Magazine Archive 02 - 2026

Policy decisions from China to the United States could have a major impact in 2026, while grid bottlenecks continue to obstruct progress. Despite this, solar pushes on.

The passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in July 2025 brought forward deadlines for PV projects to receive US tax credits introduced by previous legislation, and set new requirements to demonstrate start of construction and other eligibility criteria. Project developers must move quickly to adapt to this new regulatory landscape, Ryan Kennedy reports.

After nine years at the helm of US solar’s main trade body, Abigail Ross Hopper announced she would step down as president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), effective Feb. 1, 2026. pv magazine spoke with Hopper about her tenure and the sector’s rapid growth since 2017.

Whatever decision the US 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 US solar.

Demand in the US solar market remained broadly stable in 2025, but the supply-side landscape told a markedly different story. Shipments to the United States from major vertically integrated module manufacturers plunged by more than 40% year on year in the first half. Analysis from InfoLink’s Alan Tu reveals that the challenge lies not in end-market demand, but in whether supply chains can effectively function under current conditions.

Distributed generation (DG) has emerged as a central pillar in the transformation of global energy systems. Distributed PV and energy storage systems (ESS) are changing how electricity is generated and consumed and challenging traditional utility models. While the sector has enjoyed rapid growth, recent years have seen a cooling of expansion rates, highlighting both the maturation of the market and the emergence of new challenges.

Policy rebalancing and rising production costs are set to shape China’s solar market in 2026. Just weeks into the new year, two key policy moves have already shifted expectations across the photovoltaic value chain, marking a move away from the prolonged “involution” that has weighed on the industry in recent years. OPIS analyst Brian Ng shares an update.

PV manufacturing in Taiwan was rocked by market forces in 2025, while thousands of deployed solar modules were torn up by Typhoon Danas in the summer. Could new, tighter regulations for ground-mounted and floating solar in Taiwan give local manufacturers an edge over competitors, and might a US trade investigation open new opportunities for module exports? Decisions in Taipei and abroad could have long-term consequences for an industry under pressure.

How PV modules are treated at the end of their life is an increasingly important issue, but some recycling practices leave a lot to be desired. Scott Azevedo from Intertek CEA explores how asking the right questions, paying closer attention to end-of-life treatment, and steering volume toward good recyclers can have positive long-term consequences for the solar industry.