Magazine Archive 03-2026

Mark Hutchins introduces pv magazine’s March 2026 edition, which takes a detailed look at how AI and the data centers it runs on are reshaping energy demand.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are already regularly deployed in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications for data centers, but current market conditions are now driving new deployment needs and strategies. Blathnaid O’Dea hears from industry insiders about increasingly popular approaches like bring your own capacity (BYOC) and flexible grid connections (FGC), and why batteries can provide services beyond speed to power that gas turbines can’t.

Electricity grids have relied on a spinning mass to ensure stability since the first thermal power plants connected to a network, but the increasing penetration of renewable generation in the energy mix means new solutions are required for inertia and other stability services. Grid-forming inverters are ready to step in and when paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS), offer a full suite of stability capabilities, as
S&P Global’s Tiffany Wang explains.

Recent weeks have offered early but uneven signals that several policy bottlenecks weighing on US solar development might be beginning to loosen. While uncertainty remains across permitting, trade, and tax credit implementation, Roth Capital reports conversations across Washington with developers, manufacturers, and financiers that suggest a market that is cautiously re-engaging rather than freezing in place.

Silver market volatility and rising industrial metal prices are starting to influence PV technology choices, but more flexible procurement strategies may be needed if trends continue.

Metal price volatility may pressure PV module manufacturers to raise prices, but the outlook for polysilicon and wafer manufacturers is complex. Action on polysilicon supply and muted downstream demand have the potential to influence profitability across the solar value chain. Hanwei Wu of OPIS explains what the latest price data might mean for the industry.

Major new infrastructure investment from the Mexican government includes a tranche of funding to accelerate renewable energy deployment and shore up grid infrastructure. Jorge Zarco reports on the policy developments that could shape solar and energy storage deployment trends in Mexico for years to come.

Policymakers in Japan are planning for significant solar deployment, with PV expected to be the leading generation source by 2040. At the same time, Japan’s government has unveiled plans to pull subsidy support and ramp up regulation for utility-scale solar. While the industry waits on a final decision, Izumi Kaizuka of Tokyo-based PV consultancy RTS Corp. projects growth for the sector despite uncertainty.

Elon Musk, the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, raised some eyebrows at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, when he predicted “that the lowest cost place to put AI will be space and that will be true within two to three years, three at the latest.” pv magazine reported on Musk’s vision on our global website www.pv-magazine.com on Jan. 26, 2026, and exactly one week later SpaceX announced that it was acquiring xAI “to form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications, and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.”

The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has identified more than 42,000 solar projects across Africa to date, but Chinese solar module export data to the continent suggests there are many more yet to be accounted for. AFSIA CEO John van Zuylen spoke to pv magazine about the ongoing effort to create the continent’s most detailed solar database.