Why First Solar Stock Ignited Investor Frenzy This Friday

First Solar shares burned brighter than a parabolic solar reflector—here’s why traders piled in.

The catalyst? A perfect storm of sector momentum and whisper-numbers beating Wall Street’s fossilized expectations. Clean energy plays are back on the menu, and First Solar’s riding the ESG wave like a surfboard strapped to a photovoltaic panel.

Short squeeze or sustainable rally? Depends who you ask. Hedge funds still betting against renewables got singed—again. Meanwhile, retail traders are treating solar stocks like meme tokens with dividend yields.

One thing’s clear: When the market’s high on hopium, even a 10-year-old solar tech firm can moon like it’s 2021. Just don’t mention the subsidies.

A mighty lob by a lobbying group

The business grouping behind Friday's pushback is the Data Center Coalition. News broke that the coalition sent a formal request to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to maintain the subsidy policy as it is, rather than changing it.

Image source: Getty Images.

The organization -- which lists as members,, and, among other prominent tech companies -- told Bessent that any regulatory roadblock limiting green energy solutions will hamper the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Many data center operators are currently building out their facilities to handle the vastly increased resource demands of AI. To do so, they require more energy, hence their support of renewable sources like solar.

Does the silence speak volumes?

Bessent hasn't yet publicly responded to the coalition's lobbying effort, nor has anyone else in the Trump administration. But investors seem convinced that they've not only digested the letter, they're taking it seriously, since the organization behind it has many prominent members who drive the U.S. economy.