Industry Notes


September 23, 2026

Behind the Meter: AI Data Centers – Texas and Loudoun County, VA Hit Pause. Do “the Slots” Follow?

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Two of the largest U.S. data center markets now have the brakes on at the same time. The market is reading it as a zoning story. Could it become an equipment story? What happened. Texas…

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September 17, 2026

Behind the Meter: Musings from Morgan Stanley’s 14th Annual Laguna Conference – Siemens Sold Out Through 2031, and the Seller is the Most Careful Person in the Room

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Siemens Energy at Laguna: delivery slots, capacity discipline, the service tail nobody was asking about, and why a rocket company wants to make turbine vanes. Notes from the session, which GLJ was privileged to join…

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September 16, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 9/16/2026: Extent of Polysilicon Production Cuts Remains Uncertain; Quotes Hold Steady Amid Limited Transactions; Poly-Si Spot Prices Fall

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$36,835/ton = $5.27/kg) – down 2.07% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT.Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 9/16/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw price…

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September 16, 2026

Behind the Meter: “Scalpers” Emerge in the Turbine Queue

By Gordon L. Johnson II

A resale market for gas-turbine delivery slots has opened. The first price tells us the line is real. The sellers tell us how the “night is going to go”. Bottom Line Someone just sold their…

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September 15, 2026

Solar Industry Channel Check – Hope Is Not a Tax Credit (discussion w/ Washington-Based Tax-Policy Expert on Potential Nov. Democratic Sweep and what it Means for the Solar Space)

By Gordon L. Johnson II

A Democratic sweep in November gets residential solar a bill, not a law. Meanwhile the IRS has found the industry’s soft spot. What our latest Washington check means for RUN, ENPH and SEDG. Bottom Line…

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September 9, 2026

Metals & Mining Weekly: Lean, Not Loved — The Bull Case on the US Steel Tape Is a Freight Schedule, Not a Demand Story

By Gordon L. Johnson II

We ran a check with a top-tier national flat-rolled service center to pressure-test the +36% HRC melt-up. The read: this rally is built on lean inventories, import displacement and mill discipline — not end-demand. It…

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September 9, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 9/6/2026: Solar Wafer and Cell Prices Fall (Sharply) Again; Reiterate SELL on JKS, CSIQ, & DQ

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$37,615/ton = $5.38/kg) – up 1.90% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT.Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 9/9/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw price…

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September 3, 2026

Metals & Mining Weekly: US Steel: Curve Repricing (Higher), Lean Channel, Lagged Realizations – Why Q3 Prints Higher Than Consensus

By Gordon L. Johnson II

LME Metal Prices Mostly Higher vs. Previous Close: Yesterday, Copper -0.70% to $6.50/lb; aluminum +0.92% to $1.64/lb; nickel +2.14% to $8.78/lb; zinc +0.28% to $1.80/lb; lead -0.02% to $1.09/lb; gold +2.56% to $4,494/oz; silver +2.89%…

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September 2, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 9/2/2026: Solar Prices Now Falling (Sharply) Across All Substrates; Reiterate SELL on JKS, CSIQ, & DQ

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$36,900/ton = $5.26/kg) – down 2.0% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT.Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 9/2/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw price…

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September 1, 2026

Sunrun (RUN) – Updated Guggenheim Solar ABS Remittance Report: Twelve Deals Are in Breach. The Delinquency Pipeline Says Twenty-Four.

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Twelve deals are through their loss triggers; mark the 90+ pipeline at zero recovery and it is twenty-four. None of them are Sunrun’s, which is the point — this file sets the price of residential…

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August 26, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 8/26/2026: Pricing Sentiment (Sharply) Reverses Downward; Wafer and Cell Prices Come Under Intense Selling Pressure (as we warned)

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$37,645/ton = $5.37/kg) – down 0.4% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT.Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 8/26/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw price…

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August 21, 2026

Metals & Mining Weekly: Canada Tariff Cut: Psychology Over Physics – Channel Check Points to ~+50kt/Month of Sheet, Not a Flood; the Equity Market Priced a Flood

By Gordon L. Johnson II

CLF -12.8%, NUE -11.8%, STLD -15.2% in three sessions on the Section 232 headline, while HRC futures fell -0.2% and Nucor’s CSP held an 11-month-high $1,170/ton. We reconcile the gap with a proprietary channel check…

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August 19, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 8/19/2026: Cell Prices Surge, but Experts Expect Gains to Soon Moderate

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$37,815/ton = $5.39/kg) – down 0.5% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT.Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 8/19/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw price…

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August 17, 2026

Solar Industry Update – Polysilicon “Price Floor” 2.0: We’ve Seen This Movie Before (And We Remember How It Ends)

By Gordon L. Johnson II

A pledge is not a mandate, a meeting is not a floor, and half a million tons of inventory does not read press releases. Reiterate SELL on JKS, CSIQ, and DQ. BOTTOM LINE Last week’s…

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August 13, 2026

GLJ SOLAR PRICING UPDATE – 8/12/2026: Solar Prices Skyrocket as Chinese Producers Jointly Hikes Amid Government Intervention

By Gordon L. Johnson II

Polysilicon Futures Spot Contract Price (CNY$38,010/ton = $5.41/kg) – up 7.1% w/w Note: Adjusted for CNY exchange rate and 13% VAT. Source: Guangzhou Futures exchange. Solar Pricing Metrics – 8/12/2026 Note: EnergyTrend discontinued slurry saw…

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