Sunrise brief: Bill Gates-backed battery startup secures $144m in funding
Also on the rise: LS Power launches Rev Renewables, El Paso Electric issues an RFP for renewables, and Biden’s infrastructure agenda clears one big hurdle but faces still more.
Recovering waste heat from solar cells using a thermoelectric generator
The device recovers waste heat from the PV unit and produces additional power.
Vehicle-to-grid inches closer to reality, but barriers remain
V2G tech could offer low-cost energy storage at a huge scale, but many barriers must be overcome.
East-west orientation? Here are two new approaches to designing your solar project
Developers say the design approach can prevent soil deterioration and still offer the same yield as south-oriented PV plants.
Solar power from space by 2030? Advocacy group shows how
In Beyond Earth’s vision, space solar power systems would include photovoltaics and concentrators, along with wireless power transmission systems, including microwave and laser power transmission.
Got windows? Then photovoltachromics may be for you
Researchers developed a smart solar window tech based on a photovoltachromic device that is able to achieve a high pristine transmittance and to be self-adaptable to control indoor brightness and temperature.
Kansas City pilots streetlight-mounted EV chargers
The program aims to address equity and accessibility for EV charging, which can be a challenge for apartment-dwellers.
Sunrise brief: Big financial win means more clean energy investments from NY Green Bank
Also on the rise: Getting to net-zero carbon by 2050 will be a steep climb, report says; Walmart signs on as anchor for community solar; and BlueWave aims to develop floatovoltaic projects.
Researchers develop a novel design for agrivoltaics
The design uses metal brackets as mounting structures, conventional solar panels, and a grooved glass plate placed between the solar panels. System costs would be around $847/kW.
Crystal arrangement results in 1,000x more power from ferroelectric solar cells
Researchers discovered a ferroelectric crystal lattice that increases a solar cell’s photovoltaic effect by a factor of 1,000.
