Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries has bought a majority stake in technology group HyET. Its “Powerfoil” solar technology is described as extremely lightweight (5% of the weight of traditional glass panels), and with a significantly lower levelized cost of energy. HyET is also invested in hydrogen electrolyser technology. “The electrically … [continued]
The US Department of Energy to US legislators: Damn the potholes, full speed ahead to 40% solar energy by 2035.
By Josh Rasmussen The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has more than 550 unique, active partners. One such partner is First Solar Inc. — a relationship that dates back to the early ‘90s. NREL and First Solar, then called Solar Cells Inc., have been collaboratively breaking ground on thin film … [continued]
Article courtesy of NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy. This year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded 16 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) awards through its Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF). The $5 million funded by DOE — roughly a third of the available TCF budget allocated to the DOE Office … [continued]
Curiosity and Keen Observation Provide Insights for Next Generation of Thin-Film Solar Cells
Continuing a decades-long trend, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has put a few million dollars into further research and development of solar power technologies — $130 million, to be precise.
Texas-based Vistra (NYSE: VST), an integrated retail electricity and power generation company, plans to build 6 utility-scale solar power plants across Texas. It will buy the solar modules for these power plants from Arizona-based First Solar.
A French company has embedded its thin-film solar panels into a car cover. It says the device can add 15 kilometers of range if the car is parked in the sun for 8 hours.
New solar energy innovations are being unveiled at Intersolar 2020 in San Diego this week, including the California launch of a concrete solar shingle, a unique under-the-panel battery storage configuration, and a single-axis tracker that can accommodate a 10% grade on undulating sites. And one forward-looking company is now buying up broken solar panels in expectation of mining the components for recycling.
Machine learning is helping researchers find the highest probability combinations for more efficient and cheaper solar technology, something which will benefit everyone in the world.
