First Solar Inc. has entered into an agreement to supply 2.4 GW DC of its high-performance, advanced thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules to Intersect Power LLC. The modules are scheduled to be delivered from 2024 to 2026, making Intersect Power, which previously placed orders for a total of 4.1 GW DC, in 2019 and 2021, one of the world’s largest buyers and operators of First Solar’s module technology with approximately 6.4 GW DC expected to be deployed by 2027.

The modules will be deployed in Intersect Power’s solar, storage and green hydrogen projects coming online across the United States in 2025 through 2027. A large proportion of the modules are expected to be produced in First Solar’s Northwest Ohio manufacturing complex.

“Intersect Power’s ongoing relationship with First Solar has been critical in rapidly scaling our business to meet our vision and reliably delivering our customers value and performance to support their decarbonization goals,” said Sheldon Kimber, chief executive officer, Intersect Power. “We look forward to bringing this large-scale portfolio to operation, and creating good-paying, American jobs in both construction and manufacturing with First Solar’s domestically-produced modules.”

Designed and developed at its research and development (R&D) centers in California and Ohio, First Solar’s responsibly produced advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design and environmental performance. The modules have a carbon footprint that is 2.5 times lower and a water footprint that is three times lower than the average crystalline silicon solar panel made with cells produced in China.

First Solar also operates an advanced high-value recycling program, which recovers approximately 90% of cadmium telluride (CadTel) semiconductor material, which can be used to manufacture new modules, as well as other materials including aluminum, glass and laminates. The company currently operates commercial recycling facilities in the U.S., Germany, Malaysia and Vietnam.

“Intersect Power sets an important example by maximizing the impact of its investments on the U.S. economy without compromising on competitiveness,” says Georges Antoun, chief commercial officer at First Solar. “By powering its growth with American solar, Intersect Power is directly supporting U.S. manufacturing and jobs and enabling a durable domestic supply chain. It is also demonstrating the ability of American solar technology not just to compete, but to help drive our country’s transition to a sustainable energy future.”

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One of Numbat’s first planned locations, in Feneberg. Image: Numbat.

The German battery storage-integrated EV charging space had a busy July, with startup Numbat raising €10m-plus in capital and Volkswagen and JOLT Energy opening charging parks.

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has accelerated dramatically in the last few years, an underestimation of which some have attributed as one of the main causes for the lithium supply chain bottlenecks blighting the energy storage sector.

Whilst clearly good news for the decarbonisation of the transport sector, the growth in EVs on the road places enormous additional demands on local grid infrastructure to accommodate new charging points. A lack thereof is one of the most common issues raised by consumers wanting to make the switch from ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.

Energy storage can play a huge role in solving these grid infrastructure bottlenecks by storing energy from the grid and providing the high-power output EVs need which the local grid cannot provide. Storage-integrated EV charge points can therefore be built anywhere with grid access, whereas standalone high-power EV chargers need access to higher-power grid connections.

Storage-integrated EV charging infrastructure is also quicker and cheaper to set up because of less exhaustive grid connection requirements, and avoids the possibility of peak demand charges from local grid operators.

Two years ago, research firm Guidehouse Insights estimated that stationary energy storage in support of electric vehicles (EVs) charging could reach a global installed capacity of 1,900MW by the end of 2029. The report, covered by Energy-Storage.news at the time, looked into residential, fleet, private, public and mobile charging.

Germany a hotbed of activity

Numbat, which was founded last year, has raised the new funds from eCAPITAL and seed investors including Christoph Ostermann, the founder and former CEO of residential storage group sonnen. It did not specify the amount but said it is in the ‘mid-double digit millions (of euros)’.

Numbat operates high-power chargers combined with battery energy storage reducing the requirements from local grid infrastructure during installation, which also increases the speed and simplicity of installation. The company is rolling out its first 50 locations in 2022 and plans 600 systems for 2023. It aims to be come the leading provider of fast charging infrastructure in Europe.

