Gravity storage system based on linear electric machines
South African scientists have designed a novel gravity energy storage system that uses linear electric motors to vertically move multiple solid masses to store and discharge electrical energy. They say its levelized cost of storage (LCOS) is $137.20/MWh, but with efficiency improvements, it could drop to about $100/MWh
JA Solar plans to build 2 GW solar module factory in US
JA Solar’s new manufacturing facility is expected to start commercial operations in the fourth quarter of this year.
Q Cells announces $2.5 billion investment in US solar supply chain
Q Cells plans to manufacture 3.3 GW of solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished modules in a new facility in the US state of Georgia.
Romania to expedite permitting process for solar on agricultural land
The Romanian president has passed a new law to shorten the permitting process for solar projects built on less than 50 hectares of agricultural land.
Video: Market outlook for vertical rooftop solar
Norway’s Over Easy Solar AS introduced a new vertical PV system for rooftop applications last year. pv magazine spoke to CEO Trygve Mongstad about system prices and future market prospects for vertical rooftop solar tech.
Startup unveils lithium iron phosphate battery for residential applications
MyGrid’s new 1.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery system purportedly runs for more than 6,000 cycles. It uses a bidirectional charger to receive and send electricity to the grid via a wall socket.
Slovenia launches rebate scheme for rooftop PV tied to storage, heat pumps
Slovenia’s new rebate program for rooftop solar has a budget of €10 million ($10.7 million).
Video: ISC Konstanz director predicts 50% global market share for IBC solar panels by 2030
Radovan Kopecek, the co-founder and director of Germany’s ISC Konstanz, says interdigitated back contact (IBC) tech could account for half of the global market for solar modules by 2030. He says IBC will start to dominate once TopCON and HJT get stuck at certain efficiency limits, and he believes TOPCon will be the first victim.
JinkoSolar unveils new TOPCon solar products with record efficiency ratings
Chinese module maker JinkoSolar has released three new TOPCon solar panel variants, ranging in power from 445 W to 635 W. The most efficient modules have a rating of 23.23%. The bifacial factor is up to 85% across the three panel types, with a temperature coefficient of -0.29% C.
Schneider Electric releases residential solution with battery, inverter, EV charger
Schneider Electric’s new Schneider Home platform includes a smartphone app to monitor and allocate energy resources.
