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The $17 Billion Solar Maintenance Market Just Got a New Player From the Defense Sector

globenewswire.com
FSLR First Solar reported strong 2025 revenue and is expanding U.S. manufacturing with new AI-enabled facilities. Its thin-film technology continues to perform well, and a large backlog indicates sustained demand for its products and downstream O&M services. VWAV VisionWave is strategically expanding into the solar O&M market through its subsidiary SolarDrone, leveraging its defense technology expertise in AI and autonomous systems. The acquisition of Junko Solar is expected to strengthen its capabilities and market presence. SEDG SolarEdge is undergoing a turnaround with analyst upgrades and a shift towards profitable growth. The company beat revenue estimates and is focusing on its new platform, with its core technology powering systems that require ongoing O&M. SPWR SunPower completed its Sunder integration, becoming a top residential installer, and reported record Q4 revenue. Its expanding installation footprint directly contributes to the downstream maintenance revenue stream for O&M providers. ENPH Enphase is seeing strong demand for its new IQ9 Commercial Microinverters and reported a Q4 EPS beat. Its expanding residential solar installations create a growing addressable market for O&M services, supported by partnerships.

The $17 Billion Solar Maintenance Market Just Got a New Player From the Defense Sector Issued on behalf of VisionWave Holdings, Inc.

Companies mentioned in this article: VisionWave Holdings (NASDAQ: VWAV), First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ: SEDG)

Key Takeaways:

NEW YORK, March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USANewsGroup.com News Commentary — The global solar panel operation and maintenance market is valued at $17.02 billion in 2026 and is projected to nearly quadruple to $59.69 billion by 2035, driven by the simple math of an aging installed base that now exceeds 1,200 gigawatts worldwide[1]. Every solar panel ever installed eventually needs cleaning, repair, and performance optimization — and the companies providing those services are building a recurring revenue layer beneath one of the fastest-growing energy sectors on the planet. The convergence of AI-driven diagnostics, robotic cleaning systems, and drone-based inspection is transforming what was once manual labor into a scalable technology business.

That transformation is attracting capital from unexpected places. Defense technology companies, with deep expertise in autonomous systems, AI analytics, and remote sensing, are recognizing that the same capabilities built for the battlefield can be redeployed to maintain the world’s solar infrastructure. It’s a dual-use thesis that’s gaining momentum as the solar O&M sector professionalizes.

VisionWave Holdings (NASDAQ: VWAV) — Defense-Tech Subsidiary Expands Into Solar Infrastructure

VisionWave Holdings (NASDAQ: VWAV) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary SolarDrone Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire a 51% controlling interest in Junko Solar Ltd., an Israeli company specializing in solar panel maintenance and cleaning services. The transaction, structured in three staged payments at a total consideration of $204,000 based on an agreed company valuation of $400,000, includes the appointment of Junko Solar founder Amos Cohen as Chief Executive Officer and Director of SolarDrone.

The move is strategic on multiple levels. VisionWave’s core platform — built around AI-driven sensing, autonomous systems, and RF-based detection for defense and homeland security — generates exactly the kind of capabilities that modern solar O&M demands: drone-based inspection, automated anomaly detection, and AI-powered performance analytics. Junko Solar brings the operational footprint and industry relationships to deploy those capabilities into a rapidly expanding commercial market.

VisionWave believes the transaction represents a step toward expanding SolarDrone’s operational capabilities within the solar infrastructure services market. The integration of Junko Solar’s expertise is expected to strengthen SolarDrone’s ability to deliver scalable maintenance solutions as global solar capacity continues to grow.

The acquisition comes amid a period of accelerating execution for VisionWave. The company recently closed a $20 million senior financing, completed Phase One of its strategic SaverOne transaction to activate RF sensing within its autonomous defense platform, and executed a $10 million Statement of Work for its qSpeed computational acceleration engine. VisionWave’s dual-market strategy — connecting defense innovation with civilian infrastructure — is now tangible across both sides of the business.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for VisionWave Holdings at: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/09/11/the-ai-defense-technology-developments-potentially-relevant-in-2025-26/

In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) — $5.2 Billion in 2025 Revenue and Expanding U.S. Manufacturing

First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) reported full-year 2025 net sales of $5.2 billion and fourth quarter revenue of $1.7 billion, with a year-end net cash balance of $2.4 billion. The company inaugurated a $1.1 billion AI-enabled manufacturing facility in Louisiana in late 2025 and has selected South Carolina for its next U.S. production plant, expected to begin commercial operations in the second half of 2026. First Solar’s thin-film module technology continues to outperform competing silicon panels in low-light and high-heat conditions, and the company carries 54.5 GW of total bookings in its backlog. As the installed base of First Solar panels grows, so does the downstream demand for professional maintenance and performance optimization services.

Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH) — 86 Million Microinverters Shipped and IQ9 Rollout

Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH) has shipped 86.4 million microinverters to more than 5.1 million systems across 160 countries. The company began U.S. shipments of its new IQ9 Commercial Microinverters in January 2026 and posted a Q4 2025 EPS beat of $0.71 versus the $0.58 consensus estimate, with U.S. sell-through demand up 21% sequentially. Enphase also launched a national home battery storage initiative with partners including SunPower and Palmetto. As the residential solar installed base expands, the long-term maintenance and monitoring requirements for these systems create a growing addressable market for O&M service providers at every level of the solar value chain.

SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) — Sunder Integration Complete, Targeting Cash Flow Positivity

SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) announced the successful completion of its integration of Sunder Energy, a milestone that secured the company’s position as the fourth-largest residential solar installer in the United States. SunPower reported record Q4 2025 revenue of $88.5 million and full-year revenue of $308.8 million. The company achieved its first commercial installation of Monolith solar panels developed with REC Group and is targeting permanent cash flow positivity in Q4 2026. SunPower’s expanding installation footprint directly feeds the downstream maintenance pipeline that solar O&M providers depend on for recurring revenue.

SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ: SEDG) — Turnaround Underway With Analyst Upgrades

SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ: SEDG) reported Q4 2025 revenue of $335.36 million, beating the $328.94 million consensus estimate and prompting a Buy upgrade from TD Cowen. The stock has gained over 105% in the past year as the company shifts from survival mode to profitable growth, with CEO Zvi Lando stating that 2026 will be about “shifting decisively to offense” through the rollout of its SolarEdge Nexis platform. SolarEdge’s inverter and power optimizer technology sits at the center of millions of installed solar systems worldwide, each of which requires ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and eventual component replacement — the exact services that the solar O&M sector is scaling to deliver.

SOURCE: https://usanewsgroup.com/2025/09/11/the-ai-defense-technology-developments-potentially-relevant-in-2025-26/

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SOURCES:

1. Business Research Insights, Solar Operation and Maintenance Market 2026-2035 — https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/solar-operation-and-maintenance-market-117092

2. First Solar Q4 and Full Year 2025 Earnings Release — https://investor.firstsolar.com/

3. 24/7 Wall Street, Solar Shares Rally on SolarEdge Turnaround — https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/03/10/solar-shares-shine-solaredge-stock-heads-10-higher-enphase-energy-and-sunrun-rally-6/