Technology and R&D

After an attempt to cut EERE and ARPA-E funding by the House, the conference committee has retained funding for both programs at roughly 2018 levels.

Burns & McDonnell, a 6,000-strong engineering firm, is installing a Greenlots EV charging network and integrating it into the company’s campus network. The engineers hope to offer EV related services to their many electric utility customers.

Researchers from Michigan Technological University and Finland’s Aalto University say they have demonstrated that the cost per unit of power of black silicon PERC cells could fall 10.8%, despite an increase in cell processing cost.

The IQ8 will allow off grid solar power without the need for energy storage by instantly recognizing local load demands and meeting them with available solar-generated electricity.

ASU researchers have determined that a 32% efficient perovskite-silicon tandem cell could produce electricity at the same price as cutting-edge 22% efficient panels in the most cost-competitive of situations.

Enel Green Power North America and Raptor Maps will develop AI-based drones to reduce O&M costs. Kicking off this month, the project will see its first batch of 30 field workers trained by the end of the year. Both companies already have the relevant technology in their portfolios.

The inverter and power optimizer maker showed 67% year-over-year revenue growth and shipped 985 MW of inverters but missed earnings projections by 2%.

GTM Research has published an analysis of the global electric vehicle infrastructure of 2030. The group sees ten times more public charges than home chargers, and in North America alone sees $13 billion in electricity related revenue due to EVs in 2030.

In the first two quarters of 2018 Tesla deployed 40% more energy storage than all of 2017, with 300-400% growth expected for 2019. Solar power deployments grew 11% to 84 MW over a low Q1 value.

The inverter-optimizer manufacturer has expanded from its residential focus and now gets 40% of its revenue from commercial sales. The company is also supplying a soon-to-be commissioned 53 MW-AC solar power project.