The U.S. solar industry tries cautious optimism
It doesn’t feel like RE+ was just a few months ago. Frankly, by 2025 standards, that ought to be an eternity. We went to the show with the expectation that this one would be different than the jovial, frenetic shows of years past. And it was different, but not by any drastic measure. 2024 was a landmark year with a record number of RE+ attendees and a future painted by solar subsidies and a new wave of domestic manufacturing. Sure, attendance was down at RE+ this year. But more than 37,000 people still showed up. Compare that to the 40,000-plus from last year.
Optimism, whether performed or genuine, was the overwhelming impression we got from talking to people on the show floor. There’s still demand for solar whether federal subsidies are active or not, and while they still are, solar demand remains at an all-time high. Separate from incentives, the industry is selling itself on the ability to deploy solar significantly faster than other forms of new electricity. Energy costs are rising at astronomical rates, in large part due to new AI data center demand. Some solar developers are even being commissioned to build projects alongside these energy-devouring data centers, shifting the original purpose of solar from decarbonizing and electrifying the grid to trying to keep pace with new energy consumption patterns.
Solar is now tangled in a mess of fiber optic and PV cabling. This technology was legitimized for its economic advantages in addition to its environmental benefits. But the electric snake is eating its own tail so a person can generate an uncanny image through a generative AI platform at the cost of the ozone layer.
Solar is still crucial. In fact, with every passing day, it’s more important than it’s ever been that solar PV connects to the grid. Choosing a fossil fuel alternative would only threaten the conditions of our environment at an even faster rate. There are many people still striving to make solar the primary source of electricity in this country, despite growing demands on the grid, despite monumental policy headwinds, despite rising costs of living. These people are streamlining the solar development and construction process; they’re advocating in local, state and federal policy venues for better legislative conditions for solar; they’re striving to make their businesses ideal places to be employed; they’re ensuring the public understands the benefits of this technology.
We’re recognizing a few of these Rising Stars in this issue of Solar Power World, along with this year’s collection of Top Products that are advancing the industry at both the small- and large-scale. To all the innovators and ground-breakers: We hope you know that your work in this industry is valued, because without it we wouldn’t be writing these stories in the first place.
Billy Ludt
Senior Editor
[email protected]
