USA

The latest study published by the International Renewable Energy Agency says the average solar electricity cost of $0.085/kWh produced by projects commissioned last year is set to fall to $0.048 next year, and $0.02-0.08 by 2030.

United States-based solar energy corporation SunPower is spinning off the majority of its manufacture into a separate company, Maxeon Solar. The latter is going to include Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor, the Chinese silicon wafer supplier, as an investor.

The American subsidiary of Hanergy Holding has set up a new efficiency record for large-scale thin-film PV module. The recorded figure is 18.64 per cent on a unit with a 1.08 sq m opening. The achievement has been registered by German Fraunhofer ISE.

A U.S. research group has developed a metal-carbon-nanotube composite – MetZilla – which can be embedded in commercial, screen-printable silver pastes and is said to reduce the formation of hotspots in solar modules and to prolong panel lifespan. The composite metal contacts are also ‘self-healing’ as they are able to regain electrical continuity after cycles of complete electrical failure caused by extreme strain.

Last Wednesday, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk stated concluding a 30-year-long purchase agreement to supply solar power generated at the 195MW Broken Spoke solar station to Georgia Power.

Next year, NASA is planning to forward a Ben-Gurion-created photovoltaic prototype to International Space Station, which is supposed to become a huge move toward nongovernmental individual space operations, as was stated in Tazpit Press Service.

McDonald’s signed two purchase agreements for 380 megawatts of renewable energy total capacity. The fast-food company is going to buy power produced by Aviator Wind as well as a large-scale solar project. Both facilities are located in Texas.

LA is rushing to renewable energy. The city has just approved a contract with a 25 year term to get powered by a solar plant in Kern County. The project is being implemented in the framework of the Global Green New Deal.

U.S. Argonne National Laboratory researchers have tested a group of electrolytes which are supposed to maximize the Li-S batts performance. The team has established a selection approach to help choosing the best electrolyte for a certain battery cell.

EDP Renewables, a Spain-based energy company, via the subsidiary in North America along with Shell Energy signed an agreement, with a term of fifteen years, for a 200-megawatt power system – Sandrini Solar Park.

Walmart has stopped a court accusation it started against Tesla in August, when it associated a string of store fires to the Musk’s alleged carelessness with solar installs.

ENGIE is launching a 225-megawatt solar project in cooperation with Long Draw Solar. The Texas-headquartered energy company is going to serve four cities in the state of Texas as well as their energy providers through the Power Purchase Agreement signed for the above solar project.

Five different types of solar cells fabricated by research teams at the Georgia Institute of Technology have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to be tested for their power conversion rate and ability to operate in the harsh space environment as part of the MISSE-12 mission. One type of cell, made of low-cost organic materials, has not been extensively tested in space before.

The Space Solar project will supply electricity to distant military posts, with no necessity to endanger convoys.

Prism Solar Technologies, Inc., an American PV manufacturer, has got a new supply order from the huge financial holding JPMorgan Chase Bank for photovoltaic panels for JP’s financial institutions throughout the United States.