Industry news

A new research platform was inaugurated on today in Ulm at a ceremony attended by Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka. Leading German industrial companies will be able to develop methods of manufacturing large, vehicle-grade lithium-ion batteries at this facility. A fourth building with 3,600 m² of floor space was added to the ZSW Laboratory for Battery Technology

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Solar power projects under the latest tranche of the National Solar Mission are beginning to take shape as project developers are finalizing loans and placing orders for equipment. ACME Solar has secured a loan of Rs 202 crore ($34 million US) from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the development of 100 MW of solar power capacity in India. The

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Who says solar power can’t be gorgeous? The people of New Caledonia are out to prove the naysayers wrong with what may be the most beautiful solar farm on the planet. The heart-shaped solar farm will supply 2 megawatts of solar power to 750 homes on the Pacific island, reducing carbon emissions while enhancing the natural beauty of the plant’s

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One of the major obstacles to people buying EVs (electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug- in hybrids) is the purchase price. The following table shows the problem: Basically they are the same car but with different powertrains. However, the Leaf has some superior luxury equipment on board compared with the Pulsar and has better acceleration, especially from a standing start. The

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Meiya Power, a subsidiary of the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) focused on renewable energy, has raised US$227 million in its over-subscribed IPO in Hong Kong. The funds exceeded the company’s expected return of HK$1.53 billion (US$197.5 million). According to the prospectus, around 70% of the proceeds will be used to buy existing projects from CGN. The company will

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Phoenix Solar AG (PS4) agreed to build a 32-megawatt photovoltaic power plant for Duke Energy Corp., which is seeking to add 300 megawatts of generating capacity. Construction on the Fayetteville, North Carolina project will begin in early 2015 on 300 acres of farmland, Sulzemoos, Germany-based Phoenix said today in a statement. It will supply power to Duke customers in the

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(Reuters) – Kyushu Electric Power Co said on Thursday it would cut access to its grid for renewable energy suppliers, the third of Japan’s 10 regional monopolies to place limits on their cleaner energy intake because of network limitations. The decision by Japan’s fifth-biggest utility by sales is another blow to the government’s plans to increase renewable energy supply as

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For Southern California Edison (SCE), building a smarter grid started many years ago with smart meters and upgrades in distribution equipment. Today, the company takes another leap forward with the opening of the largest battery energy storage project in North America — the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project — to modernize the grid to integrate more clean energy. The demonstration project

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The Volvo 7900 PHEV may be the world’s most perfect bus. Designed to operate in nearly silent electric mode 70% of the time, it uses 60% less energy and produces 75% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than a conventional diesel powered bus. And it’s 600 volt lithium ion battery pack can be recharged in under 6 minutes via a roof mounted

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China’s National Energy Administration has put more of a focus on supporting distributed solar power. Pilot areas for this type of solar power are being planned at a greater rate. Reportedly, a lack of distributed generation installation this year is what prompted the increased interest at a policy level. Only 188 MW of the full target of 8 GW for

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