Magazine Archive

Dick Swanson has left his fingerprints all over the modern solar industry. He is widely known for spreading the word on solar’s impressive learning curve with what has become known as Swanson’s Law, for developing the interdigitated back contact (IBC) cell, and for founding SunPower. In June, Swanson was named 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award Recipient and spoke with pv magazine to reflect on his work.

Infrared drone inspections are now routine for solar projects, but post-installation electroluminescence (EL) testing remains misunderstood and underutilized, argue Jörg Althaus of Clean Energy Associates (CEA) and Andreas Fladung of Aerial PV Inspection. The pair examine EL’s ability to detect microcracks, early-stage degradation, and installation-induced damage, revealing how good planning and execution can lead to meaningful results.

Data centers’ energy demand is well-documented. Hyperscale AI data centers owned by big-tech companies are placing acute strain on energy infrastructure in the United States, the global data center capital, and many more are expected to come online. There is ongoing debate about how policymakers, grid operators, regulators and the energy industry – renewable or otherwise – can respond to the situation. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can provide grid-balancing solutions, but not all are convinced they can fully replace gas.

As Brazil moves forward with the expansion of renewables, experts and companies in the sector warn that the country’s electricity grid, under its current model of operation and regulation, is nearly exhausted. Modern infrastructure, the role of distributors, the urgency of flexibility, and the integration of energy storage are central to the advancement of the energy transition in Brazil, as Livia Neves reports.

Inverters are critical to the efficiency, performance and safety of solar installations across all segments. From residential arrays to utility-scale solar farms, investing in the right inverter for the job can impact how long it takes to secure a return on investment.

Extreme weather is no longer a rare event for PV sites across the United States. It’s a costly, recurring reality eroding performance, reliability, and profitability. Wayne Burnett, chief strategy officer and chief technology officer at sensor equipment supplier EKO Instruments, offers insights from projects in hard-hit regions. With lessons learned from the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, he examines how these are shaping best practices for long-term energy yield and resilience.

Emily Walker, Director of content & insights at EnergySage

Solar module prices hit a historic low in August 2025, according to data from pvXchange.com, and Martin Schachinger is calling for action. The trading platform founder sees political headwinds for solar in Europe and wants urgent deployment to ensure the industry seizes the moment by building as many PV systems and energy storage facilities as possible.

As the dusts settles from this summer’s passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, many in the US solar industry are left thinking, “it could have been worse.”