HVDC transmission line to connect three ISO regions
The 385-mile North Plains Connector project to be built by 2029 will ease power transmission congestion and allow clean energy onto the grid.
Sunrise brief: Post-IRA opportunities and risk in utility-scale solar
Also on the rise: Facebook (Meta) total solar procurement closes in on 4 GW. New solar projects are more economical than operating existing coal plants. And more.
Building new solar projects is less expensive than operating existing coal plants
Energy Innovation Policy & Technology released a report that finds the economics of replacing coal with renewables could fund a massive battery storage buildout, adding reliability to the benefit of reduced emissions.
RMI says utilities should model and plan for distributed solar adoption
Some utilities are using models to project the adoption of distributed solar and storage, and counting distributed resources in their planning process. Others should do the same, says the nonprofit RMI.
Sunrise brief: If approved, Ohio solar plant could be largest in nation
Also on the rise: Bipartisan group files to repeal solar tariff moratorium. Town recoups $2.3 million in back taxes with solar on a landfill. And more.
Thin, lightweight coating protects perovskite solar in space
An ultrathin coating protects a perovskite solar cell from the harmful effects of space and hardens it against environmental factors on Earth, according to a study by researchers at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Scientists assess lifetime for perovskite PV to become competitive on rooftops
Researchers say that lightweight, high-performance perovskite solar modules could soon become competitive with crystalline PV modules in the residential segment, as such products will likely have lower manufacturing and balance-of-system costs in the future.
Largest rooftop terminal solar array designed for JFK airport
The 7.66 MW of solar, 4 MWh batteries microgrid is the first fully resilient airport array that can function offgrid. The planned upgrade is part of a new JFK terminal said to be valued at $9.5 billion–what would be the largest global project financing transaction on record.
Sunrise brief: New Mexico law seeks solar on every roof, and an EV charger in every garage
Also on the rise: 50 states of solar incentives–Illinois. Falling costs, 15 GW of US solar module production, and TOPCon trends. And more.
Startup begins producing 40%-efficient thermophotovoltaic cells
Antora Energy says its new 2 MW factory will make thermophotovoltaic cells for thermal storage applications. The cells are based on III-V semiconductors and reportedly have a heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of more than 40%.
