Hosting capacity maps: A gold mine for solar developers
Multiple U.S. states require electric utilities to share their power grid data with solar developers. The resulting tools are like treasure maps for solar developers.
Innovative PV modules at Intersolar San Diego
In sunny San Diego for Intersolar 2020, we’re seeing a new idea for tracking rooftop solar modules, diodes moving to cell level, two types of building-integrated solar products and some solar hot water.
US solar generation fell as much as 10% in H1
Clean Power Research saw solar generation shift downward from the norm by as much as 10% in many locations across the United States in the first half of 2019.
Zinc-air battery aims for extremely low $45/kWh cost
New York state has chosen Zinc8’s zinc-air battery to demonstrate the technology’s viability over a three-year period in a 100 kW/1 MWh storage system.
US government expects 24 GW of new solar this year
A Department of Energy agency expects 17.4 GW (DC) of utility scale solar power generation capacity plus 6.6 GW of small scale PV will be installed in 2020. That volume would be 60% higher than the record, set in 2016.
Solar industry snagged $27.8 billion in finance for company building, projects in 2019
Mercom Capital has released their annual report for 2019, describing the year as robust and showing company funding of $11.7 billion, up 20% over 2018, on top of announced project deals of $16.1 billion, up 14%.
Repowering solar plants for need – or bigger returns
Alencon’s silicon carbide-based String Power Optimizers and Transmitters enable the repowering of solar plants which need to replace 600 V inverters with newer 1,000 V or 1,500 V gear, or for project owners who wish to maximize electricity generation at aging and imperfect facilities with creative engineering techniques.
Enphase preps commercial inverters and small off-grid solar+storage box
At its recent “Analyst Day” presentation, the company also showed off a 640 W two-module commercial inverter, as well as an “Ensemble in a Box” solar+storage package for two PV modules.
US research lab rewires solar cell efficiency to 27.3%, sees path to greater than 32%
NREL has published a paper showing an experimental solar cell, with a unique technique for wiring two separate solar cells into one, that increased the cell’s efficiency by 4%. The document also offers a respectable review of other technologies being developed.
Colorado utility sees ‘opportunistic window’ with solar, wind, storage
Black Hills Energy is seeking 200 MW of solar power or wind plus energy storage capacity as part of a request for proposal, driven by summer 2019 bids for solar+storage of $0.024/kWh and $0.036/kWh and looming cuts to the 30% investment tax credit.
