California farmers developing 20 GW solar-plus-storage plan
The Golden State recently signed AB 2661, granting the Westland Water District authority to develop transmission lines that will enable solar energy and storage projects on 130,000 acres of drainage-impaired farmland.
Grid defection is profitable in some solar-rich U.S. locations
Researchers from Canada’s Western University assessed eighteen case studies across thirteen US states and found in areas an economic case for disconnecting from the electricity grid in some areas with high solar irradiation and high electricity rates. They say economic grid defection and utility death spirals are becoming salient issues in the US.
Tornado rips through solar farm in Florida
Duke Energy’s Lake Placid Solar Power Plant experienced an EF-2 tornado during Hurricane Milton, shredding a swath of solar modules while leaving most of the facility intact.
The Hydrogen Stream: Innio starts hydrogen-fueled CHP plant in Austria
Innio Group has started operating a combined heat and power (CHP) plant for heating purposes in Austria, while PureWave Hydrogen has told pv magazine that it is exploring geological hydrogen in Kansas using proprietary software and an AI system.
New process to synthesize cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries
U.S. startup Sylvatex offers mixed metal oxide cathode active materials made with a waterless, continuous synthesis process. The company is currently validating its technology in the domestic lithium ion battery supply chain and plans to build a pilot line in California.
California crosses 10 GW utility-battery storage threshold
CAISO set a new peak battery discharge record of 8.3 GW on October 9, as the state’s future EIA energy storage queue holds 177 GW of capacity, with 1.9 GW expected added through the end of the year.
Big US utilities plan to replace only half their fossil generation by 2035
The Sierra Club, an environmental group with a focus on reducing fossil fuel pollution, has graded 75 American utilities on their resource plans through 2035. The average grade was a “D.”
The Hydrogen Stream: Harvard researchers say H2 costs underestimated
Harvard University researchers say hydrogen costs are underestimated due to unaccounted storage and distribution variability across sectors, while Kore Infrastructure has told pv magazine that it aims to reach a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of between $1/kg and $2/kg.
Researchers capture first-ever images of electric charges across semiconductor materials within a solar cell
A team from the University of California Santa Barbara used ultrafast electron microscopy to record photocarriers as they diffuse across a silicon and germanium heterojunction. It is the first time the movement, which lasts picoseconds, has been captured as a moving visual.
Form Energy raises $405 million for its multi-day iron-air batteries
The US-based long duration energy storage startup has raised more than $1.2 billion to date, making it one of the top-funded players in the space.
