Residential time of use pilot program coming to Minnesota
A two-year pilot program will be rolled out to roughly 10,000 Xcel Energy residential customers in early 2020.
Tesla and Panasonic to kill cobalt curse
Panasonic announced an aim to produce batteries for Tesla without using cobalt, much of which is sourced from the unstable and conflict-ridden Congo.
California electric car culture to cheaply cook the duck curve
Analysis by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that California’s electric car mandate could relieve “duck curve” stress at much better pricing than new standalone energy storage, if properly utilized.
Sungrow to supply 50 MWh of energy storage systems
The Chinese inverter maker will be supplying inverters, batteries and management systems for projects in California, Massachusetts and Ontario.
Why big bets on transmission and distribution infrastructure are no longer necessary
In this op-ed for pv magazine, Taylor Sloane of Fluence outlines how system planners can use energy storage to predict load growth when developing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Arizona’s largest solar plus storage plant starring Tesla, First Solar and NEXTracker
Arizona utility Salt River Project has brought together a technological trifecta in its recently commissioned single-axis tracker 20 MW solar plus 10 MW/40 MWh energy storage power plant.
Panasonic and Pika up the pace
Pika Energy has increased its home battery capacity to 17.1 kWh – about half an average home’s daily usage. The units are powered by Panasonic lithium-ion cells.
Barriers to non-utility ownership of DER stripped from California bill
SB 1088, which would have effectively barred customer or third-party owned solar or batteries from providing reliability services for the distribution system has been altered before leaving the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Sonnen secures $70 million from Shell for US, Aus expansion
The battery integrator has already began to draw on the funds as it continues to expand its market presence in the United States and in Australia. Shell Ventures is now a major sonnen investor and and the companies have agreed to future cooperation.
How solar emergency microgrids provide resilience to vulnerable communities
In this op-ed for pv magazine, Clean Coalition’s Dr. Frank Wasko explores how microgrid projects by Solar Saves Lives and other organizations show that communities can build back right and prepare for natural disasters.
