North America

Researchers from the Idaho National Laboratory have developed a new type of electrode for hydrogen production through electrolysis – water splitting. The team has used the electrode to demonstrate efficient hydrogen electrolysis at temperatures far lower than previously possible, which could lead to significant cost reductions in large-scale hydrogen production.

Researchers from Finland’s Aalto University and the Michigan Technological University, in the US, say they have demonstrated the cost per unit of power of black-Si PERC cells could fall 10.8%, despite an increase in cell processing cost.

Clearway Energy Group has been formed from NRG’s renewable energy businesses and SunPower’s project pipeline.

A utility survey shows battery storage capacity growing sharply, including solar + storage installations in several U.S. states. Looking ahead, FERC Order 841 could spark extensive new storage for grid services, helping more utilities become familiar with storage and its benefits.

Chinese solar manufacturer reports a similar scale of first-half losses to the $15m profit it posted this time last year. Will the company’s decision to almost double module production capacity prove an inspired move or a mistimed disaster?

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have set a new record 22.4% conversion efficiency for a tandem cell combining a lead-based perovskite layer with CIGS technology. The record has been confirmed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Research conducted over several years by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrates that air pollution in cities can put a dampener on the performance of PV panels which, if not taken into account, can threaten a project’s viability.

While it took 60 months to reach the first million electric vehicle (EV) sales, in late 2015, it took the fourth million just six months. China is driving this development. Meanwhile, as first generation EVs batteries are reaching their end-of-life, interest in second-life use cases is growing. The volume of retired EV battery packs is set to be 108 GWh by 2029 – representing a third of the expected storage capacity market at that time.

Speaking the language of manufacturing, employment, and economic opportunity, five prominent corporations have backed a 2.2 gigawatt solar goal for Ohio by 2030.

Canada-based Silfab Solar has invested US$40 million in U.S. solar PV module manufacturer, Itek Energy, LLC’s Bellingham, Washington production facility.