Researchers upcycle plastic waste into battery anodes
A new approach could extract carbon from polyethylenes in a cost-competitive way, that could be scaled up. Researchers have also performed electric testing with the extracted carbon and found it suitable for use as anodes in Li-ion batteries, among multiple other uses.
Bifacial takes all in Alberta large-scale PV auction, final price cheaper than gas
The Albertan Ministry of Infrastructure allocated around 94 MW of solar capacity and the three selected projects, all using bifacial modules, were secured by Canadian Solar. The projects will generate around 55% of the provincial government’s annual electricity needs.
The Windy – or maybe that should be nuclear – City will go 100% renewable
Chicago may be the largest city in the U.S. to commit to 100% renewable energy and has set a 2035 target date. The famous city’s long association with nuclear power says a lot about the future of clean energy Statesside.
Shell moves to acquire German storage business Sonnen
In May, oil giant Shell invested in German manufacturer Sonnen. Now the 112-year-old company wants to fully acquire the business, subject to Germany’s monopoly authorities. Sonnen said it hopes the deal will accelerate its growth by expanding its market reach and capacity.
US solar installations grew in 2018 despite tariffs
Clean energy analyst BloombergNEF says the U.S. installed 11.7 GWdc last year – 15% more capacity than earlier estimated – as well as 292 MW of batteries. Despite new solar and wind growth, and coal closures, however, emissions still rose from 2017 levels on the back on increased gas use.
Solar, wind and storage can provide seven key grid services
Former NREL employee pens paper to rebut claims conventional energy can supply the essential grid services needed to return to normality after network disruption. The author says claims renewable energy cannot provide such services are erroneous.
REC Silicon to suspend production at Moses Lake poly factory
Norway-headquartered REC Silicon has revealed plans to halt operations at its Moses Lake facility in the U.S. in 17 days’ time. The company says it has taken the decision to maintain liquidity for its semiconductor business with American workers set to pay the price for President Trump’s trade war with China.
United States: Texas’ solar market is about to catch fire
With more than 5 GW of approved solar projects in the ERCOT grid, Texas is getting ready for a major boom in its utility-scale solar market.
Understanding why cesium and rubidium salt improve the yield of perovskite solar cells
The addition of either salt enables more even distribution of halide atoms within the perovskite material – key to increasing cell conversion efficiency. The explanation should speed up the process of identifying the best perovskite mixes.
SunPower officially producing P-Series at former SolarWorld factory in the U.S.
The largest shingled solar cell production facility in the Western Hemisphere at 220 MW, marking the first of a group of massive factories expected to go on-line this year.
