Policy

Whatever decision the U.S. Department of Commerce makes on polysilicon imports, some market segments are in for a bumpy ride in 2026 as the expiration of tax credits and other policy levers change the trading environment faced by residential installers and others. Jesse Pichel and Lev Seleznov of Roth Capital assess what lies ahead for U.S. solar.

With Latvia’s cumulative solar capacity reaching 920 MW by end of 2025, the Latvian Renewable Energy Alliance says the 1 GW threshold may now have been surpassed. The country also appears on track for a record year in solar deployment this year, as some of the largest projects in the pipeline materialize. 

Ireland reached 2,345 MW of installed solar capacity by December 2025, more than tripling installed capacity since 2023, according to Solar Ireland data. The country’s development pipeline has currently reached 1.7 GW.

Germany’s large-scale battery industry is urging regulators and grid operators to speed up utility-scale connection approvals as applications outpace available grid capacity.

An alliance of 11 industry, environmental and union groups has urged the Australian federal government to require new data centers throughout the country to secure 100% additional renewable energy and fund workforce training as a condition of approval.

Official data from Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water puts the country’s cumulative utility-scale solar capacity at almost 1.3 GW, while import data suggests there could be a further 3 GW of operational solar spread across the commercial and industrial, solar pumping and residential solar markets.

SolarPower Europe has released new technical due diligence guidelines for utility-scale solar-plus-storage projects, covering risk, engineering and lifecycle standards for co-located PV and battery systems.

Malaysia’s prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said future policy will ensure domestic consumers and the electricity grid are protected amid the country’s data center expansion. This could include leveraging the ASEAN Power Grid project to cover any supply shortfalls.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE (Fraunhofer IEE) says in a new position paper that large-scale battery storage systems in medium-voltage grids should be technically prepared for future grid-forming operation, aiming to bridge the gap between current regulations and potential system stability requirements.

Switzerland will implement amendments to its Energy Act on April 1 to shorten planning and permitting for solar, wind and hydropower projects of national interest, while also simplifying grid expansion and appeal procedures.