Incentives in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 drove a surge in announcements of new solar manufacturing facilities across the United States, and the country now hosts more than enough module production capacity to meet forecast domestic demand for several years. A shift in policy priorities has created uncertainty, but the continued availability of manufacturing tax credits and a focus on domestic industry have U.S. module makers looking to add cells and other components to their production plans.

As transformer lead times double and U.S. prices surge 79%, a manufacturing “supercycle” struggles to keep pace with the explosive growth of AI data centers and renewable energy.

After nine years at the helm of U.S. 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.

Hail damage has become a real headache for project developers in the United States, where growing deployment has increased exposure to weather-related risk. As project owners seek to limit the impact of hail on their bottom line, innovations in tracking systems and insurance can help.

In the United States, Gismo Power is working on a portable, plug-in approach to reduce the cost of PV carports and has found that regulation is its biggest obstacle. pv magazine spoke with Gismo Power CEO Antonia Ginsberg-Klemmt about her company’s approach and market potential.

Accurately measuring the performance of perovskite solar cells and modules requires significant modifications to long-established testing standards used in silicon PV. Researchers are settling on methods that rely on up to several minutes of constant light exposure and other time-consuming procedures. These may be fine for the laboratory setting, but those looking to produce this technology at scale need standardized methods that can characterize cells and modules at a much faster rate.

An interview with Fraunhofer ISE on new discoveries of ultraviolet degradation risks.

Battery fires, while a rare occurrence given the number of lithium-ion batteries manufactured and deployed each year, are common enough to worry insurers and others in the industry. Following high-profile battery fires in 2024 and 2025, the industry is busy implementing solutions not only to reduce the risk of fire breaking out in the first place, but to contain and mitigate the risk of injury or damage should it happen. Conclusions from large-scale fire testing will be key.

Independent testing laboratory Kiwa-PVEL today published the 11th edition of its PV Module Reliability Scorecard, having extensively tested PV modules from 50 different manufacturers.

For the past five consecutive years, tech and retail giant Amazon has been the world’s largest procurer of renewable energy, investing in projects and signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) all over the world. pv magazine spoke with representatives of the company about its ambitious energy plans.