Green roofs may improve PV system performance by 8%
German solar company Polarstern sees many performance-enhancing effects when photovoltaic systems are combined with green roofs. These are provided by cooling, dust absorption and reflective behavior, which are favored by the plants on the roof.
Lithium-ion vs lead-acid batteries
An international research team has conducted a techno-economical comparison between lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries for stationary energy storage and has found the former has a lower LCOE and net present cost. Through their analysis, which was performed assuming the use of the batteries in connection with a 10 kW, grid-tied PV system, the scientists concluded that lithium-ion batteries are the most viable solution.
EU approves France’s small scale solar FIT plans
The European Commission has determined France can offer the owners of building-mounted panels with a generation capacity of up to 500 kW a 20-year feed-in tariff without breaching the bloc’s state aid rules.
Work begins on 100 MW/500 MWh vanadium flow battery in China
The storage project is linked to a 1 GW wind and solar project portfolio, 500 MW of solar distributed generation, and the construction of a gigafactory for vanadium redox flow batteries in China.
World record low bid of $0.03399/kWh for CSP technology in Chile’s renewables auction
The bid was submitted for the 390 MW Likana Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project under development by EIG Global Energy Partners.
‘The chance to reset with a green recovery has now been lost’
Norwegian consultancy DNV today published the latest of its annual surveys of the state of the energy transition and lamented the fact so very little has been achieved during the last five years. We are forging ahead into a world that will be 2.3C hotter this century, predicts the report.
Australia could install another 8.9 GW of PV by 2025
Solar could supply 77% of Australia’s electricity demand by 2026, according to a new report by the Australian Electricity Market Operator.
New alkali metal-chlorine battery promises 6x energy density
Scientists in the U.S. discovered a promising new battery chemistry based on chlorine and table salt. Batteries based on this chemistry can achieve at least six times the energy density of today’s lithium-ion batteries, according to the group that created it. The prototype battery could already be suitable for small devices such as hearing aids, and with further work could be scaled up to larger applications.
Germany installed another 400 MW of PV in July
In the first seven months of the year, the country deployed 3.2 GW of PV, which compares to 2.8 GW a year earlier.
ArcelorMittal plans 4.5 GW solar park in India
The Luxembourg-based steelmaker is considering setting up a 4.5 GW solar park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It also plans to invest in the solar, wind, and hydrogen gas production sectors in the state of Gujarat.
