SunPower, First Solar shift focus to rooftops and panel sales Utility solar to decline 11% as tax extension delays deals The top two U.S. solar manufacturers are shifting away from the biggest domestic market because utilities aren’t signing as many deals to buy electricity from their giant power plants. SunPower Corp. the No. 2 U.S. panelmaker, said Tuesday it’s turning its attention to rooftop power, while First Solar Inc., the biggest producer, now expects more of its growth to come from selling panels to other companies. The two companies built some of the biggest solar farms in the world, projects that would never have been completed unless utilities had agreed to buy the power. Because of a shift in tax policy at the end of 2015, those power-plant deals are slowing, which may drag down results. “Certainly 2017 will be a difficult year in power plants,” SunPower Chief Executive […]