Report: clean tech growth unlikely to lead to metals scarcity
Fears have been mounting that the growth of clean technologies such as solar PV and batteries will lead to shortages in essential rare metals. These are “misguided” according to a new report by the UK Energy Research Center (UKERC) and the Energy Research Partnership (ERP).
Oxford PV rolls out hybrid perovskite technology
Organic PV pioneer Oxford PV has developed a new application for its thin film perovskite technology that the company claims can boost the conversion efficiency of existing silicon solar cells by 20%. In absolute conversion efficiency terms, this increase equates to a substantial 3 to 5%.
Hawaii: Distributed storage project launched to stabilize grid
A 1 MW distributed storage project has been launched, that will see 1 MW of distributed storage added behind the meter in Oahu, Hawaii. The storage and control systems will be supplied by Stem.
Google provides $145 million for SunEdison solar project on former oilfield
Google’s latest investment in renewable energy is also the largest PV project that SunEdison has begun construction on to date in North America at 82 MW-AC, and its location provides powerful symbolism.
Sunrun launches quality assurance program with SolarBuyer
Solar lease provider Sunrun has partnered with due diligence company SolarBuyer to roll out a quality assurance program in the U.S. The program will not only qualify inverter and module manufacturers, but carry out ongoing testing of components to be used in Sunrun arrays.
Distributed generation revenues set to top $182 billion
New research from analysts Navigant Research predicts that revenues from distributed generation (DG) are set to reach $182 billion, by 2023. Navigant reports that in Western Europe, the growth of DG is causing the most disruption to utility business models.
SPI acquires 30.5 MW UK pipeline
US-based PV developer SPI Solar has acquired a 30.5 MW pipeline in the UK. The agreement also grants SPI the exclusive rights to develop a further 50 MW of projects.
Texan PV developer to add 145 MW PV in 2014
OCI Solar Power announced today that it will add 145 MW of PV capacity in Texas this year. The developer has tapped local manufacturers for components.
100 MW solar PV project underway in Pakistan
Powerway Renewable Energy reports that it will supply mounting systems and foundations for the project in Punjab. This is the nation’s first large-scale PV project to reach this level of development.
Avancis acquired by China's CNBM
German thin film manufacturer Avancis has announced that its acquisition by Chinese building materials and glass supplier CNBM has gone ahead. It says that preparations to restart its production in Torgau, Germany, will begin immediately.
