On-site and off-site community solar options: What’s right for you?
In the second part of a pv magazine series on commercial-scale solar, we look at community solar options as a viable alternative for tenants and owners alike.
Solid-state battery maker picks up $130 million investment
US based battery company Solid Power announced that it has received $130 million in new funding from investors including Ford and BMW. With this backing, the company plans to begin pilot scale production of solid-state lithium-ion batteries suitable for electric vehicles early next year.
New SunPower chief fronts tough set of quarterly figures
Peter Faricy was not at the helm during the opening quarter of 2021 but his first earnings call saw him explaining a quarter-on-quarter reverse from a $413 million profit to a near $50 million loss.
Botswana tops list of world’s ‘super abundant’ renewables nations
A Carbon Tracker report estimates 60% of the world’s technical solar potential – enough to produce 3.5 exawatt-hours of clean electricity per year – would already be cheaper than fossil fuel if installed. Of the remainder, most would be in sub-Saharan Africa, a region which has the potential to be a global solar and wind powerhouse.
A stable sodium battery, without the anode
Scientists in the U.S. demonstrated a sodium-ion battery with no anode, that retained 99.93% of its initial capacity per cycle. Their design was able to overcome many of the stability issues associated with using ‘pure’ alkali metals in batteries, thanks to carefully minimizing water content in the liquid electrolyte.
Software to speed up permitting proceedings for rooftop PV
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and UL have joined forces to develop Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus software. NREL has committed to adding new features to SolarAPP+ until March 2023.
Massive solar-plus-storage plant comes online in the United States
The 420 MW/40 MW storage-plus-storage facility was deployed by the Danish energy company Ørsted on a 3,600-acre site alongside existing oil and gas installations in Texas.
First Solar, Nel to develop integrated PV-hydrogen power plants
First Solar and Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser AS will initially develop an integrated power plant control and SCADA system, as part of a broader plan to build integrated photovoltaic/hydrogen power plants.
Solar sculpture to produce 300 MWh of electricity annually
Called Solar Mountain, the permanent installation should be built in Nevada with modular design elements of recycled wood and other environmentally friendly materials.
Absorbent glass mat battery for residential storage
Silicon Valley-based start-up Gridtential has secured $12 million in funds to develop what it calls the world’s first factory-ready, single-block, 24V, deep-cycle lead battery. The product is claimed to be ideal for personal mobility vehicles and renewable energy storage in homes and offices.
