United States

The US authorities took down a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina earlier this year that featured contained 10 kW of solar capacity – similar to a typical rooftop PV installation.

Since the passage of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) last August, the utility-scale clean power sector has announced $150 billion in funding, 46 new manufacturing facilities, and nearly 20,000 new jobs, according to the American Clean Power Association.

Next Energy Technologies has secured a grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop its organic photovoltaic coating for commercial windows.

Lazard explains in a new report that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is normally lower for green hydrogen than for pink hydrogen, using both PEM and alkaline electrolyzers, with or without subsidies. Meanwhile, Australian authorities are trying to increase the competitiveness of the local hydrogen sector, while car companies are updating their fuel cell plans.

A new report by Lazard compares the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for various generation technologies on a $/MWh basis. It shows that utility-scale solar and onshore wind LCOE increased for the first time in 2023, at $24/MWh to $96/MWh for solar and $24/MWh to $75 MWh for wind. Nevertheless, the two renewable sources are still the economic frontrunners when compared to nuclear, gas, and coal.

Salgenx has developed a way to produce graphene on demand from its saltwater flow battery. The tech exploits the electrochemical properties of the battery’s cathode to exfoliate graphite into individual layers of graphene. The company says it can produce graphene for less than $1.25 per gram, providing storage businesses with an additional revenue stream.

Tesla releases its third Master Plan, with a broad focus on clean electricity generation and storage, as well as related manufacturing costs.

Generac says its new zero-emissions SBE line of stationary storage systems will be available in capacities ranging from 200 kWh to 1,000 kWh.

A team of US researchers engineered a double-membrane system to minimize chloride oxidizing the anode. Meanwhile, the Spanish government supports Destinus to develop its hydrogen-powered supersonic plane and test it in 2024.

US scientists have looked at how aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) could be used to store wind and solar power, while catering to heating and cooling energy demand during extreme hot or cold periods. They modeled a distributed energy system for a neighborhood in Chicago and found that ATES could reduce consumption of petroleum products by up to 40% at a slightly higher cost than other forms of storage.