Startups + Innovations
Outside Africa
- 24.01.2023
- pv magazine
- Agrivoltaics – the practice of co-locating solar facilities with cropland – is increasingly being adopted throughout the world as a way to introduced distributed clean energy while not compromising land use. Research by Oregon State University found that solar and agricultural co-location could provide 20% of the total electricity generation in the United States.
- 24.01.2023
- Wired
- In France, a plan to cover swaths of asphalt with photovoltaics will bring renewable energy even closer to urban areas where it’s needed. Because they’re in abundance and cover large areas, parking lots are obvious candidates for doubling up as solar arrays. But that’s only part of the potential benefit. It makes sense aesthetically and logistically too.
- 13.01.2023
- pv magazine
- Swiss startup Sun-Ways is currently developing PV systems that can be placed between railroad tracks. The PV system can be pre-assembled in a factory and then loaded onto a special train. The solar modules are then rolled out like a carpet between the tracks. The PV system can also be removed at any time to enable maintenance work.
- 13.01.2023
- pv magazine
- Berlin-based Boreal Light has developed water desalination tech powered by PV for off-grid applications. The solution uses 460 W solar panels from Chinese module manufacturer DAH Solar and produces clean water from direct seawater at a cost of €0.50 ($0.54)/cm3.
- 12.01.2023
- MIT Technology Review
- Some dramatically different approaches to EV batteries could see progress in 2023, though they will likely take longer to make a commercial impact. One advance to keep an eye on this year is in so-called solid-state batteries. And lithium-ion batteries keep getting better and cheaper, but researchers are tweaking the technology further to eke out greater performance and lower costs.
- 10.01.2023
- pv magazine
- The University of Cambridge developed a device that converts plastics and greenhouse gases to usable fuels and products. The system can convert two waste streams into two chemical products at the same time. This is the first time that a process has been achieved in a solar-powered reactor. The reactor converts CO2 and plastics into a variety of products that have use cases in several industries.
- 10.01.2023
- pv magazine
- Dutch startup MyGrid has developed a 1.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery storage system for residential applications. It is mainly designed for use in rented apartments and multi-family buildings, where residents often lack the resources or space to install large home batteries.
- 10.01.2023
- Microgrid Knowledge
- Schneider Electric has begun incorporating an unusual resource into microgrids built in remote areas — river currents. The industry giant is collaborating with ORPC, a small Portland, Maine, company that provides the RivGen Power System. Schneider became attracted to river generation because it provides an alternative to diesel fuel for remote communities.
- 07.01.2023
- pv magazine
- French startup Equium has developed a heat pump core that works on acoustic waves and produces hot and cold air. Equium manufactures the core and works with another company that integrates it into heat pump systems. The units are scalable from 1 kW to 3 kW and are designed for residential applications.
- 05.01.2023
- Scientific American
- A U.S. company is designing a large battery that it says could help decarbonize the nation’s power sector more cheaply than lithium-ion storage systems—and with domestic materials. The concept, known as the “iron-air battery,” has impressed U.S. experts. Unlike current lithium-ion batteries that require expensive materials the proposed battery stores electricity using widely available iron metal.
Picture credits cover photo: © Shutterstock
