Hydrogen

Also on the rise: Four Northeast states form consortium to develop regional clean hydrogen hub. NREL researchers work on developing high energy density cells to advance stationary storage. Discovery of “structural earthquake” in cathode formation may improve sodium-ion batteries 20-40%. Federal budget includes $500 million for promoting energy storage.

New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey to join dozens of corporations and universities in demonstrating shared vision for clean energy.

Also on the rise: Invasion of Ukraine an inadvertent boost for green hydrogen. 175MW Pike Solar and Storage Project cleared for construction in Colorado. Joint development agreement for light-optimizing, energy-producing modules designed to top agrivoltaic greenhouses. Barrio Solar wants to help Brooklyn homeowners go solar. While interconnection seen as a bottleneck to solar, three grid regions processed 25GW of solar interconnection requests last year. The 400MW Obsidian Solar Center in Oregon gets final approval. Research on semi-transparent organic photovoltaic filters for agrivoltaic greenhouses.

Rystad Energy and BloombergNEF indicate that the impact of the war has sent prices of fossil fuel-tied forms of hydrogen production surging, leaving the gradual but consistent downward price trend of green hydrogen now looking remarkably competitive.

Business data analyst IHS Markit published a series of clean tech predictions for the year that also highlighted the rising proportion of sub-5MW solar projects in the global market, and cheaper clean energy financing costs even as panel prices continue to rise.

Also on the rise: Equitable access to solar is part of DOE-backed plan. One to six million metric tons of lithium may lie beneath the Salton Sea. Adopting standards for EVs will accelerate the path for these vehicles. Solar tracker manufacturers can expect a boom in the US through 2025. Heliogen plans concentrated solar power manufacturing facility. IBM, ABB, and Worley team up to help energy companies build and operate green hydrogen facilities.

The collaboration aims to offer a digitally enabled solution for facility owners to build green hydrogen assets more quickly, cheaply, and safely.

Also on the rise: Soltage invests in new community solar projects. Appalachian Power seeks 150MW of solar in West Virginia. Breaking research reveals solar cells can be used as lens-free, high-speed optical detectors in underwater environments. Duke looking for 1.1GW of renewables in Indiana. Community solar project in Virginia launches 25% renewable energy option for a small premium. Convergent’s battery storage facility is up and running in the LA Basin.

Southern California Gas Company is submitting an application to build a 10 to 20GW electrolyzer and 25 to 35GW of new and curtailed wind and solar, along with 2GW of energy storage, to deliver green hydrogen to the Los Angeles Basin.

Also on the rise: Solar growth occurred despite more than a year of price increases. Interconnection delays and costs plague utility-scale developers. Affordable hydrogen-based system for seasonal energy storage could be achieved at a hydrogen price lower than $3. California PUC raises renewable energy target. Impending 3G shutdown may affect inverters: there’s an app for that.