Energy

By 2050, sodium-ion batteries with fast learning rates could deliver storage at 11–14 €/MWh – cheaper than lithium-ion at 16–22 €/MWh – while also offering higher energy-to-power ratios and high cycle durability, a new research finds.

The 500 MW/1 GWh Jiayuguan NingSheng project combines lithium batteries and supercapacitors to support grid stability and renewables integration.

A Husqvarna researcher developed a fast, interpretable PV hotspot-detection method using IR thermography and Lab* color-space features instead of heavy neural networks, achieving up to 95.2% accuracy with shallow classifiers. The lightweight system works in real time on drones or edge devices and could save 17,620 kWh and 8.9 tons of CO₂ annually by improving fault detection in solar panels.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that December’s solar resource reflected a classic La Niña pattern, with suppressed irradiance in the Pacific Northwest and above-normal conditions across the southern U.S. A blocking ridge brought clear skies and strong solar gains to the Southwest and Texas, while cloud cover and fog reduced output farther north.

The first stage of the biggest approved battery project in Australia is now fully operational with Origin Energy announcing the initial stage of the 700 MW / 3,160 MWh battery energy storage system being built next to its Eraring coal-fired generator in New South Wales has commenced commercial operations.

U.S. startup Quilt has introduced a new three-zone ductless heat pump for residential use, offering independent temperature control across three areas with a single outdoor unit. The system uses R32 (difluoromethane) as the refrigerant and can reportedly achieved a coefficient of performance of 4.2 at 8 C.

New research shows how modern technical standards, combined with broader regulatory and grid reforms, are essential to ensure system reliability in the Indonesian electricity system as renewable capacity grows.

The GWh-scale long-duration energy storage project is expected to reduce curtailment in Xinjiang, a region of China with high solar and wind generation, and transmission bottlenecks. The flow battery installation is co-located with a PV plant.

A new two-electron bromine chemistry sharply cuts corrosion while boosting performance, opening a clearer path for zinc–bromine flow batteries at grid scale.

The Chinese company said its novel Z-type mounting supports installation angles of 5°, 10°, and 15° and withstands wind speeds up to 45 m/s. It claims a lifespan of more than 25 years.