Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to… split?
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a type of electrode which is highly resistant to salt corrosion, therefore allowing them to produce hydrogen using seawater. Applied at a larger scale, this development could potentially cut the cost of power-to-gas applications by greatly increasing the amount of water available.
pvMB 3/22/19: The largest U.S. bifacial plant breaks ground, SunPower & SEIA soft on Green New Deal, and more!
It’s Friday, so enjoy this pvMB before you check out for the weekend. In this edition the New Hampshire House has approved a 5 MW system size for net metering, an innovative green roof plus solar is coming to New York City and BP is considering power *all* U.S. operations with solar power.
Ultimate five-year plan: 24 hour solar+storage power plants, in design pipeline now
In an interview with pv magazine USA 8minutenergy President & CEO Tom Buttgenbach talked of radio telescopes and aliens, but also the USA solar market, a 14 GW solar power pipeline and energy storage being a fundamental – not an add-on – feature.
Solar + storage for the first time in Arkansas
A 100 MW project featuring the state’s first large-scale battery storage system has been announced in Arkansas. The project will be developed by a subsidiary of NextEra, and the power bought by Entergy Arkansas.
Puerto Rico is on its way to 100% renewable electricity
A bill to mandate that the island’s electric system move to 100% renewable energy by 2050 has passed the Puerto Rico Senate and is being sent to the House for reconciliation, the last stop before it is expected to be signed by Governor Rosselló.
pvMB 3/18/19: Musk dubs 2019 the “Year of the Solar Roof,” Vote Solar’s 2019 Equinox party… and more!
Happy Monday to you and welcome to the pvMB. Today we’ll be looking at TEP using sheep for brush control, Hawaiian energy leaders calling on Washington to go 100% solar, a 149 MW project planned in Michigan and everything else you need to start you week in solar.
Big cheese gets big solar+storage proposal
Invenergy has proposed a solar project up to 200 MWac / 300 MWdc in capacity with a 50 MW / 200 MWh battery in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.
Solar power brings in the big (lease) money for Washington State
Avangrid Renewables has signed a solar energy power contract with Puget Sound Energy for a 150 MWac solar power plant, the first solar power project over 30 MW in the state to reach this milestone. The land lease rate of $300/acre/year is 150x the prior $2/acre/year grazing rights the state land was paid.
Energy storage, EV jobs boom in the United States
A new report by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) shows energy storage jobs growing 14% and EV jobs growing 16%, despite China’s dominance in lithium-ion battery technology.
Industry first: Flow battery gets 10-year performance insurance
Munich Re, a global insurance company, is offering a 10 year “Project Cover” plan for ESS’s two flow battery models – 50 kW / 400 kWh and 100 kW / 400 kWh. ESS suggests a 25+ year lifetime on its product with zero degradation.
