Blackouts and high utility prices are driving solar and storage adoption in the US, SunPower survey says
The survey of 1,500 homeowners shed light on the home solar energy experience and motivating factors behind solar purchases.
Venture capital support for solar blossomed during the first half
The $800 million of private backing secured by Californian residential solar finance business GoodLeap helped the sector achieve VC and private equity funding of $1.6 billion in the first six months of the year, up from just $210 million a year earlier.
Bullish clean energy stocks helped maintain healthy investment levels
The latest renewables investment report produced by analyst BloombergNEF has noted backing for solar projects continued to rise in the first half as wind power investment fell back.
McDonald’s, eBay sign up to purchase solar from 345 MW US project
The two companies have signed on to purchase shares of the energy generated by Lightsource bp’s upcoming 345 MW Ventress Solar project.
Redox flow battery retains more than 90% of capacity over 6,000 cycles via new catholyte
The battery was built with a new catholyte and a symmetry-breaking strategy, which consists of changing the symmetry of the redox-active organic molecules instead of using the common approach of attaching a hydrophilic functional group.
Air source heat pumps raise home prices
According to a recent study, installing an air source heat pump may increase a home’s value by up to 7.1% in 23 states of the United States. The price premium is estimated at between $10,400 and $17,000 per transaction and the average cost for installing an air source heat pump is around $8,000.
The best PV tech for Internet-of-Things devices
U.S. scientists have evaluated three different PV technologies – GaInP, GaAs, and silicon – for powering wireless temperature sensors. They found that the silicon solar module offers the lowest performance and also suggested its use may be applied to low-demand devices.
Ultra-lightweight CIGS solar module for high altitude airship applications
The 25 W solar panel has been designed to operate at air mass zero (AM0), which is the standard spectrum outside the Earth’s atmosphere. According to the PV manufacturer, the module has a weight of just 82 grams, while a small 300 W array comprised of these panels would weigh in at around 1 kg.
Energy storage appears to be fully charged for exponential growth
Lithium-based energy storage volumes are expected to grow by multiple orders of magnitude in the coming years, with a 1,000% capacity increase by 2023.
US customs enforcement is jeopardizing 2.1 GW of solar projects
Solar product detentions at U.S. ports of entry all stem from a June 24 “Withhold Release Order” issued by Customs and Border Protection.