“With rising numbers of electric vehicles on the streets, we see a huge demand for high-power charging (HPC) infrastructure worldwide in many years to come. Numbat has developed an excellent concept to quickly roll-out HPCs at its customers locations with minimal cost by combining battery storage with high power charging,” says Bernd Arkenau, Managing Partner at eCAPITAL.

Earlier in July, automotive group Volkswagen commissioned a high-power EV charging park at its Zwickau, Saxony, vehicle plant, which is powered ‘largely’ by an energy storage unit with a capacity of 570kWh. All cell modules in the storage unit were taken from pre-production models of the company’s ID.3 and ID.4 compact EV.

Like Numbat, VW pointed out that the integration with a storage unit (power storage container in its vernacular) means it can be built in places with a low capacity grid connection. The high-power charging units, in this case 75-150kW, can therefore be built in those residential areas where previously only AC charging at a maximum of 11kW has been possible.

The charging park, made up of four stations each with a 150kW output that can be shared by two cars, is also powered by 100% renewable energy.

Volkswagen’s is the second high-profile announcement of a new battery storage-integrated EV charging park in the space of a week in Germany. An ‘ultra-fast, battery-buffered’ charging station has opened at an ESSO service station in Stuttgart, developed by JOLT Energy and ADS-TEC Energy.

JOLT Energy owns and operates ultra-fast charging solutions in urban areas while Nasdaq-listed ADS-TEC Energy develops battery storage solutions and EV charging systems. A press release did not provide details about the power rating of the charging station nor the size of the battery.

JOLT plans to rollout 5,000 EV charging stations using ADS-TEC’s solution in Europe and the USA by 2027. In the nearer term, it wants to install 120 at 60 ESSO locations in Germany in the next 6-8 months.

JOLT CEO Maurice Neligan and ADS-TEC CEO Thomas Speidel cut the ribbon at their Stuttgart charging facility for ESSO. Image: ADS-TEC.

Storage-integrated EV charging groups outside Germany and outside batteries

The undeniable value proposition of integrated EV charging with energy storage means the technology solution is gaining traction globally.

As Energy-Storage.news reported in April, US-based FreeWire Technologies raised US$125 million in new capital from BlackRock and others to support the commercial rollout and increase manufacturing capacity for its battery storage-integrated charging solution. Its Boost Charger is integrated with an embedded 160kWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS).

The combination isn’t strictly limited to charging using batteries either. Israel-based company ZOOZ Power’s (formerly Chacratec) Kinetic Power Booster uses a flywheel energy storage system which integrates with its charging station. It says the storage system has a 15-year and 200,000 charge cycle lifetime.

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Polar Racking is supplying PRU-ballasted, fixed-tilt racking and some structural engineering services for two large solar installations in Calgary, Alberta: Deerfoot Solar and Barlow Solar, 55 MW DC and 37 MW DC respectively. Construction is projected to start in 2022 and will be the largest solar installation in a major urban center in Canada.

The two projects will be using 175,000 bifacial solar panels mounted on Polar’s ballasted, fixed-ground mount, which was the optimal solution for these sites because of its robust design. The system’s unique features can accommodate heavier snow loads and wind conditions that are typical of the cooler climates of Alberta.

“We’re excited to have large utilities putting their trust in our services and racking products,” says Vishal Lala, managing partner at Polar Racking. “At Polar, we deliver the highest value to our clients. We are proud to be supplying our racking systems to these large-scale projects, on otherwise unusable land near urban landscape, adding to our rapidly growing pipeline in North America.”

The Deerfoot and Barlow installations will make up the largest urban solar project in Canada. In total, the projects will have a combined capacity of 92 MW DC or 64 MW AC. These installations are set to generate enough clean energy to power more than 18,000 homes and offset 68,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.

