Technology and R&D

Advanced Ionics has developed an electrolyzer that runs at temperatures below 650 C. It is reportedly able to produce hydrogen for $0.85/kg or less. CEO Chad Mason recently spoke with pv magazine to provide a closer look at the water vapor electrolysis tech.

Solar stoves, water purifiers, industrial drying, and more could potentially be more sustainably built by using soot from burned biomass to efficiently absorb solar energy as heat.

The device is described as a heat engine with no moving parts that is able to produce power from a heat source of between 1,900 to 2,400 C. This concept is known as thermal energy grid storage (TEGS) and consists of a low-cost, grid-scale storage technology that uses thermophotovoltaic cells to convert heat to electricity above 2,000 C.

The US DOE released a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to bring together parties to advance bi-directional charging with cybersecurity as a core component.

Also on the rise: Broad Reach Power procures 900 MWh of battery systems from CATL for solar portfolio in Texas. Job moves at Maxeon Solar Technologies, PowerMarket, Ulteig and more. Sunrun says better policy is needed to add “vast” amounts of distributed solar and storage. Ohio regulators to review two massive renewable energy project proposals. California utility SDG&E sees utility scale solar growing greater than 10X by 2045. New JM Steel manufacturing plant will have a Nextracker tracker production line.

Also on the rise: SunStyle brings its solar shingles to the US market. Urban Electric Power unveils 1 MWh battery system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Solar Superstar cities set the pace for solar development in the US. 2nd grader, Neil, gets a response to his letter to John Fitzgerald Weaver. Canadian university to be equipped with a stealthy solar façade/microgrid.

Of the 56 cities surveyed in all eight editions of the Shining Cities report, 15 recorded a tenfold increase in their solar capacity between 2014 and 2022, yet there is still much untapped potential.

While Neil’s concerns are warranted, there are reasons to be hopeful that we will be able to responsibly and profitably manage solar panel recycling as the volumes scale.

Also on the rise: Pivot Energy closes financing on 90MW solar portfolio. iSun posts 115% revenue growth in full year 2021 financial results. Energy Dome wins BNEF Pioneers 2022 competition for long-duration energy storage with CO2 batteries. Burns & McDonnell completes 65MW Texas solar project. New Hampshire utilities announce electric vehicle demand charge holiday.

Energy Dome’s emission-free energy storage method uses carbon dioxide in a closed loop charge/discharge cycle that can store and dispatch renewable energy onto the grid over periods from four to 24 hours.