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FREMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun 2, 2026–
In 2026, analysts expect more than 43GW of new utility-scalesolar capacity to come online in the United States as electricity demand rises from artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, electrification, and industrial growth. Against this backdrop, RETC, part of the VDE Group, released its 2026 PV Module Index (PVMI) Report, providing independent, comparative data on photovoltaic (PV) modules across reliability, performance, and quality metrics. The findings reflect a broader industry transition from focusing primarily on deployment scale to understanding how solar assets will perform reliably over 25- to 35-year asset lifecycles and how performance deviations may affect long-term project economics and asset value.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602515670/en/
Within RETC’s customer portfolio, 19 manufacturers earned recognition in the 2026 PV Module Index across multiple testing disciplines and award categories. Thirteen manufacturers achieved Overall Highest Achiever status, while additional manufacturers received recognition through High Achievement in Performance and individual Test Category High Achievement distinctions, reflecting the rigorous qualification standards applied throughout the program.
“Certifications require products to meet a minimum baseline standard; however, they do not necessarily address how assets will perform throughout their projected lifetime in the field, specifically in recent years, under increasingly extreme conditions,” said Cherif Kedir, CEO of RETC. “In 2026, solar is now both critical infrastructure and a commoditized product, which makes quality differentiation paramount for long-term reliability, consistency, and performance. Stakeholders require more confidence that the products being deployed today will continue performing reliably over decades, especially as new manufacturing scales rapidly and new materials and supply chains hastily enter the market.”
Based on testing conducted between Q2 of 2025 and Q1 of 2026, the 2026 PVMI evaluates PV modules using RETC’s extended real-world testing protocols designed to identify potential long-term reliability and performance risks that may not appear in standard certification testing. The report highlights several emerging trends shaping solar procurement, manufacturing, and risk evaluation decisions across the industry.
“What we are seeing is an industry moving from a deployment story to a performance and risk management story,” continued Kedir. “The PVMI gives developers, financiers, and asset owners a clearer view of which modules perform under extended stress conditions designed to reflect the realities they will face in the field.”
The 2026 Photovoltaic Module Index Report highlights several reliability and performance trends emerging from RETC’s extended laboratory testing, including:
The report also examines how rapid solar deployment, evolving manufacturing practices, and changing global supply chains are reshaping expectations around solar reliability and bankability. In addition to RETC’s technical analysis, the 2026 PVMI features contributions from leading industry voices, including Finlay Colville of Terawatt PV Research and Kelly Pickerel of Solar Power World, who explore emerging trends influencing solar manufacturing, performance, and project risk.
Colville will also serve as a guest speaker at the Annual PVMI Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 4, 2026, held in conjunction with SNEC 2026 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai, China. To schedule a meeting with the RETC team at the show, reach out to info@retc.com or visit http://www.retc-ca.com. To learn more about RETC and access the full 2026 PV Module Index Report, visit https://retc-ca.com/pvmi.
About RETC, part of the VDE Group
RETC is an independent testing and certification laboratory specializing in solar and energy storage products. Since 2009, renewable energy manufacturers, developers, financiers, and independent engineers have relied on RETC to generate trusted, third-party data for evaluating product performance, reliability, and bankability. Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., with facilities in Tempe, Ariz., RETC is part of the VDE Group and supports global testing and certification efforts across the energy transition and an expanding range of market segments.
By providing independent, defensible data for photovoltaic (PV) modules, inverters, battery energy storage components, and racking products, RETC helps reduce friction across operational functions. From technical diligence and stakeholder alignment to accelerated market adoption of proven technologies, RETC results and reports inform stakeholders on what products are suitable for large-scale renewable energy deployment. Specifically, the company’s Thresher Test Program is widely utilized to assess the long-term durability of solar panel technologies and to inform procurement, financing, and insurance decisions.
For more information, visit http://www.retc-ca.com.
The 2026 PV Module Index Report evaluates photovoltaic modules using extended stress testing designed to identify reliability and performance risks that may not appear in standard certification testing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Controversial U.S. Senate hopefuls Ken Paxton, a Republican from Texas, and Graham Platner, a Democrat from Maine, visited the nation’s capital Tuesday to shore up support within their respective parties, with Paxton’s itinerary including a White House huddle with President Donald Trump.
The campaign pilgrimage by the two candidates, one from each end of the political spectrum, comes as both men face concerns their respective campaigns could cost their parties winnable races in the November midterms, with control of the Senate at stake for the final two years of Trump’s second presidency.
Paxton’s planned meeting with Trump comes after he won the president’s coveted endorsement ahead of trouncing Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas runoff last month. The schedule was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the president’s plans but who was not authorized to discuss them publicly.