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A Borrego utility-scale solar farm in Milo, Maine

Borrego, a developer, EPC and O&M provider for large-scale solar and energy storage projects throughout the United States, has completed the spin off and sale of its development business to ECP. The new company will be named New Leaf Energy and will be operated as an independent business by ECP, an energy transition-focused investor. New Leaf Energy will be led by the current development leadership team as they continue to execute on their long-term business strategy in partnership with ECP.

Headquartered in Lowell, Mass., New Leaf Energy has a large pipeline of 450 projects, comprising more than 8.5 GW of solar, and 7 GW and 28 GWh of energy storage projects. The company will specialize in distributed generation (DG) and utility-scale solar and storage. New Leaf Energy will work on strengthening its considerable solar and energy storage DG presence in core markets such as New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Illinois. It will also continue pursuing targeted utility-scale solar and storage development in several of those markets as well as in additional states including California, Arizona and Colorado.

“We bring the expertise, experience, culture and development approach we honed at Borrego to New Leaf Energy and the ECP family of companies,” says Dan Berwick, CEO of New Leaf Energy. “Borrego made us the best renewable energy developer in the country, and we will always share a bond with our friends there. There will be no disruption to our business focus or for our customers, and stakeholders can continue to rely on our tremendous track record of industry leadership under the new flag. ECP is a supportive owner with tremendous experience in this space and we’re excited for their support as we continue to pursue our mission.”

“New Leaf Energy will be ECP’s 11th renewable platform and our fourth focused on the solar sector,” states Andrew Gilbert, partner at ECP. “New Leaf Energy will be a key part of ECP’s strategic growth in sustainable infrastructure development and decarbonization through electrification. We are looking forward to rolling up our sleeves alongside their exceptional team and providing the resources the company needs to continue their winning streak.”

“While we will miss our friends and colleagues as they turn over to New Leaf Energy, we are proud of the incredible work we did together at Borrego over the years,” mentions Mike Hall, CEO of Borrego. “Now that we’ve completed this transaction, we are focusing our resources on taking our engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and third-party operations and maintenance (O&M) businesses to the next level. We have positive momentum, with several large-scale utility projects under construction, hundreds of megawatts of O&M contracts recently signed, and the rollout of our Anza PV module and storage procurement marketplace underway.”

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as exclusive financial adviser to Borrego in connection with the transaction, and Covington Burling LLP provided legal counsel.

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An existing Gresham House Energy Storage Fund project. Image: Gresham House.

Another edition of our news in brief from the energy storage industry focusing on the bustling UK market.

Canadian Solar completes sale of first UK co-located solar and storage project

Canadian Solar has completed the sale of two fully-permitted solar and battery energy storage projects in the UK to energy storage and clean energy investor-developer Gresham House.

The sale involves a collocated project in Durham, northeast England, which includes 50MWp solar capacity and 38MW (76MWh) battery energy storage. The second project is a 28MWp standalone solar project in Warwickshire, in England’s Midlands region.

There are a number of economic advantages to collocated sites, the companies noted, including shared capital and operating costs, as well as benefits to the grid that help to ease renewable integration.

The Durham site is Canadian Solar’s first co-located solar PV and storage project in the UK, as well as the second co-located site acquired by Gresham House.

“Our decision to sell the two projects before construction is primarily aimed at obtaining immediate market recognition and it does not preclude Canadian Solar from building, alone or in partnerships, the next projects developed in the UK or in EMEA,” Canadian Solar CEO Dr Shawn Qu noted.

Both projects are entirely subsidy-free – in line with Canadian Solar’s wider pipeline of developments – and are fully permitted and construction-ready.

The company has 1.8GWp PV solar and 4.3GWh battery energy storage pipeline under development in the UK, having previously developed and interconnected 200MWp to the grid.

By Molly Lempriere

To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal where it was first published.

Brookfield Renewable partner Cambridge Power gets planning approval for 100MW BESS

UK-based developer, owner and builder of energy storage assets

Cambridge Power has secured planning permission for the construction of a 100MW battery energy storage system project (BESS).

