumber. The release does not give an effective date, HTS or Chapter 99 codes, or the countries covered. The rest of the document covers crime statistics, tax provisions and announced investment figures for North Carolina.