US utility’s sagging electricity line sparked 2022 wildfire, media reports
A sagging electricity line managed by major Californian utility Southern California Edison (SCE) is alleged to have caused a 2022 wildfire which led to two deaths, local media reports. An SCE spokesperson tells pv magazine the company cooperated with Californian authorities during its review of the blaze.
Antora Energy receives $4 million grant to scale thermophotovoltaic technology
Antora says its thermal batteries offer a cost-effective way to store energy and produce high-temperature industrial heat and electricity on demand
California to use flexible appliances for renewable energy integration
California plans to shift 3 GW of load from dirtier, more expensive times of day to cleaner, less expensive times by setting flexible demand standards for many types of electric appliances. Global interest in California’s work is high, according to a state agency commissioner.
Intersect Power starts 500 MW of solar with Tesla batteries in California
Intersect Power has started operating a 500 MW solar project with 250 MW of on-site energy storage in California.
Florida community teams up with Block Energy on $4.2 million solar microgrid
A Florida new home subdivision has reached a $4.2 million agreement with Tampa-based Block Energy to install 77 solar arrays in a community microgrid.
New dichalcogenide solar cell architecture promises 25% efficiency
Stanford University researchers have explored the efficiency of a single-junction solar cell using transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2 as absorbers. The device has shown substantial light absorptance in ultra-thin 5-nanometer (nm) films, achieving high short-circuit current levels.
Berkeley Lab updates US solar project database
The US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has location-verified all solar projects above 1 MW in the United States and has organized them into a user-friendly map.
Photovoltaics for biomethanation
Researchers in Denmark have studied the technical and economic feasibility of biomethanation through large-scale PV power generation. They said that the intermittent PV-driven biomethanation process matches the efficiency of continuous processes after several days.
The Hydrogen Stream: Plug Power shares fall on North America concerns
Plug Power has issued a warning about its 2023 financial performance due to supply challenges in North America, while Air Products says it is cementing its collaboration with Chengzhi in China.
NREL presents new GaAs solar cell concept with 27% efficiency
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has identified a low-cost way to produce high-efficiency III-V solar cells with dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy (D-HVPE). The synthesis involved a gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cell with a gallium indium arsenide phosphide emitter layer.