The project will be located in Bramford, Suffolk in southern England and adds to the company’s growing portfolio. It follows another project secured earlier this year in Glasgow, Scotland, for a 29MW battery energy storage project.

Giles Hanglin, CEO of Cambridge Power, said: “We are delighted to secure planning permission for the BESS site in Bramford. Its location adjacent to the Bramford substation further adds to its credentials as an excellent storage site to assist with delivering the offshore wind and interconnectors on the east coast of Suffolk.”

Earlier this year Cambridge Power  signed a Framework Agreement with Brookfield Renewable to develop a new portfolio of solar and battery storage.

Under the agreement, both companies will develop 800MW of BESS and 185MW of co-located solar PV over the next five years.

By Jonathan Tourino Jacobo

This story first appeared on Solar Power Portal.

Napier Park Global Capital JV acquires rights to build UK solar, energy storage projects

Lynher Energy has acquired the rights to build two solar battery farms and two independent battery storage facilities at adjacent sites in the UK.

The joint venture between UK sustainable energy generation company Ethical Power and New York-headquartered alternative asset management group Napier Park Global Capital will develop an aggregated capacity of 96MW for the solar battery farms, while the standalone battery storage projects will have a capacity of 100MWh.

Chris Sparrow, principal at Napier Park, said: “This investment helps to close the gap between required energy generation and the investment necessary to achieve net zero carbon emissions aimed at successfully addressing the climate crisis.

“Napier Park and Ethical Power expect to invest further in these assets; and to fund additional important projects in the UK and in Europe.”

Earlier this year, the companies announced the joint venture, stating their goal to invest in large-scale solar and battery storage assets in the UK and Europe.

By Jonathan Tourino Jacobo

This story first appeared on Solar Power Portal.

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HPR, commissioned in 2017 in South Australia and expanded to its current capacity two years ago. Image: Neoen.

The landmark Hornsdale Power Reserve battery storage system in South Australia now has upgraded capabilities, enabling it to provide inertia to the grid.

France headquartered developer Neoen, which owns the project and worked with system provider Tesla to get it up and running in just 100 days back in 2018, said yesterday that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has approved it to deliver the vital system service.

As the amount of variable renewable energy from wind and solar on the grid increases, so too does the need for inertia to keep the network stable. Traditionally, the large rotating mass of thermal power generators such as coal has delivered this inertia as a sort of byproduct to their normal operation.

Today, advanced inverter technologies – known as grid-forming inverters – can do this instead.

In a February 2022 blog for this site, Blair Reynolds of inverter manufacturer SMA explained how it works, with grid-forming inverters providing a sort of “synthetic inertia” to mimic the way synchronous rotating generators like fossil fuel plants generate the AC grid waveform at a common frequency at which the grid operates reliably.  

With South Australia now at 64% renewable energy penetration on its grid, that need is fairly urgent. The technology has already been tested at scale in a 30MW/8MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) commissioned in a remote part of the state back in 2018.

Called Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI), Maxine Ghavi, head of grid edge solutions for the company behind that project, Hitachi ABB Power Grids (now called Hitachi Energy), told Energy-Storage.news in a 2020 interview that it was an application for storage that could serve as a lesson for the rest of the world in how to integrate renewables while maintaining system stability.

Neoen said Tesla’s Virtual Machine Mode (VMM) update has been successfully implemented at the 150MW/193.5MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve (HPR) plant, adding to the suite of applications the BESS performs. Other applications it already does include energy arbitrage and participation in the frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) market.

According to the developer, HPR can now provide 2,000MW of inertia, equivalent to a predicted 15% of the entire South Australian grid’s shortfall.

The upgrade has been supported financially by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which provided A$8 million and A$15 million over a five-year period from the South Australian government under existing renewables integration and energy storage programmes.

“The Hornsdale Power Reserve was revolutionary when we commissioned it back in 2017 and continues its pioneering role,” South Australia energy and mining minister Tom Koutsantonis said yesterday.

“It is leading the innovation of inverter-based technologies – paving the way for more, much needed large-scale storage projects both in Australia and beyond.”

