Massive corporate solar deal for the world’s largest telecommunications company
US giant AT&T has signed an agreement with Invenergy to purchase 500 MW from the upcoming 1.3 GW Samson Solar Energy Center in Texas. The deal will make AT&T one of the largest purchasers of corporate solar in the world.
Five pro-renewable energy actions to expect from President-Elect Joe Biden
As the U.S. economy continues to recover from its Covid-19-induced recession, it’s likely that Congress and the president will put together a multi-trillion dollar relief package, similar to the one that lifted the economy out of its doldrums following the 2008 economic crisis.
Bifacial PV modules no longer exempt from US Section 201 import tariffs
The U.S. authorities are currently subjecting imported bifacial modules to a 20% penalty – the same tariff applied to almost all other crystalline silicon solar modules.
Canadian Solar flags up polysilicon, glass and EVA shortages
The solar manufacturer’s impressive third-quarter gross margin is set to fall back in the current three-month window because global shortages have seen some material costs double since the world came out of Covid-19 shock.
pv magazine tackles extreme weather, resiliency, the future of storage and more in Virtual Roundtables USA
The new-look discussions dived into all things shaping the solar industry and renewable energy as a whole in 2020, including the global pandemic, extreme weather and natural disasters, the election and more, all presented in the light of rapidly-changing technologies and materials.
Investors bet $27.5 million on Nanotech Energy’s graphene battery breakthrough
Nanotech Energy plans to release a non-flammable, environmentally friendly lithium battery that can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market.” And it aims to do it within the next year.
US start-up pursues roll-to-roll printing of perovskite on flexible glass
A Rochester-based firm aims to print perovskite and other PV layers on a flexible glass substrate using a roll-to-roll machine Kodak has used to produce photographic film.
Form Energy secures $70 million for ‘aqueous air battery’
Form Energy plans to deploy a 1 MW/150 MWh system with a Minnesota utility by 2023.
New panel cleaning tech based on nano-coating and mechanical vibration
Researchers in Egypt have tested a new solar module cleaning technique for solar arrays in arid regions. They claim that the combination of nano-coatings with vibration mechanisms on the backs of modules can reduce manual cleaning requirements.
CSP startup Heliogen scores $39 million for CO2 project
Heliogen, which was founded by serial entrepreneur Bill Gross, aims to revitalize concentrated solar power with sCO2 tech to cut costs, water use, and plant footprints in industrial applications not suited to solar PV.
