Author: solarenergy

Bristol Energy Cooperative hopes to increase its solar energy production by 1MW. Image: Bristol Energy Cooperative. Community-owned energy infrastructure has been boosted today (May 15) by a new share offer launched by Bristol Energy Cooperative and Triodos Bank UK. Although this is Bristol Energy Cooperative’s tenth funding round, it is the first time the organization has partnered with Triodos Bank. Bristol Energy Cooperative hopes to leverage increased interest from ordinary investors in green energy and community energy independence to raise £1 million. This will be used to add a further 1MW of solar energy to the co-op’s portfolio, powering almost…

A Chinese-Canadian research group has used a cadmium iodide doping technique for the first time to stabilize the sheet coating process in the production of solar cells based on formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) perovskite. The academics built a cell that showed a significant efficiency improvement compared to an identical device without cadmium doping. May 16, 2024 Lior KahanaAn international research team has produced a perovskite solar cell for the first time based on a cadmium-doped formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) absorber.FAPbI3 is one of the most promising perovskite materials for solar cell applications, as it offers a narrow energy bandgap and…

DE Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) announced the 80 MWAC Elektron Solar Project has become commercially operational. The project in Tooele County, Utah, began construction in 2021 and was acquired from Enyo Renewable Energy in 2020. “We are thrilled to have completed construction of the Elektron Solar facility,” said Hy Martin, Chief Development Officer of DESRI. “While the solar industry has faced headwinds in recent years due to supply chain constraints and rising interest rates, this project was able to succeed thanks to the strong partnership of our customers and local stakeholders. Our team appreciates the continued support of customers, Rocky…

Australian energy giant Origin Energy has unveiled plans to build the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in the state of Queensland as it continues to expand its renewable energy generation and storage portfolio. May 16, 2024 David CarollBy pv magazine AustraliaOrigin Energy has submitted an environmental report to the Australian Federal Government for the construction of a new 500 MW/2,000 MWh BESS near Kogan, approximately 40 km west of Dalby, Queensland.The BESS will be installed on land adjacent to Origin Energy’s existing 630MW Darling Downs power station, Australia’s largest gas-fired combined cycle power station. Origin Energy said it has…

Atess Power has developed a new series of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) containers. The Chinese manufacturer offers 20 HC and 40 HC containers, as well as battery-only containers with a storage capacity of up to 3,440 kWh. May 16, 2024 Lior KahanaAtess Power, a Chinese manufacturer of PV inverters, has released a new series of BESS containers. The company offers different technology combinations in its EnerMatrix solution, using 20 HC containers or 40 HC containers.“It supports both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) coupling solutions, enabling lightning-fast 0-10 ms on/off-grid switching,” the company said in a statement. “This…

By Brad Kramer May 14, 2024 From left: Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) and Reagan Farr, CEO and co-founder of Silicon Ranch, sign agreement.Based in Nashville Silicon Ranch has signed an agreement to develop a 110 MW solar project for Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE), the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States.The Copeland Solar Farm will be the first utility-scale solar project TVA’s Expanded Generation Flexibility Programallowing local energy companies to access and directly purchase utility-scale solar projects located outside their distribution area. “Silicon…

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and the Department of Commerce announced today that they will investigate the U.S. government’s claims American Solar Energy Manufacturing Alliance Trade Committee that silicon solar cells and panels made in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam continue to be dumped into the US market at prices that leave domestic manufacturers unable to compete. The commission filed the anti-dumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petition last month. This will be the second AD/CVD investigation into the export practices of solar cell and panel manufacturers in Southeast Asia. In August 2023, the Ministry of Commerce expanded AD/CVD to Chinese solar…

Schroders Greencoat has assets under management of £1.1 billion across the UK, Europe and the US. Image: Schroders. Schroders Greencoat has received a £170 million commitment from the Environment Agency Pension (EAPF) to boost investment in wind, solar, bioenergy, heat pumps and hydrogen. Greencoat, the specialist sustainable energy and energy transition infrastructure manager of Schroders Capital, a UK-headquartered asset manager with £750 billion in assets under management (AUM), will allocate the resources to its UK private markets flagship Greencoat Renewable Income LP (GRI). GRI launched in 2020 with £277m of investment from Brunel and SAUL, as reported in our sister…

Nuvolt, in partnership with HT Power, has initiated PPA facilities for both the headquarters and phase one of the initiative. Image: Nuvolt. Cardiff-based Nuvolt has installed solar panels at Marston Brewery’s headquarters, St Johns House. The solar power plant at St Johns House is expected to generate 87.73 MWh of clean energy annually. Nuvolt provides design, installation and maintenance services and supports solution financing through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Matthew Phillips, co-founder and director of Nuvolt, said: “We are keen to be part of Marston’s journey to Net Zero as they strive to reduce energy consumption on their estate. “This…

An international research team has developed a performance-enhancing treatment for perovskite solar cells based on phenethylammonium chloride (PEACl), which is also claimed to reduce the number of process steps. Using this technique, the group built a champion device with an efficiency of 20.9%. May 15, 2024 Valerie ThompsonAn international research team has developed a method to fabricate perovskite thin films using a precursor known as phenethylammonium chloride (PEACl) in a simultaneous deposition and passivation step.“Such a simplified process could allow researchers to create cells with more consistent quality,” Tim Kodalle, the scientist who led experiments completed at Lawrence Berkeley National…