As Maui approaches 100% renewables, NREL models grid options
Maui’s electric power grid is expected to operate with 100% solar and wind on an instantaneous basis as early as 2024, and NREL is helping the island plan to reliably supply electricity.
Sunrise brief: Solar+storage gains a solid foothold across the U.S. grid
Also on the rise: Three startups that aim to change the solar and clean tech sectors, battery companies join effort to improve cycling performance, solar PV shipments rose in 2020 as demand grew and costs fell, and more.
Europe had just 650 MW of solar cell manufacturing capacity at the end of 2020
The Photovoltaics Report published by Fraunhofer ISE said that Europe had just 1.25 GW of solar wafer production capacity at the end of 2020.
Startup Sunday: EnergyX aims to cut Li-ion battery costs with a novel technology
Also starting up: Edgehog secures funding for its self-cleaning, anti-reflective glass; and Maana Electric looks to the Moon for its shipping container-sized PV module factories.
Battery companies join research partners to improve lead battery cycling
By targeting a specific organic material used in lead batteries, the group hopes to improve charging efficiency, which would result in longer battery life.
NREL releases a financial analysis tool for energy storage technologies
The model allows users to specify up to 15 parallel technology assessments that can span completely different storage types or focus on a single technology.
Grid-interactive efficient buildings may unlock energy savings, reduce carbon emissions
The U.S. could save $18 billion in power costs by 2030 by integrating grid-interactive efficient buildings, also known as GEBs.
Massive gearless dual-axis solar tracker achieves patent
Mechatron Solar has received a U.S. patent for its dual-axis tracker that utilizes a gearless structure for reliability in varied climates.
Multi-day iron-air batteries reach commercialization… at one tenth of the cost of lithium
Boston startup Form Energy has secured $200 million Series D funding for the development of what is being called a breakthrough in energy storage.
Sandia researchers develop new grid-scale energy storage battery
The battery operates at 230 degrees Fahrenheit, opening what researchers said could be “a whole cascading cost savings” including everything from less expensive materials to less insulation.
