News

IBM Research has discovered a new battery design that doesn’t use heavy metals and may outperform lithium-ion batteries. To expand the promise of these batteries from the lab into reality, IBM Research has signed joint development agreements with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, battery electrolyte supplier Central Glass, and battery manufacturer Sidus.

Solar Frontier Americas has closed on the tax equity commitment and debt financing for its 210-MW Mustang Two solar project in Kings County, California.

Highview Power Storage and renewable energy developer Encore Renewable Energy jointly announced plans to develop the United States’ first long duration, liquid air energy storage system. This facility will be a minimum of 50 MW, provide in excess of eight hours of storage (400 MWh) and will be located in northern Vermont.

PEARL, which will be designed and built by engineering, architecture and construction firm Burns & McDonnell, is a state-of-the-art renewable energy microgrid developed in coordination with the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT), the Air Force Research Laboratory, National Guard Bureau, Hawaii Air National Guard and the Naval Facilities Command.

Researchers from the two prestigious U.K. universities are analyzing spatiotemporal charge-carrier dynamics in the perovskite materials used for solar applications. They have discovered the carriers propagate ballistically over 150nm within 20fs of photon absorption.

With its app already present in Belgium and the Netherlands, start-up Jedlix is introducing smart charging in France. The solution enables Tesla drivers to optimize their charging strategy.

The government of the Caribbean island is planning two solar parks with large scale storage with the help of the Inter-American Development Bank and the United States Agency for International Development. Inter-American is seeking technical help with tendering the projects.

Comet-ME has developed a solar-powered submersible borehole piston pump for off-grid communities and smallholders to use for irrigation and domestic purposes. The device, compatible with PV systems from 300-900 W in size, can pump water from 45m with as little as 50 W of continuous solar power.

Spain’s renewable credentials have attracted the eye of an Italian infrastructure investor. Already, the Italian has acquired a PV Developer and the merchant projects it was working on.

Skoda India has announced the installation of its 8.5 MW rooftop solar plant at the company’s Chakan facility near Pune.

The State of Massachusetts has awarded Envision Solar a statewide contract for the deployment of EV ARC transportable solar-powered EV charging solutions

Lockheed Martin reports it has signed a teaming agreement with TC Energy in which the two companies will identify and develop large-scale, long-duration energy storage projects using GridStar Flow, Lockheed Martin's innovative flow battery technology.

PV equipment supplier Meyer Burger will shutter its Hennecke-branded manufacturing facility in Zülpich, Germany, affecting some 60 employees.

Shell now has a firm grip on the Austria’s energy market after it bought 49% stake of the utility-scale PV developer ESCO Pacific. A few weeks ago, the oil mogul acquired ERM Power for AU 617 million (US$425 million).

UK battery storage firm Zenobe has secured £25 million in funding from Santander as it looks to continue its growth.