PVEL solar module scorecard: In a rush to innovate, some manufacturers ‘overlooked basic quality control’
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), a test lab for the downstream solar market, just published its PV Module Reliability Scorecard. The lab notes the high level of innovation in the solar module industry and namechecks the market’s reliability leaders — but also observed a resurgence of known failure mechanisms — such as PID.
Morning Brief: Nuclear fusion startup raises $84 million from Temasek and Equinor
Also in the brief: Green hydrogen in Denmark, North Dakota solar on tribal lands, Lime Rock New Energy raises $600 million in growth equity focused on renewable energy tech.
Used EV batteries for large-scale solar energy storage
MIT scientists have suggested that used electric vehicle batteries could offer a more viable business case than purpose-built systems for the storage of grid-scale solar power in California. Such ‘second life’ EV batteries, may cost only 60% of their original purchase price to deploy and can be effectively aggregated for industrial scale storage even if they have declined to 80% of their original capacity.
Startup wants to put solar arrays on wave energy generators, along with wind turbines
Sinn Power of Gauting, Germany combines wave, wind and solar power for the “first floating ocean hybrid platform.”
A PV antenna for beaming solar power from space to Earth
Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have launched the first orbital experiment with space-based solar power. They launched a 12-inch square photovoltaic module that is expected to test the viability of space-based solar power systems converting sunlight to microwaves outside the atmosphere.
Sunny places could see average solar prices of $0.01 or $0.02 per kilowatt-hour within 15 years
New research models that the price of solar will continue to drop faster than previous predictions. This would mean that building new solar would be routinely cheaper than operating already-built fossil fuel plants, even in today’s world of ultra-cheap natural gas.
Analysis of energy use during Austin’s stay-at-home order hints at a Texas summer load issue
Significant spikes in air conditioner usage during the first hot days of Austin Texas’ stay-at-home orders have signaled that this upcoming summer may be one where electric demand meets record, worrisome, levels.
Historic Hawaiian tender will increase state’s solar capacity 50%
16 project winners totaling 460 MW in capacity have been chosen by Hawaiian Electric Company to fill its most ambitious renewable procurement yet. The move will bring jobs to one of the areas hardest-hit by virus-related unemployment.
Morning Brief: Secret Air Force space plane to beam solar power to Earth, Tesla’s ‘million-mile’ battery
Also in the brief: DOE kicks off $230 million advanced reactor demonstration program, and the global coal industry will never recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Glasspoint, a Shell-funded solar enhanced-oil-recovery startup, is in liquidation
Glasspoint received more than $130M in VC from Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, along with the venture arm of Royal Dutch Shell. The plan was to use concentrated solar arrays housed in glass greenhouses to produce steam at gigawatt scale instead of natural gas for EOR.
