Research

Researchers in Canada found that semi-transparent cadmium telluride and low-transparency crystalline silicon solar panels can boost turnip root and leaf yields in agrivoltaic systems by optimizing light quality, distribution, and heat stress. Their study highlights that PV module type, transparency, and spectral transmission must be carefully matched to plant physiology to maximize both crop productivity and renewable energy generation.

The company’s fourth annual snapshot report highlights an industry transitioning from incentive-driven growth to a focus on affordability and resilience. Third-party ownership is becoming the preferred financing method as consumer concerns over upfront costs and policy changes reshape the residential market.

Sandia National Laboratories conducted the first-ever blind comparison of seven commercial PV modeling software, revealing that differences in weather handling, system modeling, derates, and assumptions grow as system complexity increases. The study emphasizes that software choice should consider project complexity, workflow, and modeling features rather than relying on rankings alone.

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.

McGill University researchers, publishing in Communications Earth & Environment, used deep-learning computer vision to analyze 719 solar projects across the Western U.S. The study establishes a new “land-sparing” benchmark, providing developers with precise data to balance rapid capacity expansion with conservation and land-use priorities.

Declining costs for enhanced geothermal could make the technology a stronger competitor to solar plus storage. A national lab atlas shows wide potential for enhanced geothermal deployment, primarily in the Western U.S.

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.

The Nelson Family Vineyards is expected to save $90,000 per year from electricity provided by its floating solar and rooftop arrays.

The research reached a surprising conclusion that dual-axis solar tracker systems are more land-intensive per kW than single-axis trackers or fixed-tilt systems. The study’s data-driven approach highlights key efficiency metrics and siting opportunities, including agrivoltaics and brownfield development, for sustainable solar expansion.

A pair of research studies led by the Argonne National Laboratory have demonstrated how “ecovoltaic” installations in the midwestern United States are home to more bird and bat activities than nearby fields used for agriculture.