As a milestone project for the development of clean energy in Australia, HPR had also received some financial support from the national Clean Energy Finance Council during its development stages.

AEMO wants to be able to support instantaneous renewable energy penetration levels in the National Electricity Market (NEM) that it oversees of up to 100% by 2025. AEMO chief executive Daniel Westerman said the grid-forming BESS “demonstrates what can be achieved to support Australia’s once-in-a-century energy transformation”.

It has been achieved after a two-year period of trials and collaboration between Neoen and Tesla, AEMO and South Australian grid operator ElectraNet.

HPR has been considered a great success, particularly in delivering frequency regulation services and helping maintain stability of the network and lowering costs of grid operation. However, a defective firmware upgrade in 2019 did cause it to be unable to provide system contingency services for a brief period. The project was slapped with a fine of A$900,000 last month by the Federal Court for what was considered a breach of National Electricity Rules.

Big step forward, but plenty more inertia-providing BESS to follow

While hailed as a major step forward, HPR’s upgrade will be followed by a combination of new battery assets that provide inertia through their advanced inverters, as well as retrofits of the grid-forming technology to some other existing BESS installations in Australia.

In October 2021, Energy-Storage.news reported that testing of grid-forming tech had begun at the existing 50MW/75MWh Wallgrove BESS in New South Wales. Wallgrove is also a Tesla system and was built by Lumea, a subsidiary of transmission operator Transgrid.

Tesla rival Fluence is commissioning a 50MW/50MWh BESS in Broken Hill, also in New South Wales, at which advanced inverters will support a weaker section of the electric grid, using Fluence’s similarly named Virtual Synchronous Machine (VSM) mode.

ARENA has supported all of the above projects so far.

In fact, ARENA is currently hosting a A$100 million funding opportunity for advanced inverter battery projects. The agency said at the beginning of this month that it received 54 proposals, from which it has shortlisted 12 projects totalling 3,050MW/7,000MWh, with a decision and announcement to be made before the end of this year.

A few days after announcing that high level of competitive interest in its programme, ARENA said it would support utility Edify Energy’s BESS project at Darlington Point in western New South Wales with A$6.6 million funding.

Edify is using Tesla Megapack BESS units to build three systems with a combined 150MW output and 300MWh capacity: of the three, one 25MW/50MWh BESS will be delivering inertia to the grid.

“Neoen’s Hornsdale Power Reserve is a pioneering project that aims to demonstrate the full technical capabilities of what batteries can achieve with advanced inverter technology installed. Improving the economics of energy storage is going to be key in our transition to high shares of renewable electricity,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said.

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Troy Lauterbach

NovaSource Power Services, a portfolio company of Clairvest Group Inc., is adding the next evolution of services to its product lifecycle packages for the North American market. NovaSource will provide a DC Availability Guarantee. The guarantee will align owner and operator incentives and fill a verification gap in PV systems maintenance.

“We were diligent in engaging with our customers to understand the service gaps in the market. As a result of those conversations, we crafted multiple service offerings to meet each customer’s unique needs – including the industry’s first DC Availability Guarantee,” says Michael Gantt, head of strategy and solutions for the company.

The new DC Availability Guarantee was developed based on existing and prospective customer feedback and guarantees 99% DC equipment uptime. NovaSource leveraged its proprietary DC monitoring system, SunStreams and the capabilities of its recently acquired subsidiary, Heliolytics, to develop this new product offering.

The DC Availability Guarantee will be offered as part of NovaSource’s new long-term service agreements (LTSA). For the utility power plant segment, the new offerings include four primary service levels: Maintain, Protect, Enhance and Assure. The new LTSA offerings cover the commercial and industrial segment as well and include the Engage, Advance and Assure offerings. These offerings cover a wide-range of engagement levels, with the Assure offering representing a strong full-wrap guarantee.

