Lithium-ion batteries now represent the most common type of rechargeable battery. They are used in a wide range of applications from consumer electronics (e.g., batteries for smartphones and laptop computers) to electric vehicles to utility-scale energy storage systems. However, many alternative battery technologies have emerged in the recent years and are poised to compete head-to-head against lithium-ion batteries. ...  more

How does one stipulate a power usage plan that is most suitable with the current status and the future of Taiwan subsequent to the evaluation on costs and risks through the existing power resources? The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) hosted the Workshop on Strategies for Sustainable Power Resources Planning, and proposed the new concepts of Loading Order and Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) in the hope of establishing a more stable electricity environment. ...  more

Home to various wildlife such as cheetah, elephants, and rhinos, the Hwange National Park, the largest national park in Zimbabwe, is about the size of Belgium. But Hwange has been under threat recently, as coal mining sites are set to begin operating in the park. Chinese companies have been making preparations for coal mining in Hwange, leading some environmentalists to express their worries of possible environmental harm caused by the impending operations, which will not only shrink the available wildlife habitat but also increase the conflict between humans and the wildlife. ...  more

Toyota announced on September 18th that the company will begin testing on its portable electricity replenishment vehicle, which charges various vehicles and machinery through the battery stored by fuel cells, in order to replace the current main charging method: fuel generator. ...  more

The largest floating solar station in the world will complete construction by the end of this year. Chenya Energy announced today (17th) that the financing for the projects of “East Lunwei 181MWp Floating Solar Power Station of Changhua Coast” and “Syuejia 75MWp Ground Solar Power Station of Tainan” have been achieved, and both power stations have set the highest capacity of solar in Taiwan. The two power stations are expected to be unveiled during the fourth quarter of 2020. ...  more

Users are often prompted to replace their smartphones when they are no longer usable due to depleted batteries. ...  more

Representatives of the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association (TPVIA) held a press conference on September 11 to voice their concerns about the future development of the domestic solar market. Those companies that attended the event are the major actors across the different sections of the island’s supply chain for PV technologies (e.g., upstream materials, cells, modules, and whole systems). ...  more

Battery energy storage is merely one of the thousands of energy storage methods. Scottish start-up Gravitricity has recently commenced the construction for its 250KW pilot program of “gravity-based energy storage”, which will initiate testing in 2021. The program uses weight potential energy to generate power, which paves a new path for the development of energy storage from renewable energy. ...  more

A noteworthy event in the US solar industry during the first half of this September was the agreement made between First Solar and Kinect Solar to sell the former’s thin-film PV modules to customers seeking distributed generation (DG) solutions ...  more

Can the pristine lithium battery become the sensational “upgraded” revolutionary technology? The scientists of Clemson University and TU Delft have respectively developed a lighter battery recently that is capable of a faster charging speed, which paves a trail blazing path for the next generation lithium battery. ...  more