Author: solarenergy

From the magazine At the end of 2024, the United States had around 42.5 GW of manufacturing capacity for PV modules, according to numbers from market intelligence provider Wood Mackenzie. By September 2025, that had increased by 35% to just over 60 GW, and Wood Mackenzie research analyst Elissa Pierce expects the year-end 2025 figure to come in at 64 GW. “We expect a little bit of continued growth in module capacity for 2026 and 2027, with a couple more factories scheduled to expand or come online,” Pierce told pv magazine. “But we’ll see less now, because we have enough capacity in…

Choosing a solar installer in North Carolina is one of the bigger decisions you will make as a homeowner. The panels going on your roof today will be there for 25 to 40 years, and the company you hire will be your partner for every service call, warranty claim, and system upgrade during that entire period. Get it right, and solar pays for itself many times over. Get it wrong, and you could be dealing with an underperforming system and a company that is hard to reach. Two names often come up for North Carolina homeowners: 8MSolar and NC Solar…

Hydrogen bonds, best known for holding water and biomolecules together, now play a powerful role in solar energy conversion as part of a new supramolecular photocatalyst for water oxidation. Researchers from Inner Mongolia University and Tsinghua University report that carefully designed hydrogen bond interactions can reshape charge behavior in organic photocatalysts, opening a route to more efficient artificial photosynthesis. The team constructed a photocatalyst in which hydrogen bonds connect an electron donor, a perylene diimide supramolecule, to an electron acceptor, an aminated fullerene unit. These hydrogen bonds create a highly polarized local environment that improves dielectric shielding and weakens the…

Fronius USA has launched PV Point Comfort, a device that backs up energy to a branch circuit using power passing through a solar inverter. PV Point Comfort from Fronius USA. Building on the basic PV Point model, the PV Point Comfort delivers energy while the sun shines, even without adding a battery. When power from the electricity grid fails, PV Point Comfort automatically provides backup power. PV Point Comfort can power a branch circuit to keep critical loads such as routers, refrigerators or outdoor circuits online. The system can be installed on an additional printed circuit board that is placed…

According to preliminary results, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and demand-side response assets both secure around 8% of capacity deals, but nuclear is leading the UK’s first capacity market auction of 2026. Results from the larger T-4 auction are expected later this month, with generators and energy storage assets competing for multi-year contracts. March 6, 2026 Matthew Lynas By ESS news BESS has secured 8% of allocated capacity for delivery in 2026-27 in the UK T-1 capacity market auction, according to preliminary results from grid operator NESO. The auction awarded 7.2 GW of capacity agreements at a clearing price of…

Manufacturing the next generation of solar panels could reduce global CO2 emissions by as much as 8.2 billion tonnes by 2035, according to a new international study led by researchers at the University of Warwick with colleagues from the Universities of Northumbria, Birmingham and Oxford. The team explored how the rapid scale-up of advanced photovoltaic technologies can both support global decarbonization and reduce the footprint of solar energy production itself. Solar panels, scientifically known as solar photovoltaics, convert sunlight directly into electricity and are already central to climate mitigation strategies worldwide. As countries deploy solar energy at multi-terawatt scales over…

Solar powered sales operating system Enerflo has partnered with Palmetto to offer this Palmetto Energy Backupa leasing product that runs exclusively on batteries, fully integrated into the Enerflo platform. This new offering allows residential solar installers to sell backup energy storage as a standalone lease, without requiring homeowners to pay out-of-pocket or secure traditional financing. Palmetto Energy Backup is a third-party ownership lease (TPO) specifically designed for energy storage. Unlike traditional battery add-ons that require upfront payment or loans, this subscription-based model includes premium battery equipment, installation and ongoing maintenance under a leasing structure. The storage lease is built directly…

In March, Women in Solar+ Europe (WiSEu) will launch its International Women’s Day 2026 campaign: “Beyond 10X: Leadership Without Double Standards.” Inspired by a reflection by Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgár: “I had to prove myself 10 times more than if I had been born a boy,” the campaign invites solar industry professionals to reflect on how leadership is evaluated and how subtle double standards can shape career paths. March 6, 2026 Women in Solar+ Europe At a time when the energy transition is accelerating and energy security is more important than ever, the sector depends on innovation, collaboration and…

Pioneering research led by Northumbria University shows how the global solar industry can expand production of photovoltaic technology while further reducing its carbon footprint. As solar deployment accelerates to meet climate targets and rising electricity demand, the work addresses the challenge of ensuring this growth is both scalable and sustainable, rather than simply shifting environmental burdens elsewhere in the energy system. The research, published in Nature Communications, examines the full life cycle of photovoltaic silicon technology, from raw material extraction to the production of state-of-the-art solar panels that are expected to dominate the market until 2035. Researchers from Northumbria University…

Zelestraa renewable energy company, has begun construction on its two largest U.S. solar projects to date. Head of EPC McCarthy Building Cos. has started work on both 253 MWdirect current Echols Grove in Lamar County, Texas, and the 188 MWdirect current Cedar Range in Hopkins County. The Jasper County Solar Project in Indiana. Zelestra “Following our rapid growth in 2025, Zelestra’s expansion across the U.S. energy landscape continues to accelerate in 2026,” said Phil North, Zelestra’s U.S. CEO. “Echols Grove and Cedar Range are two major projects in our partnership with Meta, which will soon bring 1.2 GW of new…