Featured in Born in the USA – 02-2026

Market transformation

Securing connection to the grid has increasingly become a bottleneck for solar and energy storage projects, partly due to short supply of transformers and other vital components. Manufacturing expansions are moving ahead but will take time. Renewable energy companies are making investments in the grid equipment space, both to secure connections for their own projects and to take advantage of a market that’s expected to see significant growth out to 2030 and beyond.

By

Mark Hutchins

05 Feb 2026

Hitachi Energy has invested $1.5 billion in expanding its manufacturing capacity for transformers. Even with such investments, analysts see barriers to grids meeting the needs of new power demand on time. | Photo: Hitachi Energy

Demand for transformers and other grid-connection infrastructure is currently in a “supercycle,” according to Bruno Melles, managing director for transformers at Hitachi Energy. “Massive electrification of industry and transport, the integration of renewable energy into the grid, and the explosive growth of AI data centers are forcing us to rethink energy,” Melles told pv magazine. “That’s the reason Hitachi Energy is …

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