Born in the USA – 02-2026
Table of content
Preview
Table of content
Born in the USA – 02-2026
2026
Preview
Born in the USA – 02-2026
2026
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Excerpt from the magazine
Lessons from the solar frontier
Utility-scale solar projects are larger, interconnections are slower, and engineering decisions must anticipate regulation and supply chains years in advance. At the CT Solar Platform in Snyder, Texas – a 1.6 GW AC single-site development – the first phase, CT Solar One (110 MW AC), has served as a test bed for integrating civil design, BOS optimization and domestic-content strategy. Levona Renewables led the development and engineering of the project, and CEO Fernando Queiroz shares key lessons.
Mar 16, 2026
Setting the stage for US energy storage
Sweeping import tariffs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) made waves for the US clean energy industry in 2025. While solar developers chase safe-harbor deadlines, US energy storage manufacturing could benefit from rules encouraging onshoring – provided there is policy certainty to bank on
Mar 11, 2026
US solar’s push for domestic bliss
Incentives in the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 drove a wave of new solar manufacturing announcements, and the country now has more than enough module capacity to meet domestic demand for several years. Policy shifts have created uncertainty, but continued tax credits and a focus on domestic industry have US manufacturers planning to expand cell and component production.
Mar 06, 2026
Strength in unity
Integrating battery energy storage systems (BESS) with wind and solar has become widespread. The next challenge for asset owners is to ensure they are getting the maximum payback from the ancillary services their hybrid portfolios can provide, says Ricardo Wigman, chief delivery officer at US energy management software provider Power Factors. This requires more than the traditional site-by-site approach to asset management, he argues.
Feb 05, 2026
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Shaping the future
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.
Feb 05, 2026
A decade of PV progress
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.
Feb 05, 2026
The future is unwritten
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.
Feb 05, 2026
Tax relief deadline sparks selloff
From the beginning, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of radical change for all, and the solar industry is no exception. A calm end to 2025 was shattered in January, and the new year has already brought a PV manufacturing overhaul. Martin Schachinger of pvXchange examines the impacts of a sudden increase in module prices.
Feb 05, 2026
Growing pains
The electricity grid is a real bottleneck for energy in the United States, and it’s not only utilities and grid operators who are struggling. Grid congestion also puts pressure on renewable energy project owners and is as much a business problem as it is a technical one, writes Alon Mashkovich, CEO of energy management business software supplier enSights.
Feb 05, 2026
Buffalo solar
Indigenized Energy recently led a project deploying an off-grid solar-plus-storage solution for a buffalo ranch owned by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in the US state of Montana. pv magazine spoke with Serena Romero, the company’s director of marketing and communications, about the potential of off-grid renewables to empower North America’s indigenous peoples.
Feb 05, 2026
Policy shifts and rising costs
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.
Feb 05, 2026
The changing US solar supply chain
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.
Feb 05, 2026
Market transformation
Securing connection to the grid has increasingly become a bottleneck for solar and energy storage projects, partly due to short supply of transformers and other vital components. Manufacturing expansions are moving ahead but will take time. Renewable energy companies are making investments in the grid equipment space, both to secure connections for their own projects and to take advantage of a market that’s expected to see significant growth out to 2030 and beyond.
Feb 05, 2026
pv magazine test: November-December 2026 results
George Touloupas, vice president of ESG and new services at Intertek CEA, and Huatian Xu, the company’s director of technology and quality, analyze the December 2025 results from the pv magazine test outdoor installations in Yinchuan, China, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Feb 05, 2026
Solar in the snow
As vertical PV innovators make inroads with their proprietary solutions, including projects in locations with snowy winters, pv magazine looks at four providers: Helioplant, an Austrian solution for high-elevation PV sites, Norway’s Over Easy, Germany-based Next2Sun, and pv magazine Deutschland Top Innovation 2024 prize winner Solyco.
Feb 05, 2026
No silver bullet for cell costs
While silver prices are skyrocketing and new solar cell technologies demand more of the precious metal, researchers are exploring ways to reduce or even eliminate silver from PV manufacturing. With copper, aluminum, or nickel on the front and rear of cells, novel metallization strategies are achieving silver-level efficiencies, and manufacturers are taking note.
Feb 05, 2026
Inside the PV recycling black box
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.
Feb 05, 2026
Palpable perovskite production
It is now widely accepted that PV module efficiencies can be increased by combining silicon with perovskites. pv magazine visited module maker GCL Optoelectronics at its factory near Shanghai, where it is ramping up production of these tandem modules. Founder Fan Bin believes that cost parity with today’s module technologies could be achieved as early as 2028.
Feb 05, 2026
Navigating the OBBBA cliff
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.
Feb 05, 2026
Solving California’s grid financing dilemma
California’s residential electricity rates remain persistently high, putting real pressure on households. Fixed grid costs account for a large and growing share of consumer bills, with charges covering necessary work such as wildfire risk mitigation, grid hardening, and resiliency upgrades. As much as 55% of a typical residential bill now goes to these fixed costs, and that share has been rising quickly. Yujia Han from the Clean Energy Leadership Institute calls for a different approach.
Feb 05, 2026
Taiwan’s manufacturers weather the storm
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.
Feb 05, 2026
