How to replace 187 GW of coal with renewables, and save customers money
Several financing options could ease the replacement of uneconomic coal plants with renewables and storage, with some of the savings used to help coal workers transition to new jobs, says a report from climate advocates.
Morning Brief: Duke, Dominion abandon pipeline, Berkshire Hathaway buys $10B of gas assets from Dominion
Also in the brief: Tepco to reuse Chinese EV batteries for energy storage, end of Chinese dam-building era,
NREL study backs hydrogen for long-duration storage
Pumped hydro and compressed air energy storage will soon be cost-effective for day-long storage, while hydrogen for long-duration storage will be cost-effective by 2050 or sooner, the national lab’s study projected.
Canadian Solar joins the 500 W-plus panel club
The Chinese-Canadian company has unveiled a range of high-power modules which are set to go into mass production by early next year. The series includes a commercial and industrial rooftop-dedicated product offering a reported 405 W.
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.
Real-time pricing that integrates more solar power is proven to work in California
Industry participants noted the significance of a real-time pricing project on a single distribution circuit in California. State officials are evaluating real-time pricing as a means to help integrate more solar and wind power on the grid.
Longi launches 540-watt solar module, joins ‘super module’ scramble, aims for new wafer standard
The Chinese manufacturer has debuted two models in the new bifacial, double-glass series to join the scramble for a slice of the 500 W-plus market and to stake its claim to set the 182mm, M10 wafer adopted as the industry standard.
European consortium bid to bring 25.4%-efficient heterojunction-IBC solar cell into mass production
The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission.
Funding for solar inspection by drone, long-duration energy storage, and software for utilities
A roundup of recent funding in renewable energy and cleantech: Quidnet, DroneBase, Eos Energy, Urjanet, and Clir Renewables.
Bill Gates leads $10M investment in Quidnet’s long-duration geomechanical pumped storage
The year of living durationally — the holy grail of energy storage has always been low-cost and long-duration. Venture investors have started putting their money into novel, extended-duration storage technologies.
