Recycling heat for a ‘385% efficient’ solar desalinator
MIT scientists have developed a solar desalinator which sends heat from the sun through a ten-stage process of evaporation and condensation. The group estimates that a $100 device incorporating their innovation could provide the daily drinking water needs of a family.
Morning Brief: Cubico acquires 102 MW, LONGi to supply modules for 74 MW Microsoft project
Also in the brief: Solar Support partners with SEMIKRON to tackle utility-scale inverter stack shortage, investors say changes at Hawaiian Electric can ‘happen fast,’ Dynamic Energy sells 11 MW solar + storage portfolio to Amp Energy and more.
What’s the efficiency of a Tesla glass tile solar roof?
It depends. We attempt to do the math. Maybe it doesn’t matter.
Ten sunniest US states added 1.8 GW of small-scale solar in 2019, as solar advocates press for more
Solar contractors added another 1.8 gigawatts of small-scale solar in the ten sunniest states last year. In Hawaii and California, solar groups described their ambitious policy goals to keep the momentum going.
Job moves: Engie fires CEO, plus Enphase, Sunrun, Sol Systems, Nautilus, Sage Energy
Executive and boardroom moves in solar, storage, project development, cleantech, utilities and venture capital.
Oil and gas giants Shell and Total get serious about solar
Total acquired 50% of India’s Adani Group’s solar portfolio for $510m and Shell is building its first large-scale solar farm, a 120-MW effort in Australia.
Morning Brief: 200 MW proposed in Utah and ‘God likes solar’
Also in the brief: 150 MW coming to Pennsylvania, Sunnova to bundle roof replacements with solar+storage under one loan, a solar-powered big rig in Arkansas and more!
Italian PV panels destined for recycling were instead smuggled to Syria and Africa
Illegally re-badged panels were sold to Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey and Syria. Italian authorities found 60 tons of panels.
MIT researchers say PV innovations should be deployed in niche markets first
Solar module manufacturers should begin testing new technologies in higher-value niche markets, say scientists at the U.S. institution. For example, bringing perovskite technology directly to the mainstream market remains prohibitive in terms of initial investment but segments such as building-integrated PV or microelectronics may offer better routes to commercial maturity.
Solar racking innovations on the show floor at Intersolar San Diego
Modules and batteries get all the headlines, but solar racking represents the shoulders upon which everything is built — and advances in this field are happening fast. Vertical racking for bifacial modules, new floating racking, a replacement for aluminum flashing, corrugated metal connections, and more!