“NovaSource recognizes the opportunity for better commercial alignment with our partners during the operational phase of a solar project,” notes Troy Lauterbach, CEO of NovaSource Power Services. “Our new service tiers have been curated in collaboration with our partners and based on our experience operating over 20 GW of solar assets globally. We are confident these new offerings will provide our partners with additional flexibility, with the continued production assurance that owners need to meet their financial and carbon-reduction goals.”

Currently, NovaSource operates and maintains over 20 GW of solar power plants across 10 countries and is an operator of battery storage systems. The DC Availability Guarantee and LTSA offerings are now available in the North American market, and the European, South American and Australian markets can expect similar improvements to service agreement structures in 2023.

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The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has launched new initiatives to connect families to more reliable clean energy, lower electricity bills and create good-paying jobs in the domestic solar industry. DOE, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), has announced the five states and Washington, D.C. that will support the pilot of the Community Solar Subscription Platform to connect families to solar energy and lower electricity bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and other low-income assistance programs. DOE also announced $10 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to jump-start solar energy careers in underserved communities.

“Every American community, especially those that face disproportionately higher energy burdens, deserves the economic and health benefits that come with increased access to affordable clean energy,” says U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This is why DOE is working across the federal government to open up community solar that will rapidly lower electricity bills for households that need it most and create good paying jobs in every pocket of America.”  

HHS’s LIHEAP program keeps families safe by assisting eligible households with their heating and cooling energy costs, bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, weatherization, and energy-related home repairs. Transitioning to solar energy can help households across the country save money on their electricity bills, but many Americans have been unable to access these benefits. Community solar, which allows multiple customers to benefit from a shared solar energy system, provides a solution for individuals who cannot get rooftop solar panels. DOE’s community solar target is to power five million homes and provide 20% savings on a subscriber’s energy bills, up from 10% on average today.

“I’m proud to join the White House, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Department of Health and Human Services in support of the community solar subscription platform,” says Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “This innovative and exciting project helps lower electricity bills, save people money through expanded and streamlined access to affordable community solar subscriptions. This initiative will save Coloradans millions on electricity bills every year, reducing energy burdens across the state. That’s money better spent on groceries, on rent, or on taking the family out for fun. We are so thrilled to support this effort to save people money and accelerate Colorado’s pathway to 100 percent renewable energy.”

The Community Solar Subscription Platform is designed to connect community solar projects with verified cost savings to households participating in government-run assistance programs like LIHEAP. The initial pilot will be supported by the states of Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C. These states will provide feedback, coordination and data to test the operability, security and performance of the platform. DOE has prioritized working with states that have existing programs to support low-income community solar development so that, if successful, participants will see significant electricity bill savings, including 20% in Illinois, New Jersey, New York and New Mexico; and 50% in Washington, D.C. and Colorado. DOE estimates that this could lead to electric bill savings of up to $240 million in Colorado, $300 million in Illinois, $175 million in New Jersey, $30 million in New Mexico, $400 million in New York and $40 million in Washington, D.C.

“Community solar programs are essential to the expansion of renewable energy across the state of Illinois and the entire nation,” mentions Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “That’s why I’m proud to continue our state’s nation-leading work to grow the clean energy economy by adopting The National Community Solar Partnership’s LIHEAP Community Solar Subscription Platform. By supporting low-income communities who want to participate in this program, we can increase energy efficiency in the long term and provide impactful access to cost-saving solar energy for the households in our state that need it most. In Illinois, we know an equity-centric approach that puts consumers and climate first delivers results that will leave our children a safer world live in.”

DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership, HHS, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Energy Assistance Directors Association, and the National Association of State Energy Officials are collaborating on the Community Solar Subscription Platform.

“Through our participation in the Community Solar Subscription Platform project, New Jersey is helping families across the state reduce energy costs,” states New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “As an advisor to the Department of Energy on the design and function of the platform, New Jersey will have the opportunity to ensure that the platform eliminates barriers to critical clean energy resources and benefits residents most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. It’s crucial collaborations like these that will help us provide every community member with ample opportunities to reap the benefits of a clean energy future.”

