Eric Wesoff
Panasonic, Span team up for home battery backup and energy management
Span’s ambition is to “transform the electrical panel into an intelligent gateway” and expand the adoption of solar and electric vehicles, as well as storage systems like Panasonic’s residential battery.
Hawaiian utility allocates 460 MW of PV and 3 GWh of storage in renewable energy procurement
Winners of the island state’s largest ever renewable energy procurement include AES, Hanwha, Engie, EDF, Longroad.
US renewable energy surpasses coal for the first time in more than a century
The coal era could be said to be officially over in the United States.
Solar arrays on wave energy generators, along with wind turbines
German startup Sinn Power has combined wave, wind and solar power to create what it claims is the world’s “first floating ocean hybrid platform.”
Investors bet $27.5 million that Nanotech Energy’s graphene battery breakthrough is the real thing
The startup claims to be “the world’s top supplier of graphene” and plans to release a non-flammable, environmentally friendly lithium battery that can charge “18 times faster than anything that is currently available on the market” — within the next year.
SunPower sells off its O&M business, gets regulatory approval for Maxeon spinoff
SunPower has had to make fundamental changes to continue to be relevant in a solar industry very different from that of its roots. The company aims to become an energy service provider and is leaving low-cost manufacturing to its Chinese partner.
Form Energy claims aqueous air battery provides 150 hours of storage
The holy grail of energy storage has always been low-cost and long-duration. Form Energy intends on deploying a 1 MW/150 MWh system with a Minnesota utility before 2023, an unprecedented energy storage duration if successful.
Strong Q1 for First Solar, Enphase, Sunrun
U.S. residential solar installer Sunrun reported strong solar deployments and revenue to start 2020, even with orders decreasing by as much as 40% for periods in March. Micro-inverter manufacturer Enphase’s first-quarter revenues exceeded expectations as the company set an all-time gross margin record and announced plans for a new manufacturing location.
SunPower accesses $1bn in residential solar and storage loan capital from credit union
The cash injection from Tech CU will fund the installation of ‘tens of thousands’ of the Californian manufacturer’s solar panels on residential rooftops over four years, according to the company.
US fossil fuel developer goes solar with 350 MW project
The economics of a solar project in Texas are so compelling coal and gas developer J-Power wants a piece of the action.
