Google-supported solar projects more than double Oklahoma solar capacity
Five planned solar facilities will add 700 MW of capacity to a state that currently has only 376 MW of solar installed.
Development of solar fuels that could transform chemical industry
The Liquid Solar Alliance looks to reimagine the chemical industry by coupling electricity from solar energy with semiconductor materials to transform carbon dioxide into ethylene.
DOE roadmap shows how to speed interconnection of distributed solar and storage
The roadmap presents 39 ways to improve interconnection of distributed energy resources. DOE plans to offer funding support to collaborative teams working to implement the solutions.
Grid connection barriers and solutions for utility-scale renewables
Network upgrade costs for generating projects recently withdrawn from interconnection queues averaged 70% of total interconnection costs, Berkeley Lab researchers found. They proposed solutions for interconnection issues in a paper published in Joule.
Energy Department announces $22.92 billion in loans to upgrade transmission
Utility projects supported by these loans are expected to add much-needed transmission capacity by building new transmission lines, reconductoring existing lines and implementing grid-enhancing technologies that will get more out of existing grid.
Just a fraction of federal land could power carbon-free future
Millions of acres on federal land are suitable for renewable energy, of which less than 5% is needed to be carbon-free by 2035, found National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Boviet Solar manufacturing facility ready to ramp up in North Carolina
The company plans to manufacture both solar modules and cells in its Greenville facility, following a $294 million investment and the establishment its first North American production hub.
U.S. scientists building magnetocaloric heat pump with high system power density
Developed at the U. S. Ames National Laboratory, the novel magnetocaloric heat pump utilizes gadolinium as the working medium and reportedly matches current vapor-compression heat pumps for weight, cost, and performance. The system is based on a packed-particle bed active magnetic regenerator, a magnetic source composed of permanent magnets and high permeability magnetic steel.
After liftoff, DOE looks to accelerate virtual power plants
Virtual power plant capacity must double to meet demand, the Department of Energy said in its latest report on virtual power plants.
Organic solar cells for space demonstrate radiation resistance, self-healing
Conventional silicon solar cells degrade rapidly in space, and gallium arsenide cells are heavy and inflexible. Research from the University of Michigan suggests carbon-based solar cells could be a good fit for space applications.
