Annual added PV capacity will more than quadruple to 650 GW in 2030, says IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its “World Energy Outlook 2022” report. It expects the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to accelerate the global energy transition.
Sunrise brief: Canada launches Electricity Transition Hub to assist utilities
Also on the rise: First Solar announces $270 Million investment in R&D innovation center. Nearly 4% of U.S. homes have solar panels installed. And more.
Algae could boost solar panel efficiency by 4%
A Swedish team has inaugurated a pilot facility to mass produce algae material that can potentially boost silicon solar module efficiency by 4% and thin film by 36%. The algae are added to the encapsulant in silicon-based modules or to the anti-reflective coating on the glass of thin film modules. The team estimates the resulting modules would be 3.9% cheaper.
Sunrise brief: It’s time to combat utility opposition to solar
Also on the rise: U.S. Army builds further resilience with flow battery pilot project at Fort Carson. Cooling down solar modules by increasing space between panel rows. And more.
Solar tiles connected to an air heat pump
Germany’s Paxos is currently testing the solar tile in a testing facility connected to an air heat pump. The panel can provide heat and electricity at the same time, while also improving the heat pump’s coefficient of performance by around 25%.
Cooling down solar modules by increasing space between panel rows
A U.S. research team claims to have demonstrated that increasing the spacing of solar panels between rows improves PV system efficiency and economics by allowing airflow to cool down the modules. The method could improve a project’s LCOE by as much as 2.15% in certain climates.
Semi-solid flow battery tech promises to lower production costs by up to 40%
While still using conventional lithium-ion raw materials, 24M’s technology is said to reduce the number of steps required to manufacture battery cells and thereby the cost by up to 40%. The US company’s SemiSolid design is also said to deliver improved energy density, safety and recyclability.
Non-flammable, graphene-based lithium-ion batteries approaching stationary storage market
Nanotech Energy’s graphene battery uses proprietary electrodes with a thermally stable separator, and non-flammable electrolyte that is said to be inexpensive to manufacture. The technology is said to be superior in terms of safety and competitive in terms of cell performance.
Tesla proposes enabling renewables developers to estimate a project’s interconnection costs
With access to grid models, Tesla said it could estimate a project’s interconnection costs with an informational study in less than two weeks. Trade groups SEIA and AEE renewed their call to allow third-party interconnection studies.
Quinone flow battery for grid-scale renewables storage now close to commercial viability
Startup Quino Energy has raised more than $7.8 million to scale up its quinone redox flow battery technology. Harvard University and University of Cambridge researchers came up with the initial research for the battery design.
