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Polysilicon playbook
Now that the United States has finally announced the outcome of its Section 232 investigation into polysilicon imports, industry analysts and investors alike have been weighing up the expected pros and cons of the policy’s likely impacts, particularly on ingot, wafer and cell manufacturing.
8 hours ago
Heterojunction’s long road to the US solar factory
For a cell technology that has spent much of the past three decades on the verge of a breakthrough, heterojunction (HJT) is enjoying another moment in the spotlight. This time, however, the setting is somewhat unexpected – rather than the established manufacturing centers of China and Southeast Asia, some of the most significant new commitments to HJT are emerging in the United States, Finlay Colville reports.
Ireland’s leap of faith to power data centers
Under Ireland’s Large Energy User Action Plan (LEAP), 10 MW-plus data centers must provide at least 80% of their energy demand through new onsite renewable energy generation and storage. But whether data centers can meaningfully contribute to Ireland’s decarbonization depends on the success of its grid buildout, reports Blathnaid O’Dea.
Solar’s infrastructure obstacle
During the development of a recent utility-scale project in Texas’ ERCOT grid interconnection zone, Levona Renewables CEO Fernando Queiroz found his team spending more time evaluating transmission infrastructure, interconnection requirements, equipment availability, and utility procurement processes than discussing solar modules – a striking realization affecting project developers in the United States and beyond.
PV Progress across Latin America
InfoLink’s Jenny Lin shares the latest analysis on the key markets accounting for nearly 80% of Latin America’s total PV capacity as solar continues to grow its share of regional electricity generation. Following years of accelerating deployment, Latin America is entering a new phase – one requiring investment in energy storage and grid infrastructure.
New materials in the frame
Solar cells, encapsulants, glass, backsheets, and virtually every PV module component have seen rapid changes and improvements over the past 10 years. During that time, module frames have seen relatively little innovation and remain a simple piece of formed aluminum. However, quality concerns, supply chain diversification, domestic content rules, and emissions reduction requirements have frame manufacturers eyeing alternative materials. And while aluminum isn’t going away, suppliers of steel and glass composite frames argue these materials come with various advantages.
Shipping gigawatt-hours of battery storage
BW ESS has broken ground at the 5.7 GWh Klostermansfeld battery energy storage system (BESS), making a splash in the German market and building on utility-scale BESS experience gained in the United Kingdom. Now the company is targeting a 20-fold increase in deployed energy storage capacity, while expanding in more markets. Roberto Jimenez, executive director at BW ESS, spoke with pv magazine about what comes next.
Buried junction box defects
Claire Kearns-McCoy and Michael Scott of Intertek CEA report a rise in junction box failures across utility-scale and rooftop solar sites – from performance-robbing solder defects to outright fires – and explain why the only reliable window to catch these problems closes as soon as the potting compound cures.
Chile’s hybrid heroics
In 2024, Chile passed a law incentivizing battery development paired with utility-scale solar. This move quickly led to a flood of big battery project announcements, as the capacity payments model combined with arbitrage revenue means hybrid solar and storage is very profitable. By the end of 2026, Chile is expected to surpass 6 GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) capacity.
Grid upgrades critical for Colombian solar
Colombia’s cumulative solar capacity passed the 4.5 GW mark earlier in 2026, according to the government’s Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME). While it will likely fall short of the 6 GW target for non-conventional renewable energy set at the start of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s term, the country has seen an uptick in demand for solar, and is growing into one of South America’s leading PV markets.
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