Tag: industry news

The MESA Standards Alliance (MESA, Modular Energy Storage Architecture) and the SunSpec Alliance have jointly released the first open, non-proprietary energy storage system specification for public review. The draft specification, referred to as SunSpec Energy Storage Model Specification, incorporated in MESA specifications as a “MESA-Device,” was developed through a joint effort and proposes standards for how the different components of

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Tesla and Panasonic are the two driving forces behind the massive battery Gigafactory being built in the Nevada desert. To facilitate this huge project, Panasonic has formed a new company to oversee its operations at the Gigafactory, and its initial $92 million investment is the first of many cash infusions. The Gigafactory will go online in stages, rather than all

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Green Mountain Power just broke ground on a 2 MW photovoltaic plant in Rutland, Vermont. While some other large PV systems planned for the area have met with strong opposition (some residents worry large, ground-mount solar arrays will be an eyesore on the state’s pastoral landscape), this project seems to be welcomed with open arms. Why? It’s being built on

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SolarCity Corp. (SCTY) will offer loans for rooftop solar power systems in a bid to reach consumers who want to own the panels rather than lease them or pay cash. No-money-down leases helped SolarCity become the largest U.S. supplier of rooftop solar power. Today it will begin offering 30-year loans in eight states including New York and New Jersey that

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After spending almost $30 billion on solar energy in a single year and installing as many panels as exist in the whole of Spain, Japan is preparing to ratchet back its boom in photovoltaic power. At least five of the nation’s utilities are restricting the access of new solar farms to their grids. Utilities say two years of rapid expansion

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SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk, in his quest to transform Tesla Motors from a scrappy electric-vehicle startup into a mature, profitable automaker, may have an ace up his sleeve: used cars. Tesla is developing a program to sell the Model S secondhand, Automotive News has learned, in a bid to lower the cost of entry for the $71,070 sedan and

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Nebraska City officials are giving some juice to a program promoting the use of electric vehicles throughout the state.On Monday night, the Nebraska City City Council approved the purchase and installation of a charging station, and the leasing of a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. Nebraska City Administrator Joe Johnson tells KMA News the program is made possible through funding from

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Last Friday, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce arranged to have Michael Mullis, the CEO of J.M. Mullis, Inc. give an hour-long talk on the Gallup campus. Mullis’ firm specializes in finding locations for companies to either relocate or expand; many of them Fortune 500 organizations. What attracted me to the 7:30 AM event downtown was the promotional announcement that he

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The new lab, an extension to the existing eLab battery research centre, is run by research institute ZSW and offers industrial partners the possibility to develop, test and optimise battery materials and formulations as well as manufacturing processes and equipment. Currently, first equipment tests are conducted in the lab which offers a space of 3.600 square meters (39.000 square feet)

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The new method for studying battery failures points to the next step in extending lithium ion battery lifetime and capacity, opening a path to wider use of these batteries in conjunction with renewable energy sources. Lithium ions strain the material as they shuttle between electrodes and can even alter its structure, which lead to defects. Designs for more resilient electrodes

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