Sunrise brief: Daimler, NextEra, and BlackRock fund investment in EV and hydrogen trucks and charging stations across the US
Also on the rise: Nova Scotia utility proposes net-metering fee. Research into how rooftop PV systems may affect air and building temperature in urban environments vice versa. Vanadium redox flow battery in microgrid project. Important step for Indiana solar: Utility’s net metering calculation overturned in court. Maxeon to offer IBC solar panels in the US.
The panel and the city
Researchers have investigated how rooftop PV systems may affect air and building temperature in urban environments and, conversely, how the urban heat island (UHI) effect may have a negative impact on PV system performance. Their work considered urban air temperature, urban air pollution, the partial shading of the PV system, soiling, building heating and cooling loads, and outdoor shade.
Best fire safety practices for rooftop PV system installations
Compiled by an international research group, the best practices were collected from all available guidelines published by national agencies, regulatory bodies, and trade associations.
Pulling fertilizer out of thin air with solar power
Nitricity has put together an experimental plasma reactor that uses solar electricity to produce competitively priced, environmentally clean, nitrogen fertilizer. Their onsite fertilizer production eliminates emissions from transporting fertilizers, and provides a viable alternative to fossil consuming nitrogen fixation methods like the Haber-Bosch process.
U.S. geothermal lithium offers significant potential
U.S. scientists have assessed the viability and potential supply chain impact of extracting lithium from geothermal brines, and they have reported promising results.
Palmetto maps roughly 75% of U.S. rooftops
The company’s Mapdwell division has captured the photovoltaic potential of 107 million rooftops.
Watch: NASA Webb telescope deploys solar array
The world’s most powerful telescope took to the skies on December 25th. The array was deployed and powered 30 minutes after launch.
NREL launches international consortium to advance high-tech mirrors used in concentrating solar plants
Goal is to reduce cost of heliostats by 50% and accelerate U.S. manufacturing
Paired with “wonder material,” over 21% efficiency demonstrated in perovskite solar cells
The use of phosphorene nanoribbons boosted the cell, putting it on par with traditional silicon cell output levels.
MIT and Google develop solar cell simulator
The differential physics-based software simulates how the change in a given input can change the cell’s power output, potentially paving the way for faster improvements in PV efficiency.
