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.
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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 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 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.
California Democrats persuaded voters to let them redraw the state's congressional map so the party could potentially gain five seats in the U.S. House to counter GOP redistricting in Texas. Tuesday’s primary will be the first indication of whether that will pay off.
The state’s unusual primary system, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party, means Democrats have a chance of effectively missing out on a pickup in the San Diego suburbs, where Republican Rep. Darrell Issa's district was redrawn to give it a slight Democratic lean.
Issa retired, and a Republican San Diego County supervisor, Jim Desmond, stepped in to run. So did an avalanche of nine Democrats — so many that some fear the Democratic vote will be split among them, leaving Desmond and the only other GOP candidate, Jim O’Neil, as the top vote-getters. Under that scenario, Democrats would be locked out of the November general election.
“After millions of dollars and a nationwide effort to redraw these districts in response to Texas, Democrats being shut out would be a nightmare,” said Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former Obama administration official who is one of the Democrats running.
California has been the bright spot for Democrats in a redistricting war kicked off by President Donald Trump to help his party retain control of the House. After Texas redrew its map to make as many as five more seats winnable for the GOP, California voters allowed Democrats to suspend their state’s own independent redistricting commission and create a new map in retaliation.
But when Virginia Democrats tried to replicate that, they were blocked by their state Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, letting Republicans eliminate some majority-Black congressional districts in the South.
Campa-Najjar, San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert and investor Brandon Riker, who is financing his own campaign, are the most prominent Democrats in the race for the seat vacated by Issa. Many Democrats are optimistic their voters will coalesce around one candidate and set up a competitive election this fall against Desmond, whom Trump endorsed.
The 48th district would not be the only competitive fall race for Democrats.
In the Central Valley, they redrew the seat held by Republican Rep. David Valadao to make it even more Democratic. Valadao is a survivor of several targeted Democratic campaigns and one of two remaining Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He's expected to make it to the general election, so the primary will determine which Democrat faces him — state Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, a moderate backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or Randy Villegas, a political science professor at College of the Sequoias and a school board member who represents the party’s liberal wing.
The schism between establishment Democrats and a younger, insurgent progressive wing is a defining characteristic of many of this year's primaries.
In a safe Democratic district in San Francisco, Scott Wiener, a state lawmaker and former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is considered likely to make the November race to replace retiring former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The suspense is over whether he will face Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former technology entrepreneur who supported Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insurgent primary in 2018, or Supervisor Connie Chan, who was endorsed by Pelosi.
In Sacramento, city council member Mai Vang is challenging 81-year-old Rep. Doris Matsui, who succeeded her late husband after he died in 2005.
Rep. Brad Sherman, whose Southern California district stretches from the San Fernando Valley to Malibu, is being challenged by Democrat Jake Levine, a 42-year-old lawyer who argues that it is time to move on from the 15-term congressman.
And in a redrawn district that stretches from Napa Valley into conservative Northern California farming communities, 14-term Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson has drawn a younger challenger, former venture capitalist Eric Jones.
California's congressional primaries also will determine the fate of Republicans targeted in the Democratic redraw.
In Southern California, sitting Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim were drawn into the same conservative district and are battling over their pro-Trump credentials. That was on the mind of Brett Christensen, a 55-year-old school safety monitor who voted for Calvert on Tuesday because he thought the congressman had been a more reliable conservative vote.
“Young Kim’s voting record has not been consistent,” Christensen said outside a polling place in the city of Orange.
In the Sacramento suburbs, Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the GOP to become an independent and a critic of partisan gerrymandering, hopes to survive in one of the two Democratic-leaning districts where his more conservative district’s voters were scattered.
Meanwhile, in the San Francisco suburbs, six Democrats and two Republicans are running for the seat formerly held by Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned and ended his gubernatorial bid amid sexual harassment allegations. The top two vote-getters advance to the November ballot to fill the seat starting in 2027, while a special election will be held June 18 for the remainder of Swalwell's current term.
This story corrects the spelling of the name of a candidate who is running in San Francisco. It is Saikat Chakrabarti, not Saikat Charkrabati.
Amy Taxin in Orange, California contributed to this report
FILE - Mai Vang speaks to people at a campaign fundraiser, Jan. 21, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
FILE - California Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Oct. 29, 2024.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
FILE - Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., speaks at the Capitol in Washington, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Jim Desmond, a Republican candidate for California's 48th Congressional District, poses for a portrait Friday, May 29, 2026, in Vista, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Marni von Wilpert, a Democratic candidate for California's 48th Congressional District, canvasses in a neighborhood Friday, May 29, 2026, in San Marcos, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Ammar Campa-Najjar, right, a Democratic candidate for California's 48th Congressional District, speaks with a family as he canvasses in a neighborhood Saturday, May 23, 2026, in San Marcos, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
