The issues with lithium-ion battery recycling – and how to fix them
Design-for-recycling is not perceived to be high up the list of priorities for battery manufacturers but solutions do exist. Lithium-ion device recycling is technically feasible but requires an improvement in its business case to take off.
Fraunhofer to develop battery inverter for whole-area UPS and renewables integration
Industrial and academic partners are developing a battery inverter which can be grid connected under normal operation but can also use nearby renewables generators to form an island grid, for whole-area uninterrupted power supply.
Corporate funding for battery storage up 75%
Analysts at Mercom Capital Group have tallied up corporate funding, venture capital and debt and public market investment for battery storage, smart grids and energy efficiency companies. From a financial perspective, the industry appears resilient to the Covid-19 crisis and ready to grow further.
WA Govt approves 15 GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub, whole project now expanded to 26 GW
The Western Australian government has given environmental approval to the first stage of the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, a 15 GW hybrid solar and wind plant. The approval is a massive step forward for the project, which will eventually reach 26 GW, and an even larger step forward for green hydrogen development in Australia for domestic use and export.
UAE revises energy strategy in view of competitive PV prices
Falling solar prices are leading to a new energy strategy for the United Arab Emirates as local energy companies offer unbeatable prices that make green hydrogen increasingly affordable.
The state of European energy
The proportion of clean energy consumed in the EU continues to rise but the European Commission’s State of the Energy Union report is critical of failings in energy efficiency, low-carbon-R&D spending, and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.
‘Solar is the new king of energy markets’
The advance of PV has been lauded by the International Energy Agency as it launched the latest edition of a flagship World Energy Outlook 2020 report overshadowed by the Covid-19 crisis and uncertainty over how long the economic recovery could take.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Inner Mongolia set for 5 GW solar-storage-hydrogen complex
The China Energy Investment Corp is planning to invest RMB22 billion in a facility in the autonomous region. The state-owned mining and energy company has signed a framework agreement with the government of the city of Yijin Holo Banner for the project.
Scania develops solar cell-clad trailer
The 18-meter long solar cell-clad trailer is said to enable fuel savings of 5-10% in Sweden. Swedish thin-film manufacturer Midsummer is a partner on the project.
China will need 1.9 TW of solar by 2060 to hit net zero – WoodMac
The bill for full decarbonization of the economy – which is likely to see the decommissioning of no more than half the current coal fleet, with CCS doing some heavy lifting, according to the US-owned analyst – could come in at more than $5 trillion.
