Solar grade silicon production comes back to Spain
Rivas-Vaciamadrid-based company Aurinka is planning to start UMG silicon manufacturing in Puertollano, Castile-La Mancha, this year. The company says its patented low-carbon production process offers low enough manufacturing costs to compete with Asian rivals.
Bangladeshi solar installers call for waiver of state loans
Installers which took advantage of cheaply-priced government finance say customers affected by the Covid-19 crisis cannot afford to pay for the solar home systems they have rolled out while expanding renewables programs.
Battery electric vehicle sales in UK were outpacing hybrids – before Covid-19 struck
Pure EVs had begun to claim a rising market share before coronavirus containment measures decimated sales last month. Even in the face of an 88% monthly fall in EV sales from March to April, however, clean energy models fared better than petrol and diesel sales.
Brazilian buses to help drive down cost of lithium-sulfur batteries
British manufacturer Oxis Energy has announced plans to help Brazil to an all-electric bus fleet by 2045.
PV module recyclers aiming for high-purity material recovery
France’s National Institute for Solar Energy takes a look at the state of play in the European solar panel recycling industry.
How to protect clean energy auctions during Covid-19 crisis
The EU research group tasked with optimizing renewable energy auction procurement processes said the achievement of climate change goals brought about by plunging energy demand should not endanger longer-term ambitions.
A disinfectant system powered by solar
French PV company Solea has developed a system which can produce 8-16 liters of solar-powered disinfectant solution per day.
Storing solar and wind energy with compressed air
Researchers have studied the potential of using compressed air to store renewable energy in offshore saline aquifers. The technology could hold 77-96 TWh for up to two months in British waters, although the costs have proven hard to pin down.
A Champagne moment for commercial electric vehicles?
Detroit-based Bollinger Motors’ versatile E-Chassis for electric vehicles could pave the way for a commercial vehicle fleet transition in the U.S. which accelerates the e-mobility revolution.
Meyer Burger mulls gigawatt-scale German solar fab
Chief executive Gunter Erfurt told a German radio station a solar factory in North Rhine-Westphalia could supply high-efficiency panels for a 10 GW floating solar project on the vast Hambach open-cast coal mine.
