Louisville startup secures $2 million funding for copper paste that may lower cost of solar
Bert Thin Films, a University of Louisville research-backed startup, is developing a copper-based paste that may replace silver components in solar panels.
Sunrise brief: Experts call for changes to NEM 3.0, calling it ‘Taxing the Sun’
Also on the rise: Verizon and Leeward Energy sign two PPAs totalling 360 MW. Researchers suggest that six terrawatt hours of energy storage would bring US to net zero. Duke Energy launches grid resilience testing with ‘Bring Your Own Battery’ program.
Best fire safety practices for rooftop PV system installations
Compiled by an international research group, the best practices were collected from all available guidelines published by national agencies, regulatory bodies, and trade associations.
Pulling fertilizer out of thin air with solar power
Nitricity has put together an experimental plasma reactor that uses solar electricity to produce competitively priced, environmentally clean, nitrogen fertilizer. Their onsite fertilizer production eliminates emissions from transporting fertilizers, and provides a viable alternative to fossil consuming nitrogen fixation methods like the Haber-Bosch process.
Maine utility admits solar interconnection faults, hiring consultants
Central Maine Power Company admitted that its solar power interconnection processes were at fault in 2020-2021, and has offered a settlement that includes hiring grid analysts, funding a working group between the industry and utility, and greatly tightening upgrade cost estimates.
U.S. geothermal lithium offers significant potential
U.S. scientists have assessed the viability and potential supply chain impact of extracting lithium from geothermal brines, and they have reported promising results.
NREL study finds that managing EV charging complements grid-connected renewables
Managed charging is valuable in systems with high levels of variable renewables because it provides the flexibility to match supply and demand.
Safety a top focus for major solar inverter provider
SolarEdge met with pv magazine to discuss the safety features of its products, as well as codes, standards, and workforce training.
Sunrise brief: Palmetto captures PV potential of roughly 75% of U.S. rooftops
Also on the rise: Aerial inspection and site data service provider, Heliolytics, acquired by NovaSource. Solar panel recycling firm teams up with Solaris. Investment gets Texas PV developer IndustrialSun ready for launch. Community solar moves forward in Illinois. International team of researchers develop solar-powered hydrogen energy platform.
Solar-powered hydrogen for domestic applications via building-integrated transparent platform
An international research group has created a closed-loop, transparent energy platform based on PV power generation and hydrogen production from photo-electrochemical cells. The system is claimed to supply power without interruption and to be transparent enough to be integrated into buildings.
