RE+ 2023, held last week in Las Vegas, was bursting at the seams with attendees, exhibitors and enthusiasm. Three pv magazine editors share their insights and observations on key drivers, exciting new products, trends, manufacturing momentum and a few persistent uncertainties.

Crowds have flocked to the Tesla booth at RE+, as the American battery and EV maker displayed its new hybrid battery, the Powerwall 3. The battery, which the company is guiding will be available in “summer 2024,” features an integrated inverter and should deliver lower cost energy storage to consumers by virtue of its ease of installation and manufacturing efficiency.

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, actor and former White House aide Kal Penn, and CNN’s Van Jones addressed the opening ceremony of RE+ yesterday. The high-profile speakers opened the event and delivered a rallying cry to the solar and energy storage industry to be more inclusive of disadvantaged communities and people of color as it undergoes a period of unprecedented expansion.

The British university reports that the share of polysilicon manufactured in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and used in solar module production has dropped from 45% in 2020 to 35% in 2022. The research alsom found that polysilicon produced in interior China increased from 30% in 2020 to 50% in 2022, with the share of international markets dropping, somewhat surprisingly, from 25% to 11%.

U.S. solar was disrupted in 2022, with module seizures delaying projects due to strict laws designed to stamp out alleged forced labor practices in sections of the Chinese PV industry. However, it remains to be seen whether seizures affected such alleged practices.

The Canadian Government is providing CAD1.5 million over three years to establish the Electricity Transition Hub – a knowledge sharing platform for its diverse utility sector. The hub was launched today at the Electricity Transformation Canada event in Toronto.

Cost efficiency while maximizing power output is the name of the game in solar project development and asset management. And the automation of the provision of utility scale solar operations and maintenance (O&M) is fast becoming one of the most compelling opportunities. Help shape the future of automation in solar O&M by completing this first-of-its kind survey.

Renewable energy and battery storage has racked up another banner year in 2021, according to end-of-year analysis from Rystad Energy. While there was growth across segments, residential solar has seen the most impressive gains, surpassing the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment for the year.

Dean Solon of Shoals Technologies Group: “The short version is that it’s been a damned good year.” An interview with Shoals covers the growth of large solar projects in the U.S., high AC/DC ratios and the real costs of using cheap components.

The world’s biggest battery is now rated at 150 MW/193.5 MWh and dwarfs any lithium-ion battery system in operation worldwide.