John Fitzgerald Weaver
Mars electricity generation record set with 29.5% efficient solar cell
The NASA InSight lander generated 4,588 watt-hours during sol 1, a new record for electricity generation on Mars.
Solar PV generation grows 29%: Slowing, but still on pace to dominate
Per the EIA, electricity generation from solar PV grew 29%, year to date, 2018 over 2017, through the end of the 3rd quarter. So far this year, solar PV has supplied just over 2.3% of the total electricity generated in the United States.
In case of hurricane, apply Enphase, tighten bolts and mind your wind codes!
FEMA’s recommendations for solar system hurricane preparedness focused on structural engineering, installation competence, plus simply tightening the bolts regularly, along with microinverters to mitigate individual panel damage.
Solar power project pipeline partying like it’s 1999
Per S&P Global Market Intelligence’s installation data, the total U.S. utility-scale solar project pipeline grew by 5.8 GWac in Q3 ‘2018, with the 2019-2020 pipeline increasing by greater than 50% over the last two quarters to 23 GW.
Tesla Powerwall & Sono Motors solar car pricing up due to energy storage demand
Strong demand for electric cars from both Tesla and other manufacturers has pushed up manufacturer costs for lithium ion batteries.
California’s community has chosen 2 GW of renewables
Community choice aggregators in California have now signed over 2 GW of power purchase agreements for renewable energy projects, with 1.4 GW in 43 projects coming from solar power.
Change the rules, add powerlines to let renewables plus storage aim for 90% of the grid
The Wind Solar Alliance has proposed a set of broad market rule refinements to better take advantage of the technical capabilities of solar, wind and energy storage. They argue that these rule changes, plus transmission, can allow for much higher levels of renewables.
All I want for Christmas is a 90% efficient solar panel
NovaSolix hopes to use carbon nanotubes to capture a broader portion of the sun’s electromagnetic spectrum, a process they hope will yield a 90% efficient solar cell at a tenth of the cost of modern solar modules.
Goldman Sachs partners on 75 MW of distributed C&I solar and storage
Engie has received financing to continue deployment of up to 75 MW of distributed solar and energy storage in multiple states.
A 15% efficient solar window that delivers 40% of US electricity
University of Michigan team hopes to offer a 15% efficient solar window product, that allows 50% of the light through, and have received $1.3 million from the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop it further.
