SunPower and Enphase team up with microinverter acquisition
Through the deal SunPower gets $25 million and stock; however the bigger deal may be Enphase’s right to be the company’s exclusive residential inverter supplier.
Senate proposes business-as-usual energy budget
The U.S. Senate has called for stable funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in 2019, with an emphasis on EVs, as well as increasing the budget for ARPA-E by 6.5%.
US solar power generation up 33% year-over-year in Q1
The 33% increase in Q1 2018 generation is more than the 25% year-over-year increase in capacity, suggesting that solar projects are generating more electricity per watt of installed capacity.
The path to 1.5¢/kWh solar power, and lower
GTM Research projects 24¢/w solar panels and utility scale fixed-tilt systems at $0.70/W by 2022, which opens up new possibilities for ultra-cheap power from solar.
Hurricane Maria moves Solartech Universal’s expansion to South Florida
Solartech Universal plans to expand its current 80 MW/year capacity by 180 MW/year. The company is seeking a facility in South Florida.
House committee calls for cuts in renewable energy R&D, more money for fossil fuels
The House Committee on Appropriations has moved forward legislation to cut the department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office by $243 million, while increasing funding for fossil fuel programs and nuclear energy.
California residential solar power headed toward $1/W and 2.5¢/kWh
ASU energy security researcher Dr. Wesley Herche and pv magazine author John Weaver describe the new math involved with requiring solar power to be installed at the time of construction for newly built homes.
Stion R&D tools go to auction
Heritage Global Partners will auction off the thin film PV maker’s tools from its research & development facility in Silicon Valley on May 30-31.
Alta Devices launches new solar cell for vehicle integration
Alta Devices has launched a new gallium-arsenide based solar cell, which it says improves on the power to weight ratio of its previous cell by 160%. The cell is designed to provide lightweight, high efficiency generation for integration with cars, drones and other vehicles.
100 hours and longer: ARPA-E seeks 5¢/kWh energy storage
The U.S. government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy is offering up to $30 million in funding to build innovative technologies to enable long-duration energy storage, with the aim to provide reliable electricity from 10 to roughly 100 hours, and longer.
