Power-to-heat-to-power storage for rooftop PV
Scientists in Spain have assessed the viability of ‘power-to-heat-to-power storage’ in a residential solar installation in Madrid. The technology could reduce electricity bills by more than 70% and would have a 12 to 15-year payback period, according to the researchers.
Storing solar and wind energy with compressed air
Researchers have studied the potential of using compressed air to store renewable energy in offshore saline aquifers. The technology could hold 77-96 TWh for up to two months in British waters, although the costs have proven hard to pin down.
A redox flow battery for MW-sized solar-plus-storage
Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of newly-merged British-Canadian vanadium redox flow battery business Invinity Energy Systems has spoken to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit it is marketing for grid scale solar-plus-storage projects and why it may be a better bet than lithium-ion.
France makes 44 GW solar target official
Today’s edition of the Official Journal of the French Republic featured two long-awaited decrees: One concerning the multi-year energy program and another on national carbon budgets and the state’s low-carbon strategy.
A closer look at clouds to optimize energy forecasts
A group of scientists in the United States has developed a weather forecasting model designed to better predict the solar irradiation that a given area will receive. The model uses satellite data to estimate the light transmission properties of clouds, a metric often overlooked in standard weather forecasting, but nonetheless vital in modeling PV energy yield.
Europe can be 60% powered by solar before 2050
Perhaps it is not surprising a report co-produced by Europe’s solar industry places PV at the heart of a zero-carbon, mid-century energy system on the continent. However, the study does flesh out two out of three scenarios in which becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, or even 2040, could be possible.
Software for virtual power plants powered by residential solar-plus-storage
With its sonnenVPP, German battery company Sonnen wants to improve the efficiency of virtual power plants which it says can offer primary balancing energy from houses with solar and storage and can operate up to 90% more cost-effectively.
Power Ledger to give French customers their choice of energy
The Australian peer-to-peer energy trading pioneer has revealed the world’s biggest “choose your own energy source” project in France.
Solar emerging as best bet for West Africa’s future energy mix
The Economic Community of West African States should prioritize the development of solar PV to meet surging energy demand over the next 30 years, according to a newly published study.
Green hydrogen can power green Alpine tourism
An Austrian consortium has developed a hydrogen generation, storage and fueling station along with fuel cell-propelled snowmobiles. The team was so certain of the readiness of the solution they launched it during an FIS World Cup skiing event.
