Battery startup FreeWire raises $25 million in funding
The funding was led by an existing investor of FreeWire, BP, and will allow the company to commercialize its upcoming Boost EV Charger, as well as expand operations across the United States and into Europe.
Kauai was 56% renewably powered in 2019
Building on stretches of 100% renewable generation in late 2019, the island met 56% of its electrical demand with renewables over the year, easily surpassing state and local goals.
Solar inverters vs. cyberattacks
A U.S. research group is developing inverters and cybersecurity standards to protect solar installations from cyberattacks. The researchers said that inverters can shut down if they are hacked, or contribute to grid instability and result in the overcharging of batteries, while potentially creating problems that we still don’t know how to address.
Morning Brief: Mysterious Rashba effect detected in bulk perovskites, Zanzibar’s ‘solar mammas’
Also in the brief: SEIA disappointed by USTR’s decision to remove Section 201 tariff exclusions for bifacial solar modules, plus VC investment in energy and grid startups.
Renewable industry urges New Jersey to address the peak with storage
In response to the initial straw proposal on energy efficiency and peak demand reduction programs released by state regulators, renewable industry leaders are calling for the inclusion of programs promoting energy storage.
Canadian Solar calls Solaria’s ‘shingled’ cell patent claim ‘meritless and unfounded’
The patent infringement claim concerns a process for separating photovoltaic strips from silicon solar cells for use in more-efficient tiled or “shingled” solar panels.
Europe can be 60% powered by solar before 2050
Perhaps it is not surprising a report co-produced by Europe’s solar industry places PV at the heart of a zero-carbon, mid-century energy system on the continent. However, the study does flesh out two out of three scenarios in which becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, or even 2040, could be possible.
The life of brine
Solar remains an interesting option to power water desalination despite obstacles to its widespread adoption. A recent study has highlighted the processing or dumping of brine waste as an important factor to consider.
Six-junction III–V solar cell with 47.1% efficiency
A U.S. research group has developed a new solar cell, based on six active photoactive layers, to capture light from a specific part of the solar spectrum. The scientists claim that they could potentially reach a 50% efficiency rate with the new cell.
Morning Brief: Rick Perry bucked Congress’s clean energy mandate
Also in the brief: How a conservative coal county built the biggest community solar energy project in East Kentucky. Why 30M solar rooftops should be in the next relief bill
