What happened
A new brief released by the U.S. Department of Energy outlined plans to achieve President Joe Biden's goal for a carbon pollution-free power generation sector by 2035, and Array Technologies (ARRY 4.62%) is one company that could greatly benefit. That helped the company's stock jump Wednesday, with shares trading up 10% as of 3:30 p.m. EDT.Â
So what
The DOE brief said that with growth of 4,000%, solar has been the fastest growing renewable energy source in the nation over the last decade, but the pace of growth has to accelerate. The report said that "to reach a largely decarbonized electricity sector by 2035, solar deployment would need to accelerate to three to four times faster than its current rate by 2030."
Image source: Getty Images.
Achieving this goal could help solar generation become 40% of power generation by 2035, up significantly from 3% today. As a manufacturer of ground-mounting systems used in large solar energy projects, investors today realize Array is in a sweet spot to benefit from that scenario.Â
Now what
The DOE said that investments in the renewable energy sector have helped solar costs drop between 70% and 80% since 2010. Array has been a beneficiary of growth in the sector, but after expenses jumped due to increasing steel and supply chain costs, investors bailed on the stock earlier this year. Â
The company has since entered into supply agreements that it says fix about 85% of its input costs, including nearly all steel requirements, for the balance of 2021. With a better handle on costs, Array can better gauge the profitability of the projects it bids on. That allowed it to resume providing full-year 2021 guidance to investors in its recent second-quarter financial report. Investors who see more of a long-term tailwind with the DOE report today are giving shares a boost.Â





