Virtual power plant preventing blackouts in Puerto Rico
Sunrun, a U.S.-based residential solar installer, says nearly 1,800 customers have already signed up to its PowerOn Puerto Rico virtual power plant (VPP). The program deploys stored solar energy from customers’ batteries to the grid, preventing power supply shortfalls on the island.
Climate change to drive value of rooftop solar
University of Michigan researchers have found that the value of rooftop solar will increase by between 5% and 15% by the mid-century across a range of U.S. cities under moderate climate change, and by up to 20% by the end of the century.
Mercom, WoodMac note challenging PV investment climate in Q1
Mercom Capital Group says that total corporate solar funding, global venture capital funding, public market financing, and PV mergers and acquisitions all fell year on year in the first quarter of 2024. The sector is still grappling with high interest rates, which Wood Mackenzie says is disproportionately affecting renewables projects.
Global PV capacity hit 1.6 TW in 2023, says IEA-PVPS
The International Energy Agency (IEA) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) has published a wide-reaching snapshot of the global PV market, covering installations, manufacturing, policy trends, and grid integration.
Enphase Energy releases control software for home solar, battery systems
Enphase Energy, a California-based microinverter specialist, says its new power control system will give North American customers that use its energy systems more flexibility to build larger projects.
NREL releases online tool to estimate pumped hydro storage costs
The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a cost-estimation tool for new closed-loop pumped storage hydropower (PSH) plants in the United States. The tool allows operators to select from a range of system characteristics and account for factors such as local geology, labor rates and inflation.
IRENA says solar capacity rose by 345.5 GW in 2023
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says developers installed 345.5 GW of solar throughout the world in 2023. China mainly drove the surge, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all new renewable energy, but IRENA says more equitable growth will be needed to hit 2030 deployment targets.
Quebec announces 300 MW solar tender
The government of the Canadian province of Quebec aims to deploy 300 MW of solar through tenders under utility Hydro-Quebec, in a bid to diversify the supply of renewables.
Alberta lifts moratorium on renewable energy projects
The government of the Canadian province of Alberta has announced plans to ban new renewables projects on high-quality agricultural land and within a 35 km radius of areas with pristine views, following a nearly seven-month pause on approvals for such installations.
Merida Aerospace developing perovskite PV cells for space
Merida Aerospace, a U.S. aerospace company, is developing perovskite solar cells for low-Earth-orbit satellites. It says perovskite solar cells could be a more cost-effective and efficient option than traditional cells.
