Higher Power PV Modules Drive Up BOS Costs

Charge Rigs, an American EV charging manufacturer headquartered in Florida, announced the public launch of EV Data Map, a free location intelligence platform that enables investors, property owners, fleet operators, and site developers to evaluate the profitability of DC fast charger installations at any address in the United States.

Available immediately at evdatamap.com, EV Data Map delivers a comprehensive Site Profitability Score from 0 to 100 for any US location within seconds. The platform is free to use with no account required, removing a significant barrier for stakeholders evaluating where to deploy EV charging infrastructure.

"The biggest question anyone considering an EV charger investment asks is simple: will this location be profitable?" said Paul Boes, Founder of Charge Rigs. "Until now, answering that question required expensive consultants or guesswork. EV Data Map puts institutional-grade site analysis in the hands of every property owner, developer, and fleet operator in America, completely free of charge."

The platform analyzes locations across four weighted dimensions: charger saturation, which measures the gap between existing charging infrastructure and local EV demand; EV density, tracking registered electric vehicles and adoption rates in the area; location quality, evaluating proximity to highways, retail centers, and commercial zones; and population density, assessing foot traffic potential based on US Census data.

EV Data Map aggregates real-time data from five authoritative sources. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides charging station locations, power output data, and EV registration counts. The US Census Bureau supplies population density, median household income, and tract-level demographics. Mapbox delivers geocoding, points of interest analysis, road classification, and commercial land use detection. Open Charge Map contributes supplementary global station data for cross-referencing. System generates professionally written investment narratives explaining each score in plain language.

Beyond the profitability score, the platform includes a Charger Utilization Estimator that models how many daily charging sessions a new station could realistically capture. The estimator projects occupancy rates and revenue potential across multiple deployment scenarios, from a single charger to eight or more units, and recommends an optimal charger count to maximize utilization without overcapacity. Growth forecasts project demand increases through 2028 and 2030 based on state-level EV adoption trends.

Every analysis is rendered on an interactive map, displaying public US charging stations with real-time clustering, a charger gap heat map highlighting under-served areas, and satellite imagery for site assessment. Users can click anywhere on the map to instantly analyze that location.

Each analysis can be packaged into a professional, downloadable PDF report spanning multiple pages. The report includes the full score breakdown, utilization projections, AI-generated investment narrative, competitive landscape with nearby charger details, local utility rates, demographic data, and points of interest analysis. The report is designed for investor presentations, board discussions, and site evaluation packages

The platform uses a strict grading scale designed to match investor expectations. Locations scoring 75 or above receive an Excellent rating, 55 to 74 earn Good, 35 to 54 are rated Moderate, and below 35 is Poor. Intelligence caps prevent misleading scores by applying cross-factor overrides when fundamental conditions such as population density, competitive saturation, or projected utilization are unfavorable.

EV Data Map also features power-weighted competition analysis, which distinguishes between a 250kW DC fast charger and a 50kW when calculating market saturation. State-specific growth modeling uses individual compound annual growth rates for all 50 states rather than a single national average, reflecting the wide variation in EV adoption across the country.

Charge Rigs designs and manufactures commercial DC fast chargers in the United States, with BABA-compliant configurations exceeding 60 percent domestic content. The company also offers Asynio, an AI-powered charging management platform for load balancing, payment processing, and fleet operations, and Install Planner, a site planning and project management tool for charger installations.

EV Data Map is available now at evdatamap.com. No registration, login, or payment is required to analyze locations, view results, or download reports.

Charge Rigs | https://chargerigs.com/

Intertek CEA's new manufacturing quality report details the most common – and the most critical – manufacturing defects in PV manufacturing facilities WORLDWIDE.

Their 2025 inspection data is robust — drawn from 80,000+ inspections across 340+ factories globally — and shows not a single factory worldwide achieved a top-quality grade last year. Over 70% rated C or D. Other headlines:

• As they ramp up, new U.S. factories show critical defects at rates that stand out against other manufacturing countries in the dataset.

• TOPCon has a UV degradation problem — 2025 lab testing shows some suppliers' modules degrading significantly faster than others when exposed to UV light, thereby decreasing module efficiency. 

Read the full report HERE. 

Intertek CEA | https://www.intertekcea.com/

GameChange Solar, a leading global supplier of solar tracker and fixed-tilt racking technology, announced the successful completion of the industry's first full-scale seismic shake table testing program for its Genius Tracker system at UC Berkeley's Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. The testing was conducted in accordance with IEEE 693 seismic design standards, simulating extreme earthquake conditions representative of high-risk regions such as the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This testing represents one of the most intense credible seismic scenarios for a U.S. solar installation.

A full-scale tracker system with mounted PV modules was subjected to progressively increasing seismic inputs, including broadband excitation and high-performance-level testing up to 2.5g spectral acceleration.

The system demonstrated strong performance across multiple configurations and test intensities:

• No structural damage to key components, including torque tubes, bearings, posts, and actuators.
   
• Seismic design features, including GameChange's proprietary Lateral Capture System, engaged as intended and effectively redistributed loads during testing.
   
• No module microcracking or meaningful power loss, with degradation under 1% of the PV modules used during the testing
   
• Full system functionality was maintained by the tracker motor after testing.

"As solar expands into seismic-risk regions like California, Chile, and the New Madrid Fault Zone, the industry has had negligible real-world data on how modern utility scale trackers and modules perform in an earthquake," said Scott Van Pelt, Chief Engineer at GameChange Solar. "This test changes that. We now have conclusive evidence that a solar tracking system, such as GameChange's Genius Tracker, can be designed to withstand the forces associated with a meaningful earthquake."

