Author: solarenergy
China-based Envision Energy says its 5.5 MW/14 MWh energy storage demonstration platform is the world’s first and largest single-unit grid-forming energy storage system certified under rigorous full-scenario testing standards. November 22, 2024 Emiliano Bellini By ESS news Envision Energy Storage has announced that its energy storage demonstration platform in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, has successfully passed the full scenario testing conducted by the China Electric Power Research Institute. The platform, which includes the world’s largest single-unit networked energy storage system with a capacity of 5.5 MW/14 MWh, is the first in the world to be certified under this stringent standard. The…
Solar cycle has entered into a multi-year agreement with Genesis Alkali to purchase Ecosoda, a low-carbon natural soda ash produced near Green River, Wyoming, for use in solar glass production at the Cedartown, Georgia plant. Sodium carbonate. Credit: Genesis Alkali Sodium carbonate is an essential raw material used in the production of solar glass. According to Genesis Alkali, naturally produced soda ash is approximately 37% less greenhouse gas intensive than synthetically produced soda ash used by most solar glass manufacturers abroad. Ecosoda, produced at Genesis Alkali’s newly expanded facility in Granger, Wyoming, has an even lower greenhouse gas footprint than…
Brazil’s largest microgrid has gone online at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). The CampusGrid project combines a 565 kW solar system with a 1 MW high capacity battery energy storage system (BESS). November 22, 2024 Alessandra Neris By pv magazine Brazil The State University of Campinas (Unicamp) has launched the CampusGrid microgrid at the Barão Geraldo campus in Campinas, São Paulo. The facility integrates a 565 kW solar energy system with a 1 MW BESS, providing up to two hours of autonomy. In the event of a prolonged outage, a natural gas generator provides 250 kVa until normal production…
Up to €103 million ($107.2 million), from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Raiffeisen Bank International, will support the development of a 237.6 MW fully commercial solar project in southeastern Bulgaria. November 22, 2024 Patrick Jowett Image: Sapviktor, Pixabay A 237.6 MW solar power plant to be built in southeastern Bulgaria has secured a €103 million ($107.2 million) financing package The financing consists of €50 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a parallel financing facility of €53 million from Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International. The investment has gone to Tenevo Solar Technologies EAD, a…
Solar Energy UK suggests NESO’s forecasts are based on outdated figures. Image: Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash The UK Solar Trade Organization has released analysis suggesting that increasing the UK’s solar generation capacity to 60 GW by 2030 could significantly reduce electricity costs. Solar Energy UK points to research carried out by the Durham University Energy Institute and says that if 60 GW of solar capacity is installed by the year 2030, energy costs will be 12% lower than if Britain reached 47.4 GW of solar capacity as laid down in the Clean Power Plan of the National Energy System Operator…
A non-flammable battery for a safer, carbon-free future Lithium-ion batteries are the workhorses of home electronics and are driving an electric revolution in the transportation sector. But they are not suitable for every application. A major drawback is their flammability and toxicity, making large-scale lithium-ion energy storage a poor fit in densely populated city centers and near metal processing or chemical plants. Now Alsym Energy has developed a non-flammable, non-toxic alternative to lithium-ion batteries to help renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power bridge the gap in a wider range of sectors. The company’s electrodes use relatively stable,…
An international research team has developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell with a hole transport layer based on methyl-substituted carbazole and textured silicon bottom heterojunction cells of submicron size. The proposed cell configuration uses commercially available silicon wafers from Czochralski and promises an efficiency of more than 30%. November 22, 2024 Emiliano Bellini An international research team has developed a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell that uses a bottom cell based on a heterojunction (HJT) design and ienhanced hole transport layers (HTLs). “The novelty of our approach lies in several innovative techniques and results for advancing perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells,” said…
Chinese manufacturer JA Solar has agreed to build a 2 GW solar cell and module factory in Egypt with support from UAE-based Global South Utilities. November 22, 2024 Vincent Shaw The Egyptian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UAE-based Global South Utilities and China’s JA Solar to set up two solar energy production facilities in unspecified locations. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the signing ceremony. JA Solar will oversee the construction of a 2 GW solar cell factory and a 2 GW PV module factory in collaboration with local Egyptian entities. The solar cell factory will…
The U.S. Department of Energy has unveiled plans to spend up to $1.2 billion for a hydrogen hub in Texas and the Gulf Coast and up to $1 billion for a similar project in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan. November 22, 2024 Sergio Matalucci The US Department of Energy (DoE) announced up to $2.2 billion for two regional clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs): the HyVelocity Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub in Texas and the Gulf Coast, and the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen Hub (MachH2) in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa , and Michigan. It said it will allocate up to $1.2 billion to…
Company co-founder Peter Carlsson is stepping down from his position as CEO at Northvolt in the wake of the Chapter 11 announcement in the United States. The Swedish battery manufacturer has begun a debt restructuring process and is looking for new sources of financing. November 22, 2024 Matthew Lynas By ESS news Peter Carlsson has resigned as CEO of Swedish battery maker Northvolt, a day after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. Carlsson has led the company since he co-founded it in 2016. Northvolt announced on November 21, 2024 that it had voluntarily filed…