Markets & Policy

DOE SolSmart local government program adds new platinum-level designation, establishes new priorities around support for disadvantaged communities, extends its designation criteria, and more.

The Department of Energy has set a bold target to address climate change and put the U.S. on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by 2050. Key to this goal are the design and development of advanced batteries to electrify the transportation and energy sectors and a skilled workforce for positions within the electric vehicle production, EV charging and battery markets.

The company plans to invest $5.5 billion on two manufacturing facilities in Arizona. One will be for cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles and the other for lithium iron phosphate pouch-type batteries for energy storage systems.

Ubiquitous Energy, the Redwood City, California-based manufacturer, is seeking to raise over $100 million in Dept. of Energy loan funding to support the development a manufacturing facility.

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a free, web-based application that calculates the savings and energy efficiency of residential ground-source heat pumps compared to gas heating.

Also on the rise: Meta picks utilities based on solar potential at data centers. Sunnova files for $3.3 billion Department of Energy loan. And more.

Senator Ed Markey shares his vision of permit and interconnection reform, community engagement, and environmental justice.

Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia will supply EVA encapsulant film to Qcells, supporting Qcells plans to develop a fully integrated solar supply chain in the USA.

The global energy storage market is growing at a strong 23% compound annual growth rate, with annual additions projected to reach 88 GW/278 GWh in 2030, or 5.3 times the expected 2022 level for new installations, according to BloombergNEF’s 1H 23 energy storage outlook.

The study surveyed homeowners as well as solar professionals to learn what incentivized homeowners to go solar, their interest in energy storage, challenges faced by solar professionals and the myths that still hang over the solar industry.