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FINWIRES

US Patent Board Ruling Invalidates Trina Solar Patent Claims Against Canadian Solar

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Canadian Solar (CSIQ) said Monday the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent and Trademark Office invalidated claims of two Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact solar cell patents previously asserted by Trina Solar against some of its subsidiaries.

The company said that this decision reinforces its track record in managing international intellectual property disputes, while noting that it remains focused on organic research and development, with an effective system to defend its global IP rights.

President Colin Parkin said the company opposes what it described as the "abusive use of IP" to hinder competition, and will continue to defend its business interests.

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Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Rise on Expected Cooling Demand

US natural gas futures were higher in after-hours trading on Friday, supported by expectations for stronger cooling demand as weather forecasts turned warmer across parts of the country, though rising inventories continued to limit gains.Both the front-month Henry Hub contract and the continuous contract gained 1.06% to $2.675 per million British thermal units.Prices found support from forecasts pointing to summer-like conditions later in April. The Commodity Weather Group expects above-average temperatures across the Southeast and Midwest from April 22-26, a shift that could boost cooling demand from power generators, Barchart said. Ahead of that period, NatGasWeather.com projected moderate heating demand as colder air moves into northern regions, with lows in the 20s and 30s Fahrenheit.Supply-side factors also lent support. US gas output has fallen by roughly 3.2 Bcf/d over the past four days to a 10-week low of 108.0 Bcf/d, with declines concentrated in Louisiana and Ohio, Trading Economics said.At the same time, it said export demand remained firm. LNG feedgas deliveries averaged 18.9 Bcf/d so far in April, up from 18.6 Bcf/d in March, helping offset softer domestic consumption.Total demand was estimated at 68.3 Bcf/d on Friday, down 0.6% from a year earlier, Barchart said, citing BNEF data. Within that, industrial demand has dropped 3.9 Bcf/d from a month ago, while gas-fired power generation has eased slightly in line with typical shoulder-season trends, Rystad said.Prices were briefly volatile earlier in the day amid headlines about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. US natural gas futures briefly fell to $2.623/MMBtu before rebounding.Still, ample inventories capped the upside. The Energy Information Administration reported a 59 Bcf storage build for the week ended Apr. 10, above expectations and well above both last year's increase and the five-year average. The larger-than-expected injection reflected mild weather and subdued heating demand."The floor is being supported more by export demand than by domestic weather," Gelber & Associates said. "Unless that cooler risk expands materially, the market still looks like one where any firmness is fighting against loose storage conditions and a forecast that turns more neutral again later in the period."

Commodities

Money Managers Remain Net Long in Biofuel Futures, Options Markets, CFTC COT Says

Money managers remain bullish or net long in the biofuel futures and options markets, according to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission's weekly Commitments of Traders Report released Friday.The weekly COT Report, as of the week ending April 14, showed that money managers are net long, a bet that the market will go higher, in the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard market by 60,537 contracts.The COT report showed that money managers are holding a net long position of 2,073 contracts in the D6 Renewable Identification Numbers Current Year futures and options markets.In the D4 Biodiesel RINS Current Year futures and options markets, money managers hold a net long position of 3,159.For ethanol, money managers are net long by 7,222 contracts in the futures and options markets.Money managers are net long soybean oil futures and options by 148,320 contracts, after cutting 1,271 longs and adding 1,091 short positions from a week ago.Money managers are net short the Malaysian palm oil futures by 865 contracts.

Commodities

US Biofuels Update: Strait of Hormuz Reopening Pushes Soybean Oil Futures Lower

Biofuels feedstock futures closed mixed on Friday, as soybean futures rose while soybean oil dropped, both caught up in a risk-off trading day amid the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in Iran.The Chicago Board of Trade May soybean futures contract closed 0.30% higher at $11.67 per bushel, and the CBOT May soybean oil futures contract settled 1.69% lower at 68.16 cents per pound.On Thursday, the May ethanol futures contract on the Nymex ended 0.52% lower at $1.90 per gallon.Rhett Montgomery, DTN analyst, said that the soybean market bulls will be looking for reassurance of the previously indicated 25 million metric tons of export demand from China through 2026-27 in next month's Summit."At this point, it is apparent that the soybean market is weighing the tradeoffs to a conclusion of hostilities in the Middle East of lower energy prices but potentially improved US-China relations ahead of President Trump's visit in May, as a net positive to the soybean market over the long run," Montgomery stated in a daily note.