Apex adds 195 MW of solar and 400 MWh of energy storage in Texas
A 195 MW and 200 MWh solar-plus-storage project and the standalone Great Kiskadee storage project (200 MWh) will provide energy arbitrage and ancillary grid services to the ERCOT market, critical for maintaining grid reliability.
Scientists warn of heat-induced failure risks in HJT glass-backsheet PV modules
University of New South Wales researchers have identified four failure modes caused by damp heat in heterojunction solar panels with a glass-back sheet configuration. The failures could result in power losses ranging from 5% to 50%.
The world can manufacture enough solar to reach decarbonization goals
NREL researchers model viable pathways to supplying the estimated 60 TW of capacity required for decarbonization, and study the effect that disruptive solar technologies may have on deployment cost and market opportunity.
Sunrise brief: NEM 3.0 sparks the growing potential of virtual power plants
Also on the rise: Fold-out NASA satellite solar array undergoes successful test deployment. Solar-plus-storage microgrids to be deployed in four Bay Area cities. And more.
Fold-out NASA satellite solar array undergoes successful test deployment
The NASA/NOAA satellite, part of the GOES-R series, operated as-expected in its terrestrial test, making it one step closer to launch.
Machine learning method to identify residential PV adopters, reduce soft costs
Researchers have defined a new machine learning-based methodology that reportedly reduces customer acquisition costs by about 15% or $0.07/Watt. It is based on an adapted version of the XGBoost algorithm and considers factors such as summer bills, household income, and homeowner’s age, among others.
Virtual power plants could save utilities up to $35 billion by 2033
The Brattle Group compares the net cost of providing 400 MW of resource adequacy from three resource types: a natural gas peaker, a grid-interconnected battery system, and a VPP composed of residential demand flexibility technologies.
Solar testing group warns of degradation risk for TOPCon
The Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) raised the issue of ultraviolet-induced degradation of the trending technology in its PV Module Index 2022.
Big PV plants may have positive climate impact in deserts, say researchers
Chinese researchers have discovered that solar plants might reduce evaporation and wind speeds in the Gobi Desert, while also increasing soil relative humidity, according to a series of simulations with different emission scenarios.
Oregon utility’s IRP calls for 400 MW energy storage development
The 400 MW nameplate capacity projects can provide enough clean power for 260,000 homes at four-hour intervals during peak power usage times such as weeknights from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
