Record nuclear power output in 2024 irrelevant to global energy landscape
Nuclear plants generated a record amount of power in 2024, surpassing record set in 2006, but industry optimism is not backed by economic data or investment, says the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2025.
Xpanner launches robotic automation kit to retrofit solar pile drivers
The U.S. startup offers a new kit to integrate robotic automation with existing equipment.
In case you missed it: Six big 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.
LS Energy Solutions activates 200 MW / 400 MWh energy storage in California
The Big Rock battery energy storage site is comprised of 137 containerized batteries and will help the California grid meet resource adequacy requirements.
Solar industry icon: ‘This group of people is not going to be thwarted’
Dick Swanson has left his fingerprints all over the modern solar industry. He is widely known for spreading the word on solar’s impressive learning curve with what has become known as Swanson’s Law, for developing the interdigitated back contact (IBC) cell, and for founding SunPower. In June, Swanson was named 2025 IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award Recipient and spoke with pv magazine to reflect on his work.
The steel supply crunch threatening U.S. solar ambitions
With U.S. domestic steel mills booked solid through 2025, a sudden doubling of tariffs on imported steel has created a critical bottleneck for American industries. The move, which hits specialized Indian steel particularly hard, is now delaying projects for builders and renewable energy developers who rely on steady, affordable supply.
A tightened U.S. solar trade environment
Tariffs, foreign content restrictions, and antidumping and countervailing duty investigations have reshaped the landscape for imports of solar components and manufactured products.
New wave of funding powers U.S. battery tech and projects
XL Batteries has secured backing to commercialize flow battery systems which use an organic electrolyte, rather than vanadium, and two utility-scale developers have landed extensive credit lines.
Tiny pinholes can lead to device failure in perovskite solar cells
Researchers in the United States have found microscopic pinholes in perovskites are responsible for the breakdown of such solar cells when under reverse bias conditions. They say the findings should push scientists and engineers to prioritize the production of pinhole-free films to make perovskites more robust and stable.
Startup launches AI-based home solar and electrification customer acquisition platform
AI startup 257’s targeted market intelligence cuts costs for the residential solar and electrification industry, a market that it said spends an estimated $20-billion-plus annual marketing.