Senate Republicans feared that Paxton, the Texas attorney general, would be a weaker candidate against James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, in the fall. Paxton has endured an indictment, an impeachment and public disclosure of marital infidelity.
He also is expected to meet with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who backed Cornyn. Senate Republicans’ campaign arm excoriated Paxton during the primary campaign, accusing him of “repulsive and disgusting” behavior and quoting his estranged wife saying she filed for divorce “on biblical grounds.”
Platner swung by Democrats’ Senate campaign headquarters on Tuesday to meet with several senators, including the group’s chair, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The meeting comes days after the disclosure that he and his wife have had marital difficulties and sought counseling after he reportedly sent sexually explicit text messages to other women.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who had backed Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the state’s Democratic primary before she suspended her campaign, told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he had met with Platner earlier in the day.
“We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate,” Schumer said repeatedly when asked about Platner’s controversies.
As the questions continued, Schumer tried to change the subject.
“Any other subject you’ve got?” Schumer responded to reporters.
Platner and his wife have criticized media coverage of their marriage, framing it as a private matter that should not shape the campaign. Still, the latest personal issues added fuel to some Democrats’ skittishness about Platner, who already faced scrutiny over online posts that were dismissive of sexual assault and a tattoo that is recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner has apologized for the posts and covered up the tattoo.
Paxton has offered no apologies for his baggage. He framed his win over Cornyn as a “Texas-sized message to Washington,” and thanked Trump — who himself has endured repeated personal and political scandals to win two national elections — for his support.
Like Paxton, Platner was not the choice of his party’s Senate brass. But Platner effectively became the presumptive nominee after Mills suspended her campaign weeks ago because of fundraising difficulties.
Maine’s primary is on June 9, and Platner would face Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican running for a sixth six-year term, in November. Defeating Collins is crucial to Democrats’ attempts to regain control of the Senate. Democrats have repeatedly tried to unseat Collins, but she has always survived. In 2020, Collins won reelection even though Democrat Joe Biden carried the state over Trump by nine percentage points.
In Texas, some Republicans fear they will need to divert critical resources to boost Paxton over Talarico, who has become a national fundraising phenomenon.
Although Republicans have dominated Texas for decades, prominent party leaders have said the race could be genuinely competitive this time. Eight years ago, during the midterm election of Trump’s first presidency, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won reelection over another Democratic fundraising juggernaut, Beto O’Rourke, by less than 3 points.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate advantage and earlier in the campaign cycle were heavily favored to maintain their majority. But as Trump’s popularity fades and primary fights yield nominees, Democrats have become more confident in their prospects.
With control of the Senate on the line, most partisans have generally lined up behind Platner and Paxton, even if begrudgingly, because of their political baggage. Tuesday’s fundraising events were the latest evidence. The event for Paxton, with a $1,000 minimum donation required, according to the invitation, is being co-hosted by seven senators, including Cruz. The fundraiser for Platner is being co-hosted by former Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain.
“My priority is to make sure that Republicans control the majority so we can continue the agenda that we’re on,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, on Tuesday. “Ken Paxton is absolutely necessary as far as keeping that majority. I have faith that the people of Texas will support him, and he’ll get across the finish line.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich, who had endorsed Platner, said he doesn’t believe Maine voters are focused on Platner’s marriage. Asked if Platner still has a shot in the race, Heinrich said “we’ll have to see” and “I suspect so.”
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a progressive, said her top concern is Platner’s prospective constituents.
“I want to hear from him about the economy,” she said ahead of their meeting. “And more about what he talks to the people of Maine about.”
That echoes another leading progressive who, like Warren, has endorsed Platner. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he still supports Platner as part of the left’s economic populism.
“Of course,” Sanders told reporters Monday. “Why would I not?”
But not all Democrats are on board, including one who first came to the Senate with an outsider persona. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat who has earned a reputation for speaking and voting against his party, even appeared to relish Platner’s newest controversy, calling him “phustle,” a reference to Platner’s apparent profile uncovered on Kik, a private messaging app.
“So much bizarre and tacky and gross stuff that you lose count. It’s like you need to have a bingo card,” Fetterman said.
The senator stopped short of calling on Platner to drop out, but he echoed some Democrats’ private concerns.
“I mean, what’s next?” he said.
Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa, and Barrow reported from Atlanta.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary runoff election night event after winning the Republican party’s nomination Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at an event hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders in Orono, Maine, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, waves as he takes the stage to speak during a primary runoff election night event after winning the Republican party’s nomination Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, greets supporters after speaking at an event hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders in Orono, Maine, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Attendees celebrate after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, won the Republican party’s nomination during a primary runoff election night event Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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