Morning Brief: Maximizing solar self-consumption by rethinking panel orientation, carbon-neutral beer
Also in the brief: Did we mention carbon-neutral beer? Plus drone inspection of transmission towers.
SolarEdge stock jumps on Q2 revenue beat and solid earnings — despite Covid-19
SolarEdge was able to keep its streak of profitable quarters going — in what was expected to be a hard-hit quarter for solar. The company sees “signs of recovery in the U.S.”
AES invests $8.6 million in startup to develop pre-fab solar arrays
AES, one of the world’s largest power companies, has made a strategic investment in Sydney-based pre-fabricated solar array manufacturer 5B to meet the growing needs of its customers for solar.
PG&E, Tesla begin construction on one of the world’s largest batteries
With 182.5 MW and 730 MWh of capacity and expansion capabilities that would bring it to 1.1 GWh, the Moss Landing battery energy storage system is set to be even bigger than Tesla’s Hornsdale project in Australia, as big-battery development takes off worldwide.
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.
Morning Brief: New Zealand invests in flow batteries, ‘NextGrid’ goes off the rails
Also in the brief: Tesla’s Q Con virtual power plant presentation, the University of Arkansas’ solar design contest, M&A during the pandemic, dodecahedrons and more
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.
