Sumitomo reveals testing results of redox flow battery project in California
Sumitomo says that its 2MW/8MWh vanadium redox flow battery achieved a 99% operating rate at San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) facility in California. The battery is expected to retain a capacity rate of 90% or more for 20 years in the electricity market.
India launches tender for 1.5 GW of electrolyzer production
Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has launched a tender to set up 1.5 GW of electrolyzer manufacturing capacity in India under the government’s incentives scheme.
Solar-powered tool shed store electric lawn equipment
SunVilla says its new Smart Yard power station is a 6.4 kWh semi-solid state battery system with 3.8 kW of battery output. It features 100 W to 200 W solar modules mounted on a tool shed to charge electric systems and provide storage for lawn equipment.
Agrivoltaics for vertical farming
An Italian research group has assessed the advantages of combining solar power generation in greenhouses with vertical farming. The scientists claim this new approach offers better land use while increasing agricultural yield.
New app to calculate payback periods of rooftop PV systems
The Amortisator app, initially developed for the German market, is now available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Primarily targeting customer advisors, the app can be accessed for a monthly fee of €9.99 ($10.93).
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Big module makers call for wafer standards
Trina Solar, JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Longi, Risen, Canadian Solar, Tongwei, Chint, and Das Solar have issued a joint statement demanding the standardization of wafer sizes.
French railway operator launches renewables unit, plans 1 GW of solar
SNCF says it wants to devote 1,000 hectares of its land to solar development, so it can cover 20% of its electricity consumption by the end of the decade.
Dutch government mulling PV ban on agricultural sites
Dutch Economy Minister Micky Adriaansens said this week that she aims to make it impossible to install solar farms on agricultural land, with some unspecified exceptions. The plan has raised concerns at Holland Solar, with the trade group warning of potential damage to farmers and solar project developers.
Chinese oil company switches on high-altitude 40 MW solar-plus-storage plant
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) says it has completed a 40 MW solar-plus-storage plant at an altitude of 3,000 meters. It is connected to 6 MW/12 MWh of battery storage and hosts grazing farm animals.
Indoor perovskite PV solar cells with 32.0% efficiency
Scientists in Thailand built an indoor perovskite solar cell with low-cost carbon electrode architecture. The manufacturing process is based on antisolvent deposition and vacuum thermal annealing (VTA) and reportedly results in higher perovskite film quality.
