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US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris listens to former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak during a presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. 

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Solar and clean energy stocks rose Wednesday after Wall Street largely declared Vice President Kamala Harris the winner of the first and likely only debate before the November election.

The Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) and the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (ICLN) gained more than 3% and more than 2%, respectively, in morning trading. The benchmarks are down 28% and 11% this year as uncertainty over the outcome of the election has clouded the outlook for the clean energy industry.

First Solar jumped 8%, SolarEdge soared 9.7%, Sunnova was ahead 5%, and Sunrun gained 8.5%.

“We expect a near-term bounce towards Vice President Harris following the first debate with former President Trump, but the longer-term impact remains unclear,” Raymond James analyst Ed Mills told clients in a note late Wednesday night.

Betting markets have shifted in favor of Harris, but only back to levels before a New York Times/Siena College poll found Trump had a one-point advantage in the race to the White House, according to Citi.

The election is a potential turning point for the energy transition, with some investors nervous that former President Donald Trump will weaken or even repeal the Inflation Reduction Act if Republicans sweep the White House and Congress.

Trump supports solar — kind of

Trump repeatedly took aim at the Biden administration’s energy policy, claiming that “fossil fuel will be dead” if Harris wins in November. The former president knocked wind and solar energy, before quickly offering a fig leaf to clean energy companies.

“We’ll go back to windmills and we’ll go back to solar, where they need a whole desert to get some energy to come out,” Trump said. “You ever see a solar plant? By the way, I’m a big fan of solar.”

Harris tried to walk back a statement she made in 2019 in favor of banning fracking, an extraction technique that has led to a natural gas boom in the U.S. Oil and natural gas production have set records during the Biden administration.

“I will not ban fracking,” Harris said during the debate. The vice president also pointed to investments the administration has made through the IRA in manufacturing clean energy technology.

“I am proud that as vice president over the last four years, we have invested a trillion dollars in a clean energy economy while we have also increased domestic gas production to historic levels,” Harris said.

The vice president said a clean energy economy brings investments “in American-made products, American automobiles.”

Analysts largely expect the IRA status quo if Harris wins. While they think a full repeal of the IRA is unlikely if Trump wins, the expectation is he will take aim at least some of the law’s provisions, particularly tax credits for electric vehicles.

His position on solar is not as clear cut. Investments in solar manufacturing have disproportionately benefited GOP congressional districts.

Don’t miss these energy insights from CNBC PRO:

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Environment

DHL picks Mercedes eSprinter as it expands its electric van fleet

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DHL picks Mercedes eSprinter as it expands its electric van fleet

DHL Express has more than 10,000 eSprinter vans in its global delivery fleet, but none of those have been deployed in North America – until now, that is! The company recently added 45 new Mercedes eSprinter panel vans, and they’ve got plans for plenty more!

While Mercedes offers its eSprinters with a promised 206 mile estimated range, DHL says it’s consistently seen them exceed 240 miles in stop-and-go delivery duty, making them the longest-range battery electric vehicles in DHL’s US fleet.

This extended capacity makes them ideally suited for urban logistics while expanding their potential use in longer delivery routes. The eSprinter vans also offer the same massive cargo capacity as their diesel-powered brothers, making them efficient last-mile delivery solutions that don’t compromise on payload or operational reliability.

And, of course, the eSprinter will do all of that without the noise, vibration, and harmful carbon emissions of diesel.

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“Electrifying our fleet is one of the most visible and impactful ways we are moving toward a more sustainable future,” explains Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express, US. “The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter brings an extended range and proven cargo capabilities that allow us to serve our customers with zero emissions, while also advancing our global goal of more sustainable logistics. These vehicles not only strengthen our operations in major US cities but also set the stage for future electric fleet growth across the Americas.”

The 45 eSprinters will see deployment in Chicago, Indiana, and Pittsburg, and will act as a first step DHL’s global Sustainability Roadmap, which will see the company electrify 66% of its last-mile US delivery fleet (and some of its long-haul fleet operations) by 2030.

Electrek’s Take


DHL reaches 50 electric truck milestone with Orange EV, plans to double down
Orange EV; via DHL.

In addition to these 45 vans, DHL is electrifying its European and Asian delivery fleets, ramping up its sustainable aviation fuel use, and even exploring electric semis, eVTOL and hybrid aircraft deliveries, and more.

In short, they’re doing the right thing – or seem to be, anyway. Whether or not that commitment to decarbonization will win them more American customers remains to be seen.

SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL, via PR Newswire.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Environment

Enphase debuts a new US off-grid solar and battery system

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Enphase debuts a new US off-grid solar and battery system

Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.

A full off-grid setup

The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.

If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.

The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.

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Smarter control and connectivity

Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.

Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.

Why it matters

As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.

“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.

Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2


The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Environment

Global offshore wind surges ahead as Trump sinks US progress

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Global offshore wind surges ahead as Trump sinks US progress

Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.

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