RTX, formerly Raytheon, signs an agreement with Engie North America to buy 1.5 million MWh of renewable energy over the next ten years, spurring further growth of Texas solar development.

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued its first report on the importance of battery energy storage technology in the energy transition. It has found that tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 would require 1,500 GW of battery storage.

Also on the rise: SunPower to close business units, cut about 26% of workforce. Reconductoring could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035. And more.

TotalEnergies began construction of an onsite solar-plus-storage system, providing energy to Port Authority and Con Edison, as well as community solar for area residents.

Also on the rise: Minnesota sues GoodLeap, Sunlight, Mosaic and Dividend over dealer fees. Improving transmission planning. And more.

Array Technologies broke ground on a factory in New Mexico, while Nextracker expanded operations with a contract manufacturer.

A report from Origami Solar and Wood Mackenzie advises that if the U.S. solar industry switched from aluminum to recycled steel frames, it would no longer need to import aluminum frames from Asia.

The company remains profitable, generating $41.8 million in free cash flow, despite a slumping market.

Also on the rise: Anker home energy storage system now available in North America. Nextracker cuts solar tracker carbon by 35% with recycled steel and electric furnaces. And more.

The state is once again setting springtime output records from solar, while energy storage takes over the peak electricity demand period becoming the maximum output source.

K2 releases a new product, and Martin Roofing & Solar’s hidden-fastening solar mount achieves UL 2703 certification.

To help meet the demand for transformers, the Government of Quebec is helping with funding of a testing facility as well as an engineering and design center.

Chinese inverter manufacturer Sungrow shipped 130 GW of inverters last year, reaching a profit of $1.3 billion.

The Green Bank for Rural America will support community lenders in Appalachian communities to finance climate-supporting projects including distributed solar and storage. The bank and four others received a total of $6 billion in federal awards.

Federal regulators should consider specific reforms to improve transmission planning, lower interconnection costs and provide cost certainty, says a group affiliated with the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Also on the rise: EPA releases final rules on reducing pollution from fossil-fuel plants. Born in the USA: First silicon solar cell celebrates 70th birthday. And more.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a proof of concept for a method to remove polymers from solar panel manufacturing to enable more efficient recycling.

On April 25, 1954, U.S. researchers presented the first prototype of a usable solar module. The efficiency at that time was around 6%. A lot has happened since then.

As the Inflation Reduction Act ramps up clean energy efforts across the U.S. the Biden administration outlines a plan to enhance transmission lines to accommodate more power.