Texas electric utility co-op taps networked residential batteries for outage protection
The residential battery program, which deploys Base Power’s 11.4 kW/25 kWh battery systems, is designed to provide affordable, whole-home backup for members of Farmers Electric Cooperative while also delivering grid-balancing services to the wider region.
U.S. space solar startup proves wireless power system works in motion
Overview Energy has proven its solar power beaming satellite system works in motion, which it claims is a world first for high-power wireless energy transmission. The company is targeting megawatt transmission from space in 2030.
What to know about ERCOT’s new RTC+B program
Under the real-time co-optimization structure, batteries will be recognized as both generators and loads.
Research finds solar can support bird, bat activities
A pair of research studies led by the Argonne National Laboratory have demonstrated how “ecovoltaic” installations in the midwestern United States are home to more bird and bat activities than nearby fields used for agriculture.
The role of robotics in boosting U.S. solar recycling capacity
Solar recycler OnePlanet will draw on vision-guided robots and automation to scale their River City facility and recover more, purer valuable materials from spent panels.
EVs as key players in distributed energy networks and grid modernization
Nuvve’s new outlook report says V2G projects will be the backbone of battery aggregation efforts.
Agrivoltaics for sorghum and soybeans
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that shading from agrivoltaic systems reduces grain numbers in both sorghum and soybean, but sorghum can partially compensate by increasing grain weight while soybean cannot. The study shows that sorghum and soybean respond differently due to their physiology, offering guidance for crop selection and management to minimize yield penalties in agrivoltaics.
Kudos for grid operator SPP’s plan to link transmission planning and interconnection
The Solar and Storage Industries Institute has endorsed SPP’s proposal to reform interconnection by building transmission, identifying promising areas for transmission interconnection, and inviting interconnection applications.
U.S. solar manufacturers ink spacecraft deals
An Arizona manufacturer struck an research agreement with NASA, while a company in Colorado will supply thin-film solar to an unnamed private spacecraft company.
New research shows antimony chalcogenide solar cells are suitable for space use
Researchers in the U.S. tested the degradation of antimony chalcogenide solar cells exposed to proton radiation. The result indicated a robust tolerance and potential for use in space.
