US: Tariffs bite Q3 solar market
Wood Mackenzie and SEIA’s latest Solar Market Insight report shows a big fall in utility-scale project completions from July through the end of September, but the promise of a massive fourth quarter.
First Solar sees a doubling coming in 2019
The thin film PV maker projects 5.4 to 5.6 GW of module shipments next year, more than double its current projected 2018 volumes of 2.6 to 2.7 GW.
Room for US residential solar to reach 41 GW by 2025
A new analysis by Credit Suisse forecasts that installed residential solar capacity in the United States could grow more than 3x to reach 41 GW by 2025, and shows that there is plenty of space on rooftops to do this.
US: Top Senate Democrat calls for permanent renewable energy, storage, EV tax credits
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer is calling for permanent tax credits for clean electricity, storage and EVs as part of a set of demands for the form of any new infrastructure package. What does this mean for solar?
Daimler brings its EV plans to the table with €20 billion battery cell order
Another German car manufacturer has announced ambitious electric vehicle plans. Daimler AG says it has invested €20 billion in the purchase of battery cells to further advance its electric fleet.
Solar module lifetime predictions are getting better
NREL has proposed a new methodology for determining solar module degradation rates, taking into account measurement challenges such as sensor drift, inverter nuances, soiling and others – keeping the focus on the solar modules themselves.
“Wall of money” fighting for U.S. solar projects
Wood Mackenzie notes that new investors and sources of capital are chasing down a limited supply of viable U.S. solar projects and sees tightening targets, expanding project appetite, and evolving techniques.
Molten silicon storage enough to power city, says MIT
The system turns light of white-glowing molten silicon into electricity using specialized PV cells. The researchers claim that the concept could store electricity at around half the costs of pumped hydro. A single system comprising two ten meter tanks could power 100,000 households.
US energy storage storm grows in strength
A Wood Mackenzie report shows U.S. energy storage deployments tripling in capacity during Q3 ’18 versus last year’s volume, while noting that the future pipeline growth rate doubled versus prior quarters to reach 33 GW of future projects.
Self-tracking solar panels, inspired by a lizard’s feet
Scientists at Harvard University have developed a type of material that can be programmed to move in response to various stimuli, including light. One possible application, says the group, could be in solar panels with integrated microstructures that track the sun without any energy input.
