/daily ·29 SEPT 2026 ·TUESDAY ·2 MIN READ ·5 STORIES

Solar passed nuclear. Efficiency records followed.

Solar electricity surpassed nuclear output globally for the first time. A tandem cell hit 30.77% certified efficiency on commercial silicon. US clean energy employment fell for the first time since the pandemic.

01 / The Day

TUESDAY 29 SEPT 2026, ranked

Solar electricity surpassed nuclear globally for the first time

Monthly solar generation exceeded nuclear output globally starting in April 2025, with the gap widening through mid-2026 — the first time in electricity history that solar has overtaken nuclear as a source. The crossing reflects two decades of solar expansion against near-zero nuclear capacity growth.

Solar overtook nuclear on a monthly generation basis, not just installed capacity
Nuclear capacity has grown less than 5% globally since 2000; solar has grown more than 10,000%
The crossover is structurally permanent — solar's cost curve makes any reversal implausible

Why it mattersThe milestone settles one of the oldest arguments in energy policy: the market has chosen which technology wins the low-carbon baseload debate.

01 pv-magazine.com↗

Perovskite-silicon tandem cell hits 30.77% efficiency on textured silicon

Researchers at Nanjing University achieved certified 30.77% power conversion efficiency in a perovskite-silicon tandem cell built on commercially standard textured silicon — the configuration used in existing production lines, making the record directly relevant to manufacturing scale-up.

30.77% exceeds the single-junction silicon theoretical limit of approximately 29.4%
Textured silicon compatibility is the manufacturing unlock — standard wafer lines can use it directly
A healing treatment to the perovskite layer reduced the interfacial defects limiting prior textured-silicon tandems

Why it mattersA record on textured silicon is more commercially relevant than a record on lab-grade smooth silicon — it is a result that existing fabs can act on.

02 pv-magazine.com↗

Sodium-ion batteries carry 25% lower carbon footprint than LFP

A Chinese life cycle assessment found sodium-ion battery manufacturing produces 24.9% less greenhouse gas than lithium iron phosphate production, primarily because sodium precursors avoid lithium's energy-intensive mining and refining steps. The finding contrasts with a 2025 European study that favoured LFP, with the difference driven by grid and supply-chain geography.

Advantage is largest where sodium sourcing avoids energy-intensive lithium processing
Result is grid-dependent: a sodium-ion cell on a coal-heavy grid may not hold the carbon advantage
CATL and BYD are both scaling sodium-ion for stationary storage and entry-level EVs

Why it mattersChemistry choice is becoming a Scope 3 carbon accounting decision for corporate buyers, not just a cost comparison — the LCA data changes the procurement calculus.

03 pv-magazine.com↗

EIA forecasts 83 GW of US renewables and storage in the next 12 months

The US Energy Information Administration projected 82.7 GW of new renewable generation and battery storage additions in the coming twelve months, alongside a net decline in fossil fuel and nuclear capacity. If achieved, it would be the largest single-year clean energy addition in US history — nearly double 2024 levels.

82.7 GW in 12 months is roughly double the approximately 45 GW added across the US in 2024
Net fossil and nuclear decline signals the grid is past the inflection where clean additions exceed retirements
Utility-scale solar and co-located battery storage dominate the pipeline

Why it mattersA projected doubling of annual US clean energy additions is the number that determines whether the interconnection queue and supply chain can keep pace with the build.

04 electrek.co↗

US clean energy employment fell 37,000 in 2025 — first decline since the pandemic

US clean energy employment fell by nearly 37,000 positions in 2025, ending a four-year consecutive growth streak driven by the Inflation Reduction Act. Federal policy rollbacks prompted companies to halt or reduce investments, with manufacturing and construction roles hit hardest — and the full impact of 2026 tariff increases not yet reflected.

Jobs lost concentrated in solar installation, battery manufacturing, and wind construction
First year-on-year decline since 2020 pandemic disruptions; 2021-24 had been record growth years
Decline preceded the full tariff impact; further losses likely in 2026 data

Why it mattersThe employment figure makes the policy impact concrete — the rollback is not an abstraction but a number that maps to specific project cancellations and specific workers.

05 electrek.co↗

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The Daily Archive

/TUE 29 SEPTSolar passed nuclear. Efficiency records followed./MON 28 SEPTInfrastructure Everywhere, Policy Nowhere /SUN 27 SEPT400 Wh/kg solid-state is real; Tesla closes the lithium loop /SAT 26 SEPTEurope's battery superstores break ground; solar hits 3 cents /THU 24 SEPTRecord storage quarter, 100 GW of US panels, and a fight for offshore wind /WED 23 SEPTCourts, Concrete, and Capacity: Clean Energy's September Sprint /TUE 22 SEPTMaking Things Real /MON 21 SEPTOklo splits atoms, courts push back on coal, and China's solid-state surge /SAT 19 SEPTFires, Fusion, and a Very Big Factory /FRI 18 SEPTThe Iran premium and the geothermal surge /THU 17 SEPTThe Cost Collapse Accelerates /WED 16 SEPTFCC Inverter Ban, America's Solar Milestone, and Sodium-Ion at Scale /TUE 15 SEPTThe battery era, still accelerating /MON 14 SEPTSolid-State Sunday /SUN 13 SEPTSolid State Sunday /FRI 11 SEPTTandem Record, Grid Alert /THU 10 SEPTScotland's GWh Day, Trump's Battery Order /WED 09 SEPTNuclear Returns, Battery Prices Rise /TUE 08 SEPTRecord Books /MON 07 SEPTSolid-state goes live, silicon anodes converge, Archer flies cities /SUN 06 SEPTGrid plumbing and chemistry