Technology and R&D

The latest part of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better pledge, the funding will go to grid modernization, carbon removal, renewable energy and energy storage, among other technologies.

In a U.S. study of the added renewables capacity made possible by grid-enhancing technologies, Brattle Group found that both solar and wind power would benefit in Kansas and Oklahoma through 2025.

Also on the rise: Volta Energy fund nets $72.6 million for battery and storage startups, and Brooklyn libraries add rooftop solar to power safe-haven emergency services.

The Biden administration and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are moving quickly to advance energy and climate initiatives. To sweeten the pot, ARPA-E is offering $100 million in funding.

Also on the rise: ARPA-E offers $100 million in R&D funding, California hunts for generation resources for this summer, and CIT Group helps arrange financing for a handful of BESS capacity.

Also on the rise: Enevate and Highview Power fuel growth plans with additional investors, and a new venture targets Li-ion battery recycling for fleet vehicles.

From panel coatings to power line monitoring and a meter collar that could save homeowners up to $2,000 on a solar installation, Daniel Goldman of Clean Energy Ventures highlights companies that he thinks will break through in 2021.

The Tesla Solar Inverter comes in 3.8 kW and 7.6 kW versions, and features two and four maximum power point trackers.

Also on the rise: Webinar panel discusses energy under Biden, JA Solar supplies modules for 88 MW project, partners develop P2P blockchain trading platform, and Total splits with API over climate, for now.

In an interview with pv magazine publisher Eckhart Gouras, Tony Seba and Adam Dorr discuss their concept of “SuperPower”: by investing in even more solar PV and wind power than the lowest-cost system defined by the “Clean Energy U-curve,” the gain in additional energy, or “superpower,” is exponential to the money invested.