In case you missed it: Five solar stories in the news this week
pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.
3D solar tower increases capacity factor 50%, triples solar surface area
Janta Power closed $5.5 million in seed funding to develop its vertical solar tower, with pilot programs already underway in major global airports like Dallas-Fort Worth and Munich International Airport.
Another 1.4 GWh of U.S. energy storage, $350m of battery-related investment
Utility Georgia Power is forging ahead with plans for battery energy storage systems (BESS), Canadian Solar-owned Recurrent Energy has secured $825m for a storage project and a solar site, and developer and battery materials firm Redwood Materials has attracted new investment.
Energy Vault buys up 300 MWh battery in Texas, projects $350 million in total revenue
The SOSA Energy Center battery energy storage system (BESS) is almost ready to build, and Energy Vault has snapped it up in advance of a Notice to Proceed in Texas.
AI platform aims to transform solar site assessment
Learnewable uses AI-based insights to detail local solar opposition before developers invest time or energy in projects.
What WTO can still do to regulate global cleantech trade
pv magazine spoke with energy and environmental law expert Anatole Boute about the past and future role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in regulating trade disputes related to clean energy technologies amid current geopolitical tensions. He noted that despite recent protectionist efforts to revive the solar manufacturing industry, the European Union still strives to remain compliant with WTO rules.
Software-defined power: FlexGen’s HybridOS turns batteries (and now solar) into grid thinkers
FlexGen says the future of energy storage isn’t necessarily in bigger batteries but in smarter ones, and has now brought solar power into its software. Its Linux-based HybridOS platform coordinates batteries, inverters, and solar systems to think and act like living parts of the grid.
Solar sector corporate funding falls 22% year-over-year
Venture capital, public market, and debt financing into the solar industry reached $17.3 billion through the first 9 months of 2025, said Mercom Capital Group.
Ascent Solar testing CIGS modules for power beaming, marine applications
The US-based developer of copper indium gallium selenide thin-film PV products said its modules will be tested without modifications by companies developing marine PV and power beaming applications.
RatedPower enhances solar plant design platform with 3D simulation capabilities
RatedPower has introduced a 3D simulation feature to improve accuracy in utility-scale solar design, enabling more precise yield modeling that reflects terrain variations and shading, validated against real production data.
