Author: solarenergy

Peak energy, a US-based company developing massive-scale energy storage technology for the electric grid, will use its $55 million Series A funding round to launch full production of its sodium-ion battery technology. Xora Innovation led the funding round with participation from BlackoutTDK Ventures, Lachy Groom, Tishman Speyer, TechEnergy Ventures, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures and DETV-Scania Invest. “As energy demand grows, we must take advantage of the potential of renewable energy sources to deliver reliable, low-cost energy, fueling a new era of technological advancement,” said Landon Mossburg, co-founder and CEO of Peak Energy. “Utility-scale storage, powered by sodium ions, is the answer…

Ed Miliband (above) was previously leader of the Labor Party. Image: Parliament.uk/Ed Miliband. Ed Miliband has been elected the new Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero The Labor Party’s landslide victory in the general election. Miliband, who was leader of the Labor Party and the opposition between 2010 and 2015, will take over from outgoing Conservative MP Claire Coutinho. In the run-up to the elections Coutinho was highly critical of Labour’s energy planstaking to social media platform Miliband has advocated Labour’s energy policy and a net zero policy. He recently took to the stage at Innovation Zero in London…

Soft, stretchy Jelly batteries inspired by electric eel Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed innovative, stretchable ‘jelly batteries’ with potential applications in wearable devices, soft robotics and even brain implants for drug delivery and treatment of epilepsy. Inspired by electric eels, which use modified muscle cells known as electrocytes to generate electric shocks, the Cambridge team created these batteries with a similar layered structure. This design allows them to effectively deliver an electrical current. The new jelly batteries can stretch more than ten times their original length without loss of conductivity, marking the first successful combination of such…

Falling battery costs, changing regulations and interest in energy independence are driving an increased number of battery connections at residential solar projects in California. July 19, 2024 Ryan KennedyBy pv magazine USAThe U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its monthly electric industry report that battery use is increasing among solar customers in California.As of October 2023, approximately 20% of California solar buyers chose to include a battery energy storage system in their installation. In April 2024, that number increased to more than 50%.The change to battery-powered systems is largely due to the transition to Net Energy Metering 3.0, a regulatory…

Chinese energy storage system manufacturer Hithium will invest $100 million in a 483,874 ft2 factory in Mesquite, Texas, to assemble batteries. The site should support an annual capacity of 10 GWh and 141 manufacturing jobs. “The new facility will accelerate Hithium’s development and production of energy storage system products for the U.S. market while stimulating economic growth and development of the Mesquite area,” said Jeff Wu, chairman of Hithium. “We are excited to work with local partners to ensure our plans are aligned Mesquites vision of growth anchored in a rejuvenated manufacturing economy with diverse employment opportunities and community value.”…

Abu Dhabi-based Masdar has raised $1 billion through a new bond issue. It says the investment will fund equity commitments for new greenfield projects, several of which are in developing economies. July 19, 2024 Patrick Jowett Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. (Masdar) has raised $1 billion through its second green bond issuance.The transaction, executed under Masdar’s Green Finance Framework, includes dual tranches of $500 million each. The bonds have a term of five and ten years and have coupons of 4.875% and 5.25% respectively.Masdar said there was “strong interest from regional and international investors” with the order book peaking at…

Austrian inverter manufacturer Fronius has cut another 650 jobs due to high inverter inventories and the lack of an expected recovery. July 18, 2024 Sandra EnkhardtBy pv magazine GermanyThe solar energy sector achieved record growth in 2023, with an additional 2.6 GW in Austria, 56 GW in Europe and almost 450 GW worldwide. Many companies, including Austrian inverter and storage system manufacturer Fronius, responded by increasing capacity and hiring new workers.However, in recent months there has been no exponential growth in demand, and at the end of last year Fronius started to doubt its positive market assessment due to order…

Researchers use recycled silicon anodes to improve the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have fabricated low-cost micro-sized silicon anodes from recycled photovoltaic waste, thanks to an innovative electrolyte design. Their landmark research, published in Nature Sustainability on July 16, paves the way for more sustainable, cost-effective, high energy density batteries, potentially revolutionizing energy storage systems for electric vehicles and the use of renewable energy. Silicon anodes are known to significantly increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries compared to traditional graphite anodes, but face…

The company’s stock price fell below $1 as it announced it was ceasing some operations and ending its lease and power purchase agreement offerings, among other things. July 19, 2024 Ryan Kennedy A residential solar installationImage: Solar powerBy pv magazine USAResidential solar company SunPower (Nasdaq: SPWR) suffered a 70% drop in its stock prices this week and was down nearly 50% on Friday, July 19.Reuters reported that SunPower has communicated to its employees that it will pause several core operations. The company announced that it will deactivate its leasing and power purchase agreement offerings and stop supplying new products.SunPower said…

In a new weekly update for pv magazineOPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides a brief overview of the major price trends in the global PV industry. July 19, 2024 OPISPrices on the module market were rated stable to soft for the second week in a row. The Chinese Module Marker (CMM), the OPIS benchmark rating for TOPCon modules from China, was assessed at $0.096/W, down from $0.002/W due to the discussions heard, while prices for Mono PERC modules remained stable were assessed at $0.090/W versus the previous week.The TOPCon market was quite ‘chaotic’ during the week through Tuesday, with prices…