Weekend read: Indium – sustainability, not supply
The supply of indium, both for layers in silicon solar cells and some thin-film PV technologies, is increasingly seen as a future potential bottleneck that solar and other industries relying on the material will have to manage. Resolving indium supply concerns may be a case of rethinking mining waste and recycling, reports Ian Morse.
Sojitz teams with CS Energy in green hydrogen export project
Japanese trading house Sojitz Corporation has announced it will collaborate with Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy and Nippon Engineering Consultants on a project to transport green hydrogen produced in Australia to the Pacific Island nation of Palau in a bid to reduce a reliance on fossil fuels.
Sunman opens 1GW lightweight PV module factory
Sunman Energy claims the new factory, located in Yangzhong City in China’s Jiangsu province, is the world’s largest production facility for lightweight photovoltaics.
US scientists explore how to compensate battery owners for grid value
Current price signals to distributed battery owners “do not align with grid value,” says a study from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
LG Energy Solution IPO attracts $110 billion in bids
LG Chem’s energy storage and battery division’s US$10.7 billion (AU$14.8 billion) initial public offering received a staggering response from institutional investors, Reuters has reported.
New year, new rules
This year will see a suite of new rules introduced governing the sale and installation of rooftop solar. While the Clean Energy Regulator’s new rules will apply across the country, Victoria’s state government has also introduced its own set of additional ordinances – among them, a ban on door-to-door sales or cold-calling for solar, electricity and gas companies alike.
Foton, BOC to collaborate on scaling Australia’s hydrogen bus sector
Vehicle manufacturer Foton and gas company BOC have signed an agreement to develop the hydrogen bus sector in Australia and New Zealand, allowing technology they say is already “widely used” around the world to become affordable in a region where it is still nascent.
Goldman Sachs invests $250 million in Hydrostor to advance compressed air energy storage projects
The investment is planned to support development and construction of Hydrostor’s 1.1GW, 8.7GWh of Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage projects that are well underway in California and Australia, and help expand Hydrostor’s project development pipeline globally.
Asia-Pacific solar supply chain trouble to ease this year, according to analyst
Wood Mackenzie has predicted solar equipment cost increases will ease back after last year saw the average cost of solar electricity rise for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region.
Enphase acquires ClipperCreek to enter the EV charging market
The completed acquisition of ClipperCreek launches Enphase Energy into the fast-growing market for electric vehicle charging systems.