DOE also issued a Request for Information to obtain feedback on the structure of the platform from community-based organizations, community solar subscription managers and developers, state and local governments, researchers, LIHEAP implementation organizations, and others. Responses are due by August 31 at 5 p.m. ET.

“New Mexico is excited to participate in this pilot program, which builds on my administration’s efforts to make solar available to everyone,” comments New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “Our LIHEAP-eligible customers will see savings of 30 percent – that’s a gamechanger for New Mexico families.”

DOE’s Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships program will fund projects that support new workforce programs that bring together employers, training providers and labor unions to support pathways to the solar industry to recruit, train and retain an inclusive workforce. These programs will be demand-driven, worker-centric and sector-based, and will utilize established workforce programs and resources, be sustainable and replicable, and prioritize energy justice. By assessing the regional labor market and the current and future needs of employers, multi-stakeholder project teams can help ensure optimal alignment between different training programs and the actual needs of industry.

“New York is the leading community solar market in the U.S. and has set an example for how states around the country can cost-effectively bring clean, affordable solar energy to millions of families who are facing the burden of rising energy costs,” says New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “We are proud to work with President Biden, his administration, and the many partners through this collaboration to ensure our most underserved customers have access to this innovative new resource.”

In order to encourage the development of equitable community solar projects and programs, DOE is also launching the Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, a new awards program that will recognize best practices in community solar that increase equitable access and ensure benefits go to subscribers and their communities. Up to five finalists can win a Sunny Award and prizes of $10,000 per team.

“When we as a nation work together toward our climate goals, we have the ability to move collectively toward a better, greener, and more sustainable future,” concludes Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We know that the implementation of community solar is critical to creating a future that promotes healthy, renewable, and sustainable living, and we are pleased to join the effort. By working with property owners, especially of multifamily affordable homes, and local businesses, we can ensure that our future is a clean and resilient one. We are proud of the work we are doing here in DC and look forward to joining in this nationwide effort.”

Image: Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash

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BayWa r.e. has partnered with PVpallet to distribute its reusable solar module shipping solution. The PVpallet Series X is now available through BayWa r.e. Solar Systems LLC, providing a tool for installers to improve material transport and installation logistics, as well as make their businesses more sustainable.

The reusable, recyclable and collapsible pallet is specifically designed for solar modules. PVpallet reduces packaging waste and protects the physical integrity of modules during transport and staging, resulting in fewer broken modules.

“As a leading distributor of solar and energy storage components, it’s our job to bring innovative products like PVpallet to installers at all levels in the value chain,” says David Dunlap, who recently stepped into his new role as the vice president of product strategy with BayWa r.e. Solar Systems LLC. “BayWa r.e. achieved carbon neutral operations in 2018 and we have been supplied with 100% renewable energy since 2020. We also aim to go beyond carbon and to address a wide range of sustainability aspects for society, the economy and the environment. Our partnership with PVpallet furthers our commitment to sustainability across the solar industry.”

PVpallets are made of HDPE plastic with a steel-reinforced base and plastic sidewalls to protect modules in transit. The exterior walls are adjustable to fit various module sizes. Additionally, the walls collapse and pallets stack for easy return shipping and to maximize warehouse space. BayWa r.e. is exploring future options to make it easy for installers to use the modular pallets in a closed-loop transport arrangement, such as lease agreements for a fleet of pallets or a deposit model.

“Like BayWa r.e., sustainability drives everything we do, and this partnership will help reduce waste in the solar industry,” mentions Philip Schwarz, cofounder and CEO of PVpallet. “Our reusable pallets are made in the heartland of America with recycled materials and are fully recyclable at the end of the pallet’s usable life. PVpallet is ideal for PV module storage, transportation and staging at job sites, or any repowering or repair projects where the original module manufacturer’s packaging is no longer available.”

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Price spikes for lithium carbonate have accelerated the move to commercialise alternative battery technologies. Image: CC 3.0 – Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego.

