Morning Brief: 5 experts predict the future of renewable energy, PG&E has procured more than 1 GW of storage
Also in the brief: Amazon has announced its first solar energy facility in China, the Borough of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and Sun Tribe have agreed to a PPA, Michael Moore has given climate deniers a platform and more.
Florida man takes FPL to court, alleging the utility acts like a net metering regulator
Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt has filed an appeal against the denial of a petition to improve the net-metering regulations in Florida. He alleges the company’s 115% generation policy, requirement of insurance on larger residential projects and “As-Available-Energy” rates disincentivizes large residential solar.
Morning Brief: Six Ohio school districts go solar with no upfront cost, two big solar projects are coming to capped landfill sites in New York
Also in the brief: the California Solar and Storage Association has released an eight-point economic stimulus plan of action, PG&E’s restructuring will likely happen later this month, a new solar car, Mark Menezes’ nomination to become Deputy U.S. Energy Secretary and more.
Chinese PV Industry Brief: 3.95 GW of new PV in Q1, new 500 W-plus modules, a panel with 23.2% efficiency
China’s cumulative installed PV capacity topped 208 GW at the end of March, thanks to 3.95 GW of new projects completed in the first quarter. JinkoSolar and Longi both joined the 500 W-plus module race, with their new panels offering 580 W and 530 W of output, respectively. Ginlong, meanwhile, has revealed plans to raise funds to increase its annual inverter production capacity to 20 GW, and Xi’An Solar has claimed a 23.2% efficiency rate for its N-type TOPCon modules in mass production.
Three signs that battery energy storage is mainstream today
With the inclusion of battery energy storage into new building codes and safety standards, it’s obvious just how mainstream storage is today.
Morning Brief: the North Carolina solar industry has weathered Covid well, Vistra announces battery expansion
Also in the brief: Consumers Energy is providing 100,000 Google Nest thermostats to Michigan households, Tesla has quietly made Model 3 ready for bidirectional charging, SolSmart adds new partners.
Hornsdale and its big Tesla battery exceed expectations as storage revenue surges
The surge in storage revenue due to specific grid conditions in Australia was one of the main factors behind a 61% year-on-year increase in revenues that Neoen saw in the first quarter of the year.
Job Moves: New CEO at Solaria, plus Primergy, NovaSource, Lithos, EPRI, APS, MEI, ACORE
Executive and boardroom moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy VC.
The future of cars is electric – but how soon is this future?
According to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, 58% of global passenger vehicle sales in 2040 will come from electric vehicles, yet they will make up less than 33% of all cars on the road.
A PV antenna for beaming solar power from space to Earth
Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have launched the first orbital experiment with space-based solar power. They launched a 12-inch square photovoltaic module that is expected to test the viability of space-based solar power systems converting sunlight to microwaves outside the atmosphere.
