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.
Cash for Christmas – Spark Infrastructure sale finalised in $5.2b all-cash transaction
Following approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board in November, the long-awaited sale of grid-operator Spark Infrastructure to a North American consortium led by private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has been completed via a $5.2 billion “all-cash transaction”.
BHP looks to use 35-tonne blocks to store renewable energy for its WA operations
An agreement with Energy Vault may see resource company BHP stack 35-tonne blocks to store wind and solar energy in the Pilbara, northern Western Australia.
Aussie flow battery company completes ‘milestone’ installation
Brisbane-based flow battery company Redflow has completed its single biggest installation to date, a 2 MWh storage system in California for biowaste technology firm Anaergia.
New robot for solar plant construction
The AI-enabled robot is claimed to ensure faster and more efficient deployment of solar modules in utility scale projects.
Shell buys solar and storage company Savion from Australia’s Macquarie Green Investment Group
The transaction, for which Shell did not reveal the purchase price, will see the energy company pick up a U.S. project development pipeline which reportedly runs to more than 18 GW of solar generation and energy storage capacity across 26 states.
Ever heard of synchroinverters? Grid-stabilising devices connecting renewables to distributed energy resources
A U.S.-Israeli consortium is developing synchroinverters – inverters that mimic a synchronous generator and are able to actively respond to the grid’s frequency changes while stabilising the voltage. The new devices are expected to do this simultaneously and provide grid stability services in less than 16.67 milliseconds.
Grid software solution could more than double network capacity for renewables with no new infrastructure
With Scottish company Smarter Grid Solutions having already seen its software deployed in the U.K., a pilot project in New York State has been a resounding success for a grid solution the NREL has predicted could unlock swathes of network capacity without the need for new power lines.
Grid stability and 100% renewables
New research from Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson seeks to remove any doubts about grid stability in a world powered entirely by renewable energy. The latest study models 100% wind water and solar powered grids across the United States, finding no risk of blackouts in any region and also broad benefits in cost reduction, job creation and land use.
Google lends a hand in the search for new solar cell designs with open-source tool
Scientists in the United States developed a computer simulator that can calculate the conversion efficiency of different solar cell materials and configurations – helping to guide research and optimisation of new cell designs. The simulator is available to researchers as an open-source tool to save time and spot the best opportunities for optimisation of any given approach.
