Magazine Archive

Meet the pv magazine team around the world in April and May 2026.

February 2026 marked the start of production at United Solar Polysilicon’s (USP) new polysilicon factory in the Sohar Port and Free Zone of Oman. As the factory ramps up to its full 100,000 metric tons (MT) of capacity, pv magazine spoke with USP chief financial officer Binyam Giorgis about how a polysilicon factory at this scale outside China could influence the global solar supply chain, and the challenges it will face in ramping up and securing long-term demand.

Flow batteries remain a niche technology and struggle to compete on an upfront cost basis with lithium-ion (Li-ion). But demand for long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions from large energy users presents a compelling use case for flow batteries, proponents argue.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s very high irradiance levels and low electricity costs make it an ideal location to develop utility-scale solar plants to power critical infrastructure such as hyperscale AI data centers. However, droughts and storms, hardware supply chain shortages, and geopolitical conflict all pose challenges for investors. But increased investor confidence is precisely what the region needs to prepare for 100% renewable energy powered data centers.

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.

Government policy in Turkey is targeted at growing the country’s domestic PV manufacturing base while supporting greater solar deployment, according to InfoLink analysis.

Regulation changes in Poland could help address challenges in one of Europe’s top solar markets, while directives from Brussels may give new impetus to the residential segment. Legal expert Piotr Mrowiec reports on what proposed legislation could mean for solar if Poland’s parliament and president sign off on the plan.

Regulatory changes, growing electricity demand, and technical innovation all point to growth for colocating solar with energy storage in Italy. Leading industry experts say solar, energy storage and other technologies will no longer be designed as isolated assets in Italy, but as integrated systems, as pv magazine Italia’s Sergio Matalucci reports.

Carbon-free claims made by corporate offtakers have come under fire as critics argue accounting based on annual energy consumption is a poor reflection of what’s really happening on energy grids. New emissions standards, growing markets for round-the-clock clean power, and increased energy storage deployment are all set to bring 24/7 carbon-free energy closer to reality.