US utility-backed fund raises $681 million for advanced energy technologies
Energy Impact Partners, who partners with 14 electric utilities, has raised US$681 million to continue investing in technologies that have a high probability of influencing the future power grid.
US triples energy storage installations
Wood Mackenzie projects that the U.S. energy storage market will reach well over US$500 million in sales this year, following on 61.8 MW / 156.5 MWh of installations during the second quarter. Residential storage has grown at 61% per quarter since Q1 2017.
US: 86% of Texas’ future capacity will comprise solar or wind, zero coal
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’s pipeline of projects has ballooned to almost 80 GW. 12 GW of this is gas, while the rest is wind and solar power plants, as well as 522 MW of energy storage.
Researchers propose doubling today’s solar panel efficiency using two weird tricks
By double stacking a perovskite-silicon solar cell and using the cell in a glass-on-glass bifacial solar module, scientists model that a 30-36% efficient solar module can be attained.
$1.2 billion clean energy fund closes, targets utility scale in the US
Capital Dynamics announced the final close on its most recent clean energy fund, totaling US$1.2 billion in commitments. The company is now managing 2.3 GW of solar installations.
Study: 32% tandem cell solar still competitive at triple the price
Arizona State University researchers have determined that a 32% efficient perovskite-silicon tandem cell could produce electricity at the same price as cutting-edge 22% efficient panels in the most cost-competitive of situations
United States: Texas to get its biggest solar plant at 315 MW-DC
Innergex purchased the rights to develop the massive Phoebe solar power plant on the day that the project received a full notice to proceed with construction.
LG to make high-efficiency solar panels in the US
LG Electronics has announced plans for a 500 MW/year solar module manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The facility will assemble the manufacturer’s 19.8% efficient NeON2 60-cell 340-W panels for residential applications.
Lowest public solar power contract in the United States: 2.49¢/kWh
Arizona’s largest power user has approved a 20-year power contract with a 30 MW solar project at 2.49¢/kWh, the lowest price for a public solar power contract to date. The deal also involves shutting down a coal plant.
World’s largest li-ion battery and 707 MW of solar power in Colorado proposal
Xcel Energy’s 120-day report to Colorado regulators includes an additional 1.1 GW of wind at 1.1-1.8¢/kWh. Solar power bids have come in at 2.2-2.7¢/kWh, and solar+storage at 3.0-3.2¢/kWh.
