Author: solarenergy
The location was taken over by ISG Renewables earlier this year. Image: Innovation. Innova Renewables has announced the successful activation of its latest solar project, a 27.8 MWp development in Warwickshire. The Elms Farm Solar Park was acquired in May this year by ISG Renewables, a joint venture between Innova and investment company Schroders Greencoat, after planning permission had already been granted in 2022 and construction had started in 2023. In October, ISG Renewables announced that a 15-year Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) had been signed for the Elms Farm solar project, with Anglian Water agreeing to purchase 100% of…
Power electronics giant SolarEdge announced today it will shut down its energy storage division. This will result in the loss of 500 jobs, mostly in South Korea. The company expects to save $7.5 million this quarter with this decision. SolarEdge “The decision to close our energy storage division was the result of a thoughtful analysis of our portfolio of businesses and product lines, industry trends, and the competitive environment,” said Ronen Faier, interim CEO of SolarEdge. “The measures also represent continued execution of two of our main priorities: financial stability through cost reduction, return to cash flow positivity and profitability;…
The solar panel manufacturer announced a five-year lease for a factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. November 27, 2024 Anne Fischer By pv magazine USA Maxeon Solar Technologies announced a geographic pivot strategy, stating its intention to exclusively serve the US market. “As Maxeon intensifies its focus on the U.S. market, our priority is to further expand our growing network of residential and commercial partners and support our established utility base,” said George Guo, CEO of Maxeon. To continue this new strategy, the company announced that it will lease a factory site in Albuquerque, New Mexico in early 2026 with plans…
A total of 620 battery units have arrived at Thornton Greener Grid Park, located in West Yorkshire. Image: Statkraft. Statkraft has reached a milestone in the construction of a 200MW battery energy storage system (BESS) with a two-hour capacity. A total of 620 battery units have arrived at Thornton Greener Grid Park, located in West Yorkshire. The site is expected to be operational in late 2025 and will store energy generated at the nearby (but separate) 49.9 MW Soay Solar Farm project, also being developed by Statkraft. Statkraft’s BESS projects are intended for short-term storage and typically last two hours.…
KfW Development Bank has offered a €24 billion ($25.2 billion) grant to bridge the gap between network operators’ high investment costs and initially low network fee revenues. November 27, 2024 Ralph Diermann By pv magazine Germany KfW Development Bank has committed €24 billion to bridge the gap between high investment costs and low initial revenues for network operators in Germany. The German national hydrogen strategy includes a 9,000 km hydrogen network by 2032, approved by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). Initially, network tariffs will ensure affordability for users, but operators face significant investment costs. KfW’s loan will fund an amortization…
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has been an integral part of the UK’s solar energy journey by providing technical standards for a wide range of products and services and also provides certification and standards-related services to businesses. Specifically, the BSI Standards Committees GEL/82 for Photovoltaic Energy Systems are responsible for standardizing photovoltaic systems for converting solar energy into electrical energy and for all elements in the entire system. GEL/82 represents the British input into European (EN) and international (IEC) standards. The committee is chaired by KT Tan, chief technology officer at Viridian Solar. Solar energy portal spoke to Tan to…
Decarbonizing heavy industry with thermal batteries Whether you manufacture cement, steel, chemicals or paper, you need a large amount of heat. Almost without exception, manufacturers around the world create that heat by burning fossil fuels. In an effort to clean up the industrial sector, some startups are changing production processes for specific materials. Some even change the materials themselves. Daniel Stack SM ’17, PhD ’21 aims to address industrial emissions across the board by replacing the heat source. Since joining MIT in 2014, Stack has worked to develop thermal batteries that use electricity to heat a conductive version of ceramic…
This type of solar cell technology had so far achieved an efficiency of up to 9%. The new result was made possible by an in situ passivation strategy after deposition to reduce surface defects in the device, its creators said. November 27, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Silver bismut sulfide (AgBiS2) Nanocrystals (NCs) are a material common in the Earth that has been used in recent years as a promising PV material, often in combination with cadmium sulfide in the development of various types of ultra-thin solar cells. Solar cells built with these nanocrystals have so far achieved efficiencies of up to…
New research from Italy shows the importance of considering the dispatchability of power plants when planning PV projects. The scientists argue that assessing a project’s levelized energy costs can be misleading, especially with variable and sometimes negative electricity prices. November 27, 2024 Emiliano Bellini A research group led by the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy has developed a mathematical model to optimize the design of PV installations based on optimized dispatching strategies, taking into account real grid demand and prices. “We started with the evolution of the electric curve, also called the duck curve, and then arrived at the…
The US-based company said the new 12V lithium iron phosphate product comes with a 10-year warranty and has a life cycle of more than 5,000 cycles. November 27, 2024 Emiliano Bellini American Dragonfly Energy this week launched a new 12 V lithium battery for applications in PV systems and off-grid environments. “The new Battle Born smart batteries feature Dragonfly IntelLigence, the company’s patent-pending technology that provides comprehensive battery communication and monitoring capabilities,” the company said in a statement. “This innovation allows users to monitor the performance of individual batteries and entire battery banks in real time. Through the Battle Born…