Sunverge picks up $36.5m investment, ARENA participates as backer
The California-based distributed energy storage developer has secured Series C funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and four other public and private investors.
SMA: When storage systems pay off for commercial business
While private PV system operators work toward optimizing self-consumption, storage systems in industry are mainly used to provide control reserve and thus ensure grid stability. In commercial storage system applications, the main focus is on efficiency and a secure electricity supply. SMA experts, Volker Wachenfeld and Nick Morbach elaborate.
London: Europe’s next wave of solar needs to be smart
Solar power is at the forefront of a smarter energy sector, but to enable a new wave of PV installations in Europe, solar needs new regulatory frameworks that value flexibility, says the Smart Energy UK and Europe conference in London.
The pv magazine weekly news digest
The solar big guns were out in force this week as changes to the U.S. net metering landscape rolled into Nevada. Elsewhere, China proved its PV prowess, Japan saw a shakeup and Germany confirmed its relative demise.
Toshiba reorganizing to focus on energy, storage amid major losses
Toshibas latest earnings results show catastrophic losses for the Japanese electronics conglomerate, which are forecast to hit US$6 billion for the FY 2015. Its recent accounting scandal has forced it into restructuring. More emphasis will be placed on its energy and storage businesses, despite these segments also suffering sales declines.
US: Cumulative solar installs top 28 GW, 16 GW of renewables installed in 2015
According to a new study by BNEF and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, cumulative solar capacity in the U.S. has reached 28 GW, of which 7.3 GW was installed in 2015. Overall, last year saw 16 GW of renewables added, outstripping fossil fuels for a second year. Energy productivity is also growing, while prices remain stable. Investment, particularly in solar, is also on the rise.
Total secures stake in Off Grid Electric and Powerhive
The French energy giant leverages its $150 million Total Energy Ventures fund to secure stakes of no more than 15% in the two off-grid and microgrid startups.
Teslas Musk confirms Powerwall 2.0 is on the way
Elon Musk has confirmed Tesla will bring out a new version of its Powerwall home energy storage battery system this summer. While “step changes” can be expected, he declined to elaborate on the new product.
Sonnen announces partnerships for a more full energy storage offering
Concurrent with the opening of the companys new U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles, battery storage integrator Sonnen has partnered with PetersenDean, SolarWorld and Spruce Finance.
Solar-plus-storage to become $8bn market by 2026, says Lux Research
Addition of storage to the solar landscape seen as key to overcoming intermittency limitations and supporting continued price reductions of PV, report finds. DG market could reach 25 GW by 2026.
