Update on Natron Energy, sodium-ion battery builder with $35M from ABB, Khosla, Chevron
The startup is “going after some applications that have been traditionally lead acid and some that have been lithium ion. Think ultra-fast discharges, unbelievable cycle lives, low cost, and non-toxic materials.”
Victory for wholesale energy storage, but does Order 841 allow FERC to assault net metering?
Order 841 lets regional transmission operators create wholesale markets for energy storage — potentially including fleets of behind-the-meter storage systems.
Morning Brief: newer solar equipment ages gracefully, Solar FlexRack provides trackers for 14 MW of projects
Also in the brief: nearly 1 MW of solar has been installed on the roof of a 300,000-square-foot Kroger bakery facility, a big-rig driver installing solar on his truck, camouflage for solar panels and more.
Longroad just completed financing and sale of the 294-MW Muscle Shoals solar project to Ørsted
Longroad CEO: “There is definitely not an oversupply of tax equity.”
Project Suppliers: First Solar modules, Nextracker trackers and inverters from Power Electronics
Discriminatory rooftop solar charges may violate antitrust law
The U.S. Department of Justice has argued that in Arizona, a utility’s discriminatory charges for rooftop solar owners can be “unlawful.” The Center for Biological Diversity also supported the four rooftop solar owners whose lawsuit has progressed, arguing the legal significance of Arizona’s renewables goals.
From Rwanda to Riverside: How the solar industry provided new opportunities for an immigrant entrepreneur
When Covid-19 hit his small solar engineering business, CEO Methode Maniraguha said, no furloughs or layoffs — we’ll pivot.
Biden-Sanders task force calls for installing 500 million solar modules in next five years
The wide-ranging joint report includes a section: “Undoing the Harms of the Trump Administration and Righting the Wrongs.”
Morning Brief: 294 MW Muscle Shoals solar project sold to Ørsted
Also in the brief: American solar supplier Aptos Solar added to Loanpal’s approved list, second life EV batteries for use in a microgrid, Maxeon upsizes convertible note offering
The US installed more solar in Q1 2020 than ever before
The record-setting quarter was driven by nearly 2 GW of utility-scale solar, supplemented by another 1.6 GW of residential and commercial and industrial. And while the ongoing pandemic will slow the industry a bit in 2020, five-year projections, especially for Texas, are strong.
Morning Brief: Maxeon raising money, SunPower and Nautilus expanding community solar
Also in the brief: Energy Toolbase integrates Delta.
