Morning Brief: To solve the climate crisis, we need an investment revolution, plus FPL looks at green hydrogen
Also in the brief: Even the world’s top coal exporter is struggling to make money from burning the fuel, RFA for D.C. solar program
Solar and storage venture capital and finance roundup
Plus a bunch of investments in carbon capture.
Solar panel recycling: Turning ticking time bombs into opportunities
With the average lifespan of a solar panel at roughly 20 years, installations from the early 2000s are set to reach end-of-life. Will they end up in landfill or be recycled? The cost of recycling is higher than landfill, and the value of recovered materials is smaller than the original, so there’s limited interest in recycling. But given the presence of heavy metals, if waste is managed poorly, we’re on track for another recycling crisis.
University of Queensland’s Tesla battery paying for itself
The University of Queensland has released a performance report on the Tesla Powerpack it installed in December 2019. Across a range of revenue streams, the Powerpack is already earning the university some serious cash.
Top global Li-ion battery projects: Tesla grows lead as Hornsdale expands to 150 MW
The world’s biggest battery is now rated at 150 MW/193.5 MWh and dwarfs any lithium-ion battery system in operation worldwide.
ClearVue’s luminescent solar concentrators create clear PV windows
The lure of building integrated photovoltaics continues to attract entrepreneurs and startups.
Forget toilet paper, Australians are panic-buying PV
Byron Bay-based solar retailer Smart Energy says it is seeing an unprecedented surge in sales and inquiries for solar and home energy storage as consumers look to shore themselves up in uncertain times.
Bushfire-affected South Australia homeowners to get free sonnen batteries
The state government has partnered with the German energy storage company to offer 188 families locally assembled sonnenBatteries as they rebuild their homes.
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.
Generate lands more than $1 billion for renewable infrastructure
Jigar Shah, renewable energy legend, strikes again. Generate added Sunrun CEO Lynn Jurich and NYSERDA’s Richard Kauffman to its board.