The results of this testing are covered in the White Paper "Seismic Shake Table Testing of Single Axis Solar Trackers," which is available upon request from GameChange Solar's website. Furthermore, this testing was presented as part of a pv magazine webinar, on how shake table testing shows earthquake resilience of solar trackers, which aired on March 18^th and available here.

A seismic failure at a solar plant could mean widespread module damage, costly repairs, months of lost generation, and potentially dangerous conditions for O&M personnel. By establishing an empirical performance baseline now, GCS is enabling project developers, asset owners, and insurers to make more informed decisions about seismic risk and provide a credible engineering foundation for sites in high-hazard zones.

Independent validation by the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) in Fremont, CA confirmed the system remained in good physical and operating condition following the test campaign.

These results demonstrate that the Genius Tracker system is engineered to deliver reliability, and performance in high seismic environments, supporting solar deployment in some of the world's most demanding conditions.

GameChange Solar | www.gamechangesolar.com

The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in residential solar projects, with homeowners across the nation turning to solar energy to power their lives. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a new solar project was installed every 59 seconds in 2025, bringing the total number of solar energy systems in the U.S. to nearly 6 million—enough to power 47 million households. By 2030, it’s projected that 11% of American homes will feature solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their roofs.

As the number of solar installations continues to climb, it is critical for architects, specifiers, contractors, and roofing professionals to proactively plan for the unique challenges these systems present—particularly in regions prone to winter weather. One significant concern is the rapid warming of solar panels after a snowfall, which causes snow to slide quickly down roof surfaces. Without proper snow retention, this can result in avalanches of snow and ice, putting people, property, and landscaping below at risk.

Solar Snowfall Solution

To address this issue, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards offers the Drift Solar Aluminum 4-pipe fence-style snow guard system. Specifically engineered for installation below solar panels, this innovative system features a 12-inch-tall snow fence that acts as a catch basin, holding snow in place until it melts gradually. This prevents dangerous, sudden releases of snow, safeguarding both residents and property.

The Drift Solar Snow Fence is compatible with both new construction and retrofit roof applications. Its robust design calls for the brackets to be bolted directly to the roof support structure flush at the eave, with the tubing side facing downslope—a reversed installation compared to traditional snow fence systems. Each bracket is anchored with five structural lag bolts, ensuring long-lasting performance and reliability. Individually sold ice screens must be installed with the Drift Solar snow fence system to impede the movement of snow between the tubing. 

Guidance for Industry Pros

With residential solar adoption on the rise, integrating snow retention systems like the Drift Solar fence is essential for safe and successful solar installations in snowy climates. Architects, specifiers and contractors are encouraged to include snow retention in their project specifications to protect homeowners and maximize the benefits of solar energy year-round.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. manufactures snow guards and fence-style snow retention systems designed to protect people and property.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards | www.rockymountainsnowguards.com 

SUNation Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNE) (“SUNation” or “the Company”), a leading provider of sustainable solar energy, battery storage, backup power, and energy services to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities, announced the installation of its 10,000th solar system, a milestone that reflects more than 20 years of solar deployment across Long Island. Collectively, SUNation’s installations now represent more than 130 megawatts of installed solar capacity and an estimated $42 million in cumulative customer energy-cost savings regionwide.

“For more than twenty years, the SUNation team has worked hard to bring solar power to the homes and businesses of Long Island,” said Scott Maskin, CEO and founder of SUNation. “Back in the day, Oakdale was SUNation’s first home, and it’s fitting that we’ve come full-circle and installed number 10,000 for a great family in the place where our deepest roots are.”

“PSEG Long Island congratulates SUNation for this milestone, their 10,000th installation on Long Island,” said Michael Voltz, director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at PSEG Long Island. “Part of our mission at PSEG Long Island is to provide opportunities for energy efficiency and renewables, and we are proud to have partnered with companies like SUNation to help make Long Island the leader in rooftop solar across all of New York State.”

“Islip has always recognized the important role that solar plays in Long Island’s energy future,” Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, said. “Our town has been proud to work with SUNation over the years to strengthen our grid and diversify our region’s energy generation capacity.”

“Congratulations to SUNation, a proud and successful local business in the Town of Islip. They continue to provide alternative energy solutions to Islip residents,” Islip Town Councilmember DawnMarie Kuhn, who represents Oakdale, said. “I am happy to see local residents take advantage of alternative energy sources like solar.”

SUNation Energy I https://www.sunation.com/

Dow Jones, a global provider of news and business information, announced an agreement with BMW Group to provide its customers premium, real-time electric vehicle (EV) charging data across the luxury carmaker’s fleet of electric vehicles.

The integration brings proprietary data from Eco-Movement, a global platform for EV charging data acquired by Dow Jones last year, directly into the BMW in-car experience, providing drivers with seamless access to high-quality information on nearly 2 million charging connectors across more than 80 countries. BMW owners will benefit from real-time availability, pricing and location data, reducing "range anxiety" and streamlining the charging process. It will be available across BMW’s EV fleet by this summer. 

“As the adoption of electric mobility accelerates, the need for clear, accurate and actionable data has never been greater,” said Sarah Cottle, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Dow Jones Energy. “By integrating Eco-Movement’s best-in-class data into BMW’s world-class vehicles, we are empowering drivers with the proprietary insights they need to navigate the energy evolution with confidence.”

This agreement marks the latest expansion of Dow Jones’s energy business, which has seen significant growth following the acquisitions of OPIS, A2i Systems and Eco-Movement. It represents a strategic move to position Dow Jones Energy with best-in-class data and analytics  to meet the rising demand for scalable energy data and software solutions among OEMs, fleet managers, and individual consumers alike. 

Dow Jones | https://www.dowjones.com/