Powering AI – 03-2026
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Table of content
Powering AI – 03-2026
2026
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Powering AI – 03-2026
2026
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Excerpt from the magazine
Solar key to space-based AI
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.”
Mar 23, 2026
Every second counts
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.
Mar 06, 2026
Why generative AI is good for grids
Extreme weather events have brought grid resilience into focus in the United States, where hurricanes can wreak havoc on energy infrastructure. During a crisis, quick decisions in the control room are essential – and predicting faults before they occur can prevent major disruption. San Francisco-based AI professional Rudrendu Paul examines how generative AI can improve stability and security, starting with microgrids.
Mar 02, 2026
Augmenting African solar
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.
Mar 02, 2026
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DC state of mind
The race for more computing power per square meter has put solid-state transformers (SST) high on the agenda for AI data center developers, who see full-DC as the system architecture that will maximize efficiency. Dafna Granot, senior manager strategy and innovation at SolarEdge, explains what the switch means and why it matters, as the inverter and energy storage manufacturer prepares to launch its own transformer product in time for the next generation of AI chips.
Mar 02, 2026
Off-grid and on-site
As the buildout of data centers in the United States accelerates, developers are often targeting remote locations where land availability is high. Off-grid solar paired with batteries offers an opportunity to power data centers in areas that would otherwise not have access to dependable utility infrastructure.
Mar 02, 2026
Japan’s PV evolution
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.
Mar 02, 2026
Tackling TOPCon degradation
Tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules have achieved incredible market penetration in just a few years. As the industry tackles long-term degradation, scientists continue to identify new failure modes. Near the physical limits of silicon cell technology, even small defects can have major impacts. Researchers are now developing mitigation strategies, as Lior Kahana reports.
Mar 02, 2026
High-stakes PPAs
Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are evolving into complex risk-sharing structures as hyperscale data center operators trade fixed pricing for physical delivery and grid-bypass certainty. The US solar industry is entering 2026 as the foundational technology for a new era of power demand, even as the sector navigates a volatile federal policy landscape.
Mar 02, 2026
Grid forming future
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.
Mar 02, 2026
Price forecast: cloudy
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.
Mar 02, 2026
What’s in an encapsulant?
A review of PV module encapsulant materials by scientists at Austria’s Polymer Competence Center Leoben (PCCL) found that many products on the market are labeled simply as “polyolefin,” with little analysis of their actual composition. As polyolefin’s market share grows, this lack of transparency could make quality issues harder to spot. pv magazine spoke with PCCL scientist Gernot Oreski about the need for transparency in encapsulant contents.
Mar 02, 2026
Solar’s living legacy
In early 2021, researchers at a university in Madrid recovered several bifacial PV modules manufactured by Spanish company Isofotón in 1987 that had been operating in different facilities. Following cleaning and characterization, 56 of the modules were installed on a fixed structure at the university, where they have been feeding energy into the grid since May 2021. pv magazine España’s Pilar Sanchez Molina visited the repurposed modules to tell their story.
Mar 02, 2026
Need for speed
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.
Mar 02, 2026
pv magazine test: January 2026 results
George Touloupas, vice president of ESG and new services at Clean Energy Associates, and Huatian Xu, the company’s director of technology and quality, analyze the January 2026 results from the pv magazine test outdoor installations in Yinchuan, China, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Mar 02, 2026
The factors shaping Chinese module prices
Silver price volatility, the return of export value-added tax (VAT) and an abandoned plan to reduce polysilicon manufacturing capacity could all influence PV module prices in 2026. Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai on the evolving market conditions facing solar module makers in China.
Mar 02, 2026
pv magazine test: Annual results
In December 2025, the pv magazine test team conducted a performance analysis of 10 different samples installed at the test field in Yinchuan, China. These 10 modules were installed in December 2024 and January 2025, and had been in continuous operation for nearly a full year. George Touloupas and Huatian Xu of Intertek CEA analyze the results and the role of various degradation modes on long-term PV performance.
Mar 02, 2026
Spending big on Mexican solar
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.
Mar 02, 2026
Indian solar’s digital leap
The next phase of India’s clean energy buildout will be defined not only by installed capacity but by how well renewables are integrated to provide flexibility. Digital coordination, market access, and transactional integrity will matter as much as gigawatts deployed. Digitalizing energy is fundamental for promoting solar adoption, ensuring that surplus solar generation is utilized, and enabling distributed assets to play an active role in grid operations, say Shantanu Roy and Saptak Ghosh of India’s Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).
Mar 02, 2026
Powering Europe’s AI buildout
Europe is experiencing a renewed surge in data center growth, fueled by colocation and hyperscaler data center companies. The long wait for grid connections poses challenges, but the demand flexibility and heat reuse potential that data centers offer could turn them into an energy system asset, as Blathnaid O’Dea reports.
Mar 02, 2026
A new wave of floating solar innovators
Offshore floating PV (FPV) is still in its infancy, but an increasing number of inland and nearshore solar installations show there is opportunity to be found on water. From the Netherlands and North Sea to the warm shores of the Mediterranean, Valerie Thompson reports on the innovators in FPV.
Mar 02, 2026
Policy, permitting, and capital markets
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.
Mar 02, 2026
