Our “What Changed … ?” feature tries to cut through the “noise” (that is, review articles, op-eds, superfluous analyses, announcements about the not-so-near future, fun anecdotes, etc.) in order to highlight significant news in the EV industry, solar energy industry, and energy storage industry each month. Here’s an update on what was actually new in the electric vehicle world in April.
With batteries like the Hornsdale Power Reserve, power from solar and wind power will be more valuable, because with battery backup their power can be used to supply an increasing share of baseload power. And that increase in value, which might not necessarily be reflected by an increase in price, makes their power all the more attractive.
Centrica and LO3 have collaborated to put together a local energy market trial in Cornwall, England. Blockchain technology will be used to create a peer-to-peer energy trading platform. Solar power and energy storage will also be integrated into the local energy trading system.
Nissan and Sumitomo have entered into a joint venture to make remanufactured batteries for the Nissan LEAF in Namie, near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
When it comes to electric vehicles, it’s all about the batteries. The appearance of powerful, low-cost batteries was the technological advance that made modern EVs possible. Tesla’s battery technology is one of the major reasons it has been able to leapfrog the legacy automakers. And it’s batteries that hold the key to the future of electrification: the quest to deliver EVs that can truly replace fossil fuel vehicles centers on improving battery technology.
Missed the past week? Don’t want to scroll through 100 or so stories to pick out the ones that you think will be interesting? Below are the 20 CleanTechnica stories from the past week that got the most reader love, plus a couple more. (Fair warning: Approximately half of them relate to Tesla.)
China is the hottest kid on the block when it comes to cleantech. As such, we try to keep an exceptionally close eye on what’s going on there and share regular reports of the most significant news of the past month or quarter.
Panasonic confirmed in recent days that it has not locked in a deal yet with Tesla for its Chinese Gigafactory. Several Panasonic executives commented on the matter, noting that plans are “not solidified yet” and that “nothing is set in stone.” It’s unclear if that’s glass-half-full or glass-half-empty commentary, but the next line leads one to think it’s in the plans.
The idea behind power-to-gas has been around for a while. It uses electric power to produce gaseous fuel, usually hydrogen. The advantages are that it can be used to take up excess electric energy from renewable generation in a chemical form. Later, the fuel can be used as needed.
Hyundai has stopped taking orders for the 2018 Ioniq Electric due to a global battery shortage. Should we be worried?
