Technology

An international research team has developed a new two-dimensional perovskite interlayer based on a co-crystal engineering strategy for more robust perovskite films. It demonstrated improved performance in small area perovskite solar cells and, in a 48 cm2 module, contributed to retain 95% of initial efficiency after 5,000 h.

Company also seeks terrestrial applications for its lightweight, flexible modules.

Power control and energy management systems (PCS and EMS) are powerful tools that will enable the next generation of electrical systems, and the way they are featured in the 2026 NEC is a testament to the ways they can unlock the capability of distributed energy systems and more fully utilize the capacity of electrical infrastructure.

The Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative in Hawaii, which deployed storage before grid-forming inverters became available, became a test case for diagnosing grid issues that can arise with older grid-following inverters, and how grid-forming inverters can stabilize a grid.

A new Perspectives research study on the future of the global PV supply chain outlines how module prices, performance, and lifetimes could evolve over the next 25 years. The work reflects a collaboration among leading solar research institutions worldwide. One of the study’s authors, the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), told pv magazine that solar module and cell efficiencies could exceed 35% by 2050, with panel prices expected to drop by a factor of two.

Data center developers are co-locating generation and storage to avoid interconnection queues, as the traditional grid is failing to meet power requirements of generative AI, said a report from Wood Mackenzie.

More than 25 GW of large-scale generating projects seeking an interconnection agreement in the ERCOT grid region reached that stage in 2024. Berkeley Lab said ERCOT’s “connect and manage” approach “is likely one reason” for the grid operator’s success.

The 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) introduces a significant shift in electrical design by prioritizing real-time power flow over traditional, often oversized, theoretical worst-case calculations. This evolution centers on the formal distinction between two critical technologies: Energy Management Systems (EMS) and Power Control Systems (PCS), which is explored in part one of this two-part series.

Flexible interconnection is one of the most impactful, cost-effective tools for enabling distributed energy resource deployment, said a joint filing by the Solar Energy Industries Association and others.

Shifting utility costs from usage rates to fixed monthly fees may penalize efficiency and fail to provide the financial incentive necessary to drive widespread electrification.