Installations

Electric car production is likely to accelerate in the wake of the VW emissions scandal, according to Audi’s top U.S. exec. While Daimler appears content to use Asian-made batteries, there are increasing calls for German automakers to work together to develop the next generation of batteries in Europe.

China’s Risen Energy is constructing the first phase of a vast 55 MW solar carport in Hangzhou Bay, China. The project will be the biggest solar parking structure in the world when completed.

Guodian subsidiary, GD Solar will retire 640 MW of crystalline and thin film solar PV capacity due to low utilization rates, high production costs and market expansion difficulties.

Tata Steel has unveiled ambitious plans to install a 22 MW solar PV rooftop system atop factory roofs in the Netherlands. When complete in 2018, it will be one of the biggest projects of its kind.

Capital costs for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are expected to come down by around 50% over the next five years, as a result of increased renewables generation, among other factors, finds Lazard in a new study looking at the levelised cost of storage (LCOS). Currently, energy storage is not cost-competitive with most applications, however. In a separate study, Lazard, analyzed LCOEs in the U.S. Utility-scale PV was found to be competitive against conventional energies, while rooftop solar still requires “significant” subsidization.

The Western Australian island of Rottnest will achieve 45% renewable penetration with a new 600 kW PV array, which will be coupled with an existing wind turbine. Together the renewable generation sources will supply the island with almost half of its power, necessitating a sophisticated diesel-hybrid control system to be delivered by Hydro Tasmania.

Researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered key processes by which lithium ion batteries lose capacity. The scientists believe that battery life can be enhanced through adjusting the process by which lithium ion batteries form a pacifying layer on graphite anodes or by carrying out modifications on the cathode surface.

Energy Minister Amber Rudd delivers speech calling for an end to ‘outdated’ energy source, with natural gas and nuclear power to be ramped up to plug the power gap.

68 state and local governments and organizations have now made pledges to increase access to community solar under a national partnership, including industry leader Clean Energy Collective.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s AU$250 million (US$178 million) funding program for large scale solar projects has attracted applications for over 2 GW of solar PV. If realized, these projects would deliver a ten-fold increase in PV power plant capacity in the country.