Author: solarenergy

Mercedes opens recycling plant for electric car batteries Mercedes-Benz inaugurated an electric vehicle battery recycling plant in Germany on Monday, with the luxury carmaker’s boss hailing an “important milestone” in boosting the sector’s sustainability. The plant, in the southwestern city of Kuppenheim, will have an annual capacity to recycle 2,500 tons of material, which will contribute to the production of around 50,000 batteries for the group’s electric models. The plant “marks an important milestone towards improving the sustainability of raw materials,” said Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended the opening of the factory, said recycling is “the…

Trina Solar has filed a lawsuit in a US court against Canadian Solar, alleging patent infringement of an unspecified tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology. October 22, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Chinese module maker Trina Solar has filed a patent infringement complaint in US District Court for the District of Delaware lawsuit against three unspecified units from rival Canadian Solar. Canadian Solar has revealed that the patent litigation concerns two unspecified U.S. patents held by Trina related to the TOPCon solar panel technology. “Canadian Solar respects and takes its own and third party intellectual property rights very seriously,” said…

Dutch grid operators TenneT, Enexis, Liander and Stedin say expanded use of ‘capacity restriction contracts’ among renewable energy operators could free up around 880 MW of additional grid capacity. The contracts are provided by congestion service providers (CSPs), who act as intermediaries in the Netherlands. October 22, 2024 Emiliano Bellini Image: Vysotsky, Wikimedia Commons The Dutch grid operators TenneT, Enexis, Liander and Stedin released reports this week on the available grid capacity, in response to new requirements from the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). “The results of the congestion studies at the regional grid operators provide virtually no…

The proposed developments will combine solar energy and BESS. Image: Starlight energy Starlight Energy has applied for early planning permission for two proposed solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) developments in Leicestershire, England. The developer, an offshoot of NextEnergy Group, has submitted a screening advice request to Harborough District Council in relation to two development sites in the Harborough and Saddington areas. The proposal suggests that, if approved, ground-mounted solar panels with a combined capacity of approximately 20 MW would be installed at the two sites, in addition to the co-located BESS with an additional 20 MW capacity. The…

In addition to qualifying for various credits established in the Inflation Reduction Act, silicon ingot and wafer manufacturing activities for the solar energy sector can benefit from the 48D Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (CHIPS ITC), created in the CHIPS and Science Act. Last lines for the CHIPS ITC were released today by the Ministry of Finance, and while the law is intended to support the general semiconductor market, it does mention solar wafer production. Waffles come off the line in the former SolarWorld production facility. Archive photo of the Oregon Department of Transportation The guidelines provide taxpayers with clarity on…

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says solar installations reached 160 GW between January and September 2024, while cumulative capacity reached 770 GW in August. October 22, 2024 Vincent Shaw The Chinese NEA said the country added 20.89 GW of new solar capacity in September, up 27% month-on-month. From January to September, the newly installed PV capacity was approximately 160 GW. At the end of September, China’s total installed electricity generation capacity was 3.16 TW, up 14.1% year-on-year. Solar power capacity rose to 770 GW, up 48.3%, while wind power reached 480 GW, up 19.8%. Chinese energy companies invested CNY398.2 billion…

Repsol told the story pv magazine that it has frozen 90% of Spanish hydrogen projects as it nears final investment decisions, while Statkraft has confirmed it has revised its plans for its hydrogen project in Norway. October 22, 2024 Sergio Matalucci Repsol has suspended three green hydrogen projects in Spain. It has frozen more than €200 million ($216.3 million) in investments for a 150 MW facility in Tarragona, a 100 MW site in Bilbao and a 100 MW project in Cartagena. “All our planned investments in renewable hydrogen in Spain have been frozen due to an unfavorable regulatory environment, in…

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (Fraunhofer IMWS) has developed a methodology to improve inverter lifetime predictions, helping manufacturers reduce material use and testing efforts while lowering production costs without compromising device life to bring. October 22, 2024 Ralph Diermann By pv magazine Germany Inverters for PV systems, battery storage and electromobility must be able to withstand harsh environmental factors such as weather, dirt, high voltages and long operating times. Despite these challenges, high-quality inverters typically last 20 to 25 years. However, the specific construction methods, materials and designs that guarantee this lifespan remain unclear, especially for…

Credit: Alliant Energy A review by the SUN DAY campaign of data recently released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shows that the mix of renewable energy sources (i.e. biomass, geothermal, hydro, solar, wind) was responsible for more than 90% of the total US electricity generation capacity added in the first two-thirds of 2024. August marked the twelfth month in a row in which solar was the largest source of new capacity, supplying nearly 100% of all new capacity. Renewables made up 99.8% of new generation capacity in August and 90.1% in the first two-thirds of 2024 In his…

On October 8, Trina Solar filed a patent infringement complaint against Canadian Solar in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, alleging that Canadian Solar infringed two of Trina’s patents relating to TOPCon technology used in solar panel manufacturing . The two patents cited (Nos. 9,722,104 and 10,230,009) are the same ones that Trina claims Runergy is also infringing. Canadian Solar TOPCon module Canadian Solar has now responded to the patent infringement complaint and pledges to continue supplying its solar products to the United States and worldwide. “Canadian Solar respects and takes its own intellectual property rights and…