Tesla Powerwalls in California join the movement to create virtual power plants
Made up of distributed residential energy storage, these “plants” stabilize the grid and often end the need for new fossil generation. Tesla customers in California are the latest to join the movement.
Sunrise brief: The path steepens to 80% renewables by 2030
Also on the rise: Sandia develops a grid-scale battery storage technology, NREL researchers write code to make legacy inverters smarter, and take a moment to admire these solar panels.
Sandia researchers develop new grid-scale energy storage battery
The battery operates at 230 degrees Fahrenheit, opening what researchers said could be “a whole cascading cost savings” including everything from less expensive materials to less insulation.
NREL develops interoperable SCADA protocols for PV inverters
The codes enable legacy inverters to participate in advanced distribution management.
FirstEnergy acknowledges wire fraud conspiracy, agrees to pay $230 million penalty
In court filings, the Ohio utility admitted it conspired with public officials to pay millions of dollars for legislation favorable to its nuclear power plants.
These organic solar panels generate electricity (and maybe spread a little joy)
A French PV specialist and a Dutch designer who integrates PV into furniture, windows, and other objects, teamed up to provide technology for a pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Will renewables be able to meet Biden’s clean energy goals?
Data suggest that renewable penetration might reach only one-half of U.S. electricity supply by 2030, but the goal of 80% clean power by 2030 remains possible.
American Clean Power Association merges with the US Energy Storage Association
The deal marks American Clean Power Association’s second major merger since founding in early 2021, and will bring in close relationships with more than 200 companies across all aspects of energy storage.
NREL projects solar generation and costs for 10 U.S. zones
The national laboratory developed the baseline products to develop and document transparent, normalized technology cost and performance assumptions.
Sunrise brief: Making the case for installing solar on 30 million homes
Also on the rise: A solar-friendly infrastructure bill is facing early tests in Congress, the NAACP develops solar power principles to address inequity, and more energy storage enters service in California.
