Opinion & analysis

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, IEA PVPS shows that with climate-specific site selection, robust design, proper installation, and proactive O&M, most PV systems can be made resilient and remain reliable despite intensifying weather risks.

While the roofing and solar industries share common economic drivers and “solar-ready” design potential, true market acceleration requires transitioning from separate installations to a single, integrated rooftop system.

Recognizing the challenge of solar expansion competing with valuable agricultural land, Sandbox Solar and Colorado State University are collaborating to research how thoughtful utility-scale solar design, specifically utilizing the ecovoltaics strategy, can simultaneously produce clean energy and enhance American grassland ecosystems.

The devastating impact of Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 fundamentally transformed how the electric power industry approaches cold weather preparedness, exposing critical Bulk Electric System vulnerabilities and catalyzing sweeping regulatory changes, including new mandatory NERC standards, that renewable energy facilities must now navigate.

2026 Defense authorizations highlight the need for U.S.-made photovoltaics in satellites to compete with foreign adversaries, writes Rob Gardner, vice president, congressional and regulatory affairs, for the SEMA Coalition.

The renewable energy sector’s value is shifting from installed gigawatts to the gigabytes of data and AI-enabled intelligence that drive predictability and performance for investors and support the accelerating global energy transition.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that solar irradiance levels were well below average in western and northern United States in November, while southern parts of the country and Mexico enjoyed strong positive anomalies.

Tariffs continue to reshape the U.S. storage market. Rising costs for overseas systems have created new incentives to integrate equipment domestically, and many developers are turning to US firms to assemble battery systems. Integration capacity can scale faster than battery cell manufacturing, but not without risk. Unlike cell plants, where automated processes keep variations in check, battery assembly and integration depends on people, as Jeff Zwijack from Intertek CEA explains.

The looming threat of Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) compliance is set to create stranded energy storage assets by jeopardizing tax credits for projects reliant on certain Chinese-sourced components after 2025.

Integrating advanced materials, such as high-strength steels and next-generation coatings, is crucial for ensuring solar tracker durability in increasingly challenging environmental conditions.