Researchers develop a novel design for agrivoltaics
The design uses metal brackets as mounting structures, conventional solar panels, and a grooved glass plate placed between the solar panels. System costs would be around $847/kW.
As Maui approaches 100% renewables, NREL models grid options
Maui’s electric power grid is expected to operate with 100% solar and wind on an instantaneous basis as early as 2024, and NREL is helping the island plan to reliably supply electricity.
Sunrise brief: Solar+storage gains a solid foothold across the U.S. grid
Also on the rise: Three startups that aim to change the solar and clean tech sectors, battery companies join effort to improve cycling performance, solar PV shipments rose in 2020 as demand grew and costs fell, and more.
Europe had just 650 MW of solar cell manufacturing capacity at the end of 2020
The Photovoltaics Report published by Fraunhofer ISE said that Europe had just 1.25 GW of solar wafer production capacity at the end of 2020.
Battery companies join research partners to improve lead battery cycling
By targeting a specific organic material used in lead batteries, the group hopes to improve charging efficiency, which would result in longer battery life.
NREL releases a financial analysis tool for energy storage technologies
The model allows users to specify up to 15 parallel technology assessments that can span completely different storage types or focus on a single technology.
Sandia researchers develop new grid-scale energy storage battery
The battery operates at 230 degrees Fahrenheit, opening what researchers said could be “a whole cascading cost savings” including everything from less expensive materials to less insulation.
NREL develops interoperable SCADA protocols for PV inverters
The codes enable legacy inverters to participate in advanced distribution management.
NREL projects solar generation and costs for 10 U.S. zones
The national laboratory developed the baseline products to develop and document transparent, normalized technology cost and performance assumptions.
Sunrise brief: With residential solar demand ‘through the roof’ can supply chains keep up?
Also on the rise: An insurer warns the solar industry about wildfire risks, Hawaiian Electric’s storage incentive program goes live, and solar energy jobs were lost in the pandemic year but are coming back, DOE says.