Startup Group1 is seeking to commercialise cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries, a world-first, while Northvolt is seeking to build batteries using a tree-derived carbon material lignin.

Austin, US-based Group1 said its Potassium Prussian White (KPW) cathode materials result in quick-charging, high-efficiency and safer potassium-ion batteries, and that these can be a sustainable and critical alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Founded last year, it is led by its three co-founders, CEO Alexander Girau, chief science officer Dr. Yakov Kutsovsky and chief product officer Dr. Leigang Xue, who invented Group1’s proprietary KPW technology as a post-doc researcher in the lab of John B. Goodenough, the inventor of the lithium-ion battery.

“As our transition away from fossil fuels accelerates, the demand for lithium-ion batteries is spiking quickly, and our lithium supplies will soon be incapable of meeting that demand. Group1 and potassium-ion batteries can provide a viable alternative to bridge this supply gap,” said CEO of Group1 Alexander Girau.

Max Reid, research analyst in Wood Mackenzie’s Battery & Raw Materials Service segment, described potassium-ion battery technology to Energy-Storage.news as ‘promising but still immature’.

He said the Prussian White cathode can achieve capacities of 120 mAh/g which is only about 60% of lithium-ion, and also has a lower energy density because of an open structure. The latter does make it suitable for the energy storage system (ESS) space, he added.

“The Prussian White cathode also uses much more abundant materials, potassium, manganese and iron are the main constituents – more suitable than nickel, cobalt and lithium which have seen surge prices over the last year,” he added.

A lack of existing scaled potassium-ion cathode producers is another barrier and Reid expects commercial production of such a battery closer to 2030, barring a fast-tracking by a major producer bullish on the chemistry.

Group1 said that the potassium used in its technology is 1000 times more abundant than lithium and 20 times more affordable, although the latter claim may depend heavily on recent price spikes. It also claims its battery has a better safety profile than lithium-ion and faster, more efficient charging, and can easily be integrated into existing graphite anode materials, electrolytes, cell design, and manufacturing for li-ion.

Girau previously founded Advano, a startup producing advanced silicon anode material to replace graphite in lithium-ion batteries, while Dr Kutsovsky was formerly CTO of global specialty materials manufacturer Cabot Corporation.

Northvolt and Stora Enso to develop batteries from tree material

European gigafactory company Northvolt has partnered with Finland-based pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso to develop a battery using lignin anodes.

Lignin is a plant-derived polymer found in the cell walls of dry-land plants, which makes up 20-30% of tree composition. Other battery companies like flow battery group CMBlu have produced batteries using the material too.

Northvolt and Stora Enso have entered into a Joint Development Agreement in which Stora Enso will provide its lignin-based anode material Lignode, originating from sustainably managed forests, while Northvolt will drive cell design, production process development and scale-up of the technology.

They said the aim is to develop the world’s first industrialised battery featuring anode sourced entirely from European raw materials, lowering both the carbon footprint and the cost.

“With this partnership, we are exploring a new source of sustainable raw material and expanding the European battery value chain, while also developing a less expensive battery chemistry,” said Emma Nehrenheim, chief environmental officer at Northvolt, which recently raised a US$1.1 billion debt facility.

Other non-lithium technologies progress

Energy-Storage.news has frequently reported on the plethora of non-lithium battery technologies making progress towards large-scale commercialisation.

The CEO of Metal-hydrogen battery company Enervenue, which recently raised US$125 million in a Series A, recently explained in this interview why its technology can displace lithium-ion.

Sodium-ion is another battery chemistry which several companies are placing big bets on to place a dent in the hegemony of lithium. Next year, two production facilities with a combined production capacity of 1.6GWh (1GWh of which is just cathodes) will open in the US and Europe.

But more immediately, a 1,400GWh order in South Africa for US startup Ambri’s liquid metal battery tech and a 1GWh order for Eos’ zinc-based product show alternative chemistries getting to scale.

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