Technology

As the buildout of data centers in the United States accelerates, developers are often targeting remote locations where land availability is high. Off-grid solar paired with batteries offers an opportunity to power data centers in areas that would otherwise not have access to dependable utility infrastructure.

Elon Musk, the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, raised some eyebrows at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, when he predicted “that the lowest cost place to put AI will be space and that will be true within two to three years, three at the latest.” pv magazine reported on Musk’s vision on our global website www.pv-magazine.com on Jan. 26, 2026, and exactly one week later SpaceX announced that it was acquiring xAI “to form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications, and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.”

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are already regularly deployed in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications for data centers, but current market conditions are now driving new deployment needs and strategies. Blathnaid O’Dea hears from industry insiders about increasingly popular approaches like bring your own capacity (BYOC) and flexible grid connections (FGC), and why batteries can provide services beyond speed to power that gas turbines can’t.

SolarEdge and Enteligent are stripping away AC bottlenecks to reclaim gigawatts of wasted data center capacity.

U.S. researchers developed a framework showing that wider spacing between solar PV rows can make agrivoltaic systems economically viable for large-scale mechanized farming. Their simulations in Colorado demonstrated that optimized row spacing maintains crop production while improving combined agricultural and energy revenues.

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are evolving into complex risk-sharing structures as hyperscale data center operators trade fixed pricing for physical delivery and grid-bypass certainty. The US solar industry is entering 2026 as the foundational technology for a new era of power demand, even as the sector navigates a volatile federal policy landscape.

Mantis Space closed a $10 million seed round to develop laser-based solar power transmission for satellites operating in the shadow of the Earth.

Enverus’ 2026 study suggests jurisdictions are lowering barriers for priority projects.

Bifacial PV modules, string inverters and advanced trackers are becoming the preferred technologies in utility-scale solar project design, according to new data from RatedPower.

The latest Solar Market Insight report from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie reveals that solar and energy storage accounted for 79% of all new U.S. electrical capacity in 2025 even as installation volumes fell late in the year, while domestic manufacturing reached major milestones despite uncertain federal policy.