Wide bandgap (WBG) materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are best positioned to address emerging power electronics performance needs in electric vehicles (EVs), with SiC displacing silicon as early as 2020, according to Lux Research report, “Silicon vs. WBG: Demystifying Prospects of GaN and SiC in the Electrified Vehicle Market“. As silicon struggles to meet higher performance standards, WBG materials are benefiting critically from evolving battery economics.- Hanergy Holding Group Limited, a multinational clean-energy power generator and a leading thin-film solar company, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Alta Devices, whose thin film solar technology has a conversion efficiency of 30.8 percent, the highest among the solar energy technologies currently available in the world.
- Whether it’s established markets concerned about securing long-term energy supply or emerging nations seeking to efficiently improve their generating capacity, biomass for power generation is taking a strong hold on the global market. According to the July analysis of the Waste Business Finder database, published in Waste Industry Sales Monitor, there were 43 such projects, with an identifiable value of US $1.3 billion. The popularity of biomass is being driven by the array of biomass types – from animal/agricultural waste, through domestic food waste to forestry residues – allowing countries to specialize in the types most available to them. In this way, developing countries such as Burma, Honduras or Nigeria, which all reported developments in the month, can more easily meet their growing electricity generation needs.
- The U.S. carport market has emerged as a substantial component of the U.S. solar industry. According to the latest report from GTM Research, “U.S. Solar Carport Market 2014-2018: Landscape, Outlook and Leading Companies,” the U.S. is forecasted to add over 180 megawatts of solar carports