USA

A vision of a decentralized, renewable-powered electricity grid is being brought a step closer by scientists at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Their project, Autonomous Energy Grids, aims to take an overarching look at the solutions that will power this grid of the future, and to fill any gaps that appear between them.

The Chinese PV group recorded a loss attributable to owners of the company of roughly $141.1 million, as its solar materials division posted a loss of approximately $185.5 million.

Global retail brand Gap moved one step closer to its goal of fully renewably-powered operations by 2030 after signing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Enel Green Power North America. It has purchased 90MW of energy from the renewables giant's North Dakota wind project for a period of 12 years.

Newish European-based panel manufacturer FreeVolt has entered into a partnership with California-headquartered energy management company Apparent. FreeVolt’s U.S. installation division FreeVolt USA will team with Apparent to provide solar-plus-storage systems to California homeowners and C&I customers.

Ralphs, a subsidiary of The Kroger Company, announced the installation of a 2-MWac PV solar array at its automated distribution center in Paramount, California, a 555,000-sq-ft building that provides products to 190 Ralphs stores and 95 Food 4 Less stores throughout Southern California.

Design-build company NORESCO has broken ground for a 1.5-MW solar carport at Keesler Air Force Base (AFB) in Mississippi, part of a $32.7 million guaranteed energy savings performance contract (ESPC).

Scientists at the Australia National University have observed a key stage in the process of photosynthesis which could be copied to greatly increase the efficiency of sunlight-powered water splitting processes used to produce hydrogen.

Researchers in the US have published a study that brings 20 years of renewable energy (solar PV and/or wind plus storage) generation into line with historical energy-demand profiles, to ascertain at what storage cost point renewables can cost-effectively consistently meet 100% demand.

A U.S. research team has found the most efficient locations for agrivoltaics include western America, southern Africa and the Middle East. The researchers found crop land, grasslands and wetlands were the best environments for PV projects linked to agriculture. Conditions suitable for crops are ideal for improving solar module efficiency.

A dispute holding up a solar project backlog of nearly 600MW in Michigan is now one step closer to resolution, under a truce brokered with the help of industry representatives.

Quick Mount PV, an American manufacturer of solar roof mounting and racking systems, is launching the new QRail Tilt System. Quick Mount PV’s QRail Tilt System allows installation of the QRail Racking System on a variety of low slope commercial and residential roof types — the most common type of commercial roof type in the United States.

Fronius is bringing its new hybrid Primo GEN24 inverter to Salt Lake City for Solar Power International 2019. The new solution provides all the benefits of the SnapINverter and additional features, such as being incredibly compact, easily scalable, quick to commission via an app, and easily serviceable. This new all-in-one hybrid inverter combines the functions of multiple devices in one compact device: battery charger, battery inverter, controller and the intelligence to be the operating system of your home’s energy supply. However, the product won’t be available to the public until 2020.

Within the first day of accepting applications, California’s new Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program is nearly fully subscribed, having received more than 240 applications representing over 74 MW of solar power generating capacity and $163 million in reserved funding.

PV Hardware has introduced its new dual-row solar tracker, Axone Duo, which combines features of its Axone and Monoline mounting products. This confluence results in a tracker with a better balance of controllers and motors between the two types of photovoltaic trackers, establishing a single row of up to 128 modules for each solar tracker.

San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE) and EDP Renewables SA (EDPR), through its fully owned subsidiary EDP Renewables North America, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for 100 megawatts of new solar energy and 10 MW of battery storage at the Sonrisa Solar Park in Fresno County, California. The project is anticipated to be operational in 2022.