Intertek CEA conducted quality audits at 70+ battery energy storage factories worldwide. Our data shows that in 2024 the vast majority of identified quality issues were at the system level.

The latest Energy Storage System (ESS) Supplier Market Intelligence Report finds that the market landscape for lithium-ion batteries continues to evolve, and supplier strategy is shifting rapidly in response to the tariffs announced by the United States under the Trump administration, particularly on China, and persistently low prices.

Martin Meyers explores how the Inflation Reduction Act is reshaping U.S. solar manufacturing incentives and project economics. He highlights the evolving challenges developers face in navigating domestic content requirements and qualifying for bonus tax credits.

Intrtek CEA’s Senior Energy Storage Engineer Ahn Vu explores how alternative technologies to lithium-ion are unlikely to oust the incumbent anytime soon.

SEG Solar and Astronergy supplied new tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules, alongside an n-type back-contact sample from Aiko, for installation in the first week of March 2025. To add these new products to the comparison table in these results, we removed the production data from before March 7. Due to downtime for system upgrades, we also did not capture data for three days in March and therefore had to remove those days from the total energy yield calculation. Finally, three products using 210 mm square cells were removed from the data, as we identified anomalies in the production figures caused by the maximum power point tracking algorithm. The data from those products will be reported again as soon as the issues are resolved.

You can build an entire energy infrastructure project and still wait years to flip the switch. In today’s market, it’s not the modules or permitting that cause the longest delays. Clean Energy Associates’ Eddy Ji explains how high demand for transformers and other essential grid infrastructure equipment is slowing things down.

CEA conducted factory, pre-installation, and post-installation inspections for 1 GW solar PV portfolio in Chile. The goal was to assess module quality and identify defects from manufacturing to installation. The inspections focused on electroluminescence (EL) imaging and visual inspection to detect potential soldering issues, microcracks, and other module degradation mechanisms. A total of 8,520 images were taken.

A solar project developer engaged CEA to investigate widespread glass breakage across multiple PV sites. CEA conducted comprehensive on-site inspections and structural assessments, which pointed to possible issues related to module durability and mounting system compatibility.

The quarterly published Energy Storage STPR covers global and regional supply chain analysis, technology trends, and regional policy analysis. This quarter the focus is on non-lithium-ion technologies and the potential for long-duration energy storage.

The ESS Price Forecasting Report provides a five-year forecast for the price of a DC battery container, including battery cells, modules, racking, and additional balance of system needed for a containerized battery system. The Q1 2025 report covers pricing outlook updates through March 2025.  

At the end of February 2025, three new samples - two tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) samples from SEG Solar and Astronergy and our first n-type back contact sample from Aiko – arrived in Yinchuan and were installed at the beginning of March. The outdoor data for these will be published next month.

In this Energy Storage News article, Anjali Joshi, Market Intelligence Analyst at Clean Energy Associates, explains how the shifting political landscape is reshaping the U.S. battery gigafactory race—putting smaller vendors at a disadvantage as larger players consolidate their power.

This pv magazine webinar addresses the quality risks U.S. solar module buyers face due to increased warehousing and the emergence of new manufacturing facilities. Experts from Clean Energy Associates (CEA) will discuss the rise in warehoused modules, common storage-related risks, quality concerns in new manufacturing environments, and strategies to mitigate these issues

While President Donald Trump’s sweeping levies on foreign imports have captured global headlines, antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigations into Southeast Asian products, along with a potential expansion of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), could pose even greater risks for US solar and energy storage.

The PV SMIP report provides a comprehensive and unbiased analysis of the top PV module manufacturers in the world. It offers detailed insights into capacities, technology, and efficiency roadmaps, along with Manufacturing, Capacity, and Technology (MCT) ratings for each supplier.

The quarterly published PV STPR covers global and regional supply chain analysis, technology trends, and regional policy analysis.

Weathering the Battery Storm: From Supply Chain Disruptions to New Trade Policies

This case study explores a thermal event inspection carried out by Clean Energy Associates (CEA) at a rooftop solar PV installation. CEA found the access to the roof was unsecured that allowed unauthorized cleaning of the site prior to the start of the investigation.

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) is receiving more calls from solar developers concerned about warehouse panel damage. CEA’s Senior Engineering Manager Claire Kearns McCoy explains how improper handling, stacking, and storage conditions can lead to long-term issues. 

The new outdoor test field in Yinchuan, China, began operations on Dec. 9, 2024. Due to system modifications, the data of Dec. 23 were removed. In January, we were close to getting a full month’s worth of data, but unfortunately, due to an operational error, we lost data for several modules after Jan. 24. At present, this problem has been solved and we expect that a full month’s data will be presented in the next issue of pv magazine.