Elon Musk wins SolarCity lawsuit, avoids $2 billion judgment
Business magnate Elon Musk has avoided what would have been the largest judgment in US history on an individual executive.
Ultracapacitor sonar seeking grid with 100% solar, wind
Reactive Technologies uses an ultracapacitor to send signals to the grid that help managers determine the level of system inertia, supporting power grid stability – and they’re coming to the United States.
The mobility rEVolution: Portable EV charging stations for personal and shared use
In other news, BYD’s quarterly profit is up by 241% buoyed by demand for battery-powered cars, Ford takes a US$3.1 billion loss on its Rivian stake and cuts 580 jobs as part of corporate restructuring, and ABB agrees to provide its full portfolio of EV charging technology to Shell.
New PV water heater from Germany
German startup Nexol has developed a photovoltaic water heating system that relies on a smart controller, with either DC and AC power. It decides autonomously if grid electricity or PV is used, with the latter always preferred.
Energy Vault, NTPC sign deal for gravity-based energy storage
Switzerland’s Energy Vault will support Indian state-run power producer NTPC by deploying its gravity-based energy storage technology and software solutions.
UK group develops liquid air energy storage tech
A UK consortium has developed the Prisma system, which stores thermal energy in liquid air form to provide onsite compressed air, via a latent energy cold storage tank filled with a phase-change material. It is expected to have a levelized cost of storage of GBP 114 ($143.10)/MWh.
More than half of Australian PV installers moving into storage
The number of solar installers in Australia offering storage solutions grew considerably in 2021 and promises to surge again this year, according to a survey by EUPD Research.
Bromine-based flow batteries for renewables storage
Bromine-based flow batteries have the potential for high energy density in renewable energy storage. Their commercial adoption, however, remains challenging due to the cathode materials used for their construction. New research from China seeks to shed light on how to overcome these hurdles.
Battery fire at Salt River Project in the US
Fire crews in Chandler, Arizona, sent robots into a building at the Salt River Project where a 10 MW battery was smoldering.
The Hydrogen Stream: Fuel cell that uses iron instead of expensive platinum
In other news, Hydrofuel Canada developed hollow hybrid plasmonic nanocages to create an electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis from nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O) and said green hydrogen could be separated from this ammonia and sold at about $1.50 per kilogram. Furthermore, Norway’s Aker Horizons and Statkraft are exploring green hydrogen and ammonia production opportunities in India and Brazil, targeting local steel and fertilizer industries.
