Morning Brief: Maximizing solar self-consumption by rethinking panel orientation, carbon-neutral beer
Also in the brief: Did we mention carbon-neutral beer? Plus drone inspection of transmission towers.
A virtual trade show in your home starring residential storage vendors
The U.S. solar and storage industry is figuring out how to exchange information without exchanging Covid-19.
Q Cells to acquire energy software startup Geli, expanding its storage capabilities to go after C&I markets
The acquisition is Q Cells’ first energy storage acquisition and marks its move into the U.S. commercial and industrial (C&I) solar-plus-storage market.
A residential vanadium flow battery
Flow battery firms have typically pursued utility-scale storage projects rather than the small-scale residential applications targeted by VoltStorage.
Breaking up the patent monopoly for the benefit of batteries
The patent monopoly is at odds with the global need for battery storage technology and if this norm continues, technology will not be able to be released in time to keep up with current climate goals.
Tesla EVs show profit while solar business hits new lows in revenue and deployment
It was a series of firsts, including a profitable full year and Megapack turning a profit that factored into CEO Elon Musk explaining that he has “never been more optimistic or excited about the future of Tesla.” Austin is confirmed as the site of the next Gigafactory.
Job Moves: Lior Handelsman leaves SolarEdge, plus Form Energy, Generate, Omnidian, FirstLight, MP2, Jurchen
Executive, career and boardroom moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy VC.
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.”
Natron Energy, developer of sodium-ion batteries, raises $35M as investment in storage surges
The startup is building a battery using Prussian blue analogue electrodes and a sodium-ion electrolyte. Investors include ABB Technology Ventures, NanoDimension Capital, Volta Energy Technologies, Chevron, Khosla Ventures, and Prelude Ventures.
What’s going on in the world of thermal energy storage?
Can this technology be commercialized? A partnership between Siemens Energy and EnergyNest to develop thermal storage solutions together is the latest development in an industry with lots of potential, but little practical application thus far.
