Magazine Archive 04-2026

Data from leading market intelligence providers show falling installation rates for residential PV across much of Europe. Renewable energy consultant Ben Hayden argues that these headline figures mask key trends in a market that is shifting rather than contracting, with plug-in solar and the prosumer segment presenting significant growth opportunities.

Romania was one of the few standout European PV markets in 2025, recording growth amid an EU-wide decline that affected even the region’s biggest markets like Italy and the Netherlands. Irene Mihai, policy analyst at the Romanian Photovoltaic Industry Association (RPIA), gives the lowdown on the country’s solar and storage outlook to 2030.

Over a 30-year asset life, corrosion can evolve into a structural, electrical, and fire safety issue. Corrosion drives up operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, reduces resilience to extreme events, and in some cases, can force premature decommissioning or complete structural replacement Intertek CEA’s Nicholas Hudson and Ankil Sanghvi advise on best practices.

In the United States, commercial solar and energy storage projects offer plenty of opportunity, but developers must navigate supply chain bifurcation, shifting fire codes, and the end of the tax equity era to bring commercial projects online in 2026. pv magazine USA’s Ryan Kennedy moderated a panel discussion on the topic at Intersolar & Energy Storage North America in San Diego and shares these key takeaways.

Managing flood risk at a PV site requires a complex understanding of the surrounding land, local infrastructure, and weather patterns. pv magazine spoke with Hossein Ghoveisi, hydrology lead, and Brett Beattie, director of civil engineering at Castillo Engineering, about how a detailed flood risk assessment at an early stage can help avoid problems later on.

As European energy storage markets accelerate, a 150 MW/300 MWh project now under construction in northern Poland is testing whether appropriate commercial structures can survive regulatory turbulence – and potentially provide a blueprint for other installations that follow, as Brian Publicover reports.

Compared to some industries, construction has been slower to adopt automation. Most projects are custom designed, and work needs to be done on-site rather than on a factory floor. However, robots are an increasingly common sight at large-scale PV construction sites. Helge Biernath, CEO of California-based PV construction contractor Sunstall, shares his experience integrating installer robots into projects.

Human activities in space have been solar powered for more than 70 years. Now, as the space industry accelerates, new opportunities are emerging for specialized solar manufacturers, writes Jake Veloza of Eternal Sun Wavelabs. The extreme and unforgiving conditions of space demand a high level of performance and durability, and accurate testing methods will be needed to get these new solutions off the ground.

Easee has put its foot to the floor in 2026, completing a pilot project with Subaru that demonstrates the viability of solar-powered electric-vehicle charging in the harsh winter conditions of Canada’s Northwest Territories. It follows a collaboration between Easee and the Japanese car manufacturer in 2025 that saw the two companies deploy an electric vehicle charger on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, billed at the time as the world’s most remote electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Adam Dunwoodie, technical manager at Easee UK, told pv magazine that locating the latest project in Canada’s Northwest Territories has enabled a pilot project to push the technology another step further.