Record low solar PPAs in the Southwest mean ‘carbon capture is not going to save coal plants’
Recently approved solar PPAs could spell trouble for proponents of retrofitting the state’s San Juan Generating Station to capture the coal-fired plant’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Morning Brief: Nuclear fusion startup raises $84 million from Temasek and Equinor
Also in the brief: Green hydrogen in Denmark, North Dakota solar on tribal lands, Lime Rock New Energy raises $600 million in growth equity focused on renewable energy tech.
Startup wants to put solar arrays on wave energy generators, along with wind turbines
Sinn Power of Gauting, Germany combines wave, wind and solar power for the “first floating ocean hybrid platform.”
A PV antenna for beaming solar power from space to Earth
Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have launched the first orbital experiment with space-based solar power. They launched a 12-inch square photovoltaic module that is expected to test the viability of space-based solar power systems converting sunlight to microwaves outside the atmosphere.
Analysis of energy use during Austin’s stay-at-home order hints at a Texas summer load issue
Significant spikes in air conditioner usage during the first hot days of Austin Texas’ stay-at-home orders have signaled that this upcoming summer may be one where electric demand meets record, worrisome, levels.
Morning Brief: Secret Air Force space plane to beam solar power to Earth, Tesla’s ‘million-mile’ battery
Also in the brief: DOE kicks off $230 million advanced reactor demonstration program, and the global coal industry will never recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Morning Brief: DuPont Publishes 2020 Global PV Reliability Report, when will renewables pass coal?
Also in the brief: remembering the life of S. David Freeman, farmers in Rhode Island receiving solar grants, JA Solar’s upcoming webinar on the future of PV and more.
Overbuilding solar at up to 4 times peak load yields a least-cost all-renewables grid
The global energy firm Wartsila found a least-cost renewables mix for the U.S. that involves overbuilding renewable capacity, but requires no seasonal storage, and needs only four to ten days of multi-day storage capacity. The analysis modeled meeting current uses of electricity, based on projected technology costs for 2030.
The challenges and tricks of adding battery storage to existing solar projects
Alencon Systems teamed up with Duke Energy to look at some of the challenges faced by a utility when adding a battery storage system to an existing solar installation. DC-coupled or AC-coupled? Grounding scheme?
Morning Brief: NYC replaces fossil plants with storage and renewables, solar boom stalls in Texas
Also in the brief: a look at how pv systems relate to bird mortality, Sunverge has been chosen to manage a Maryland virtual power plant, a solar powered water filtration system and more.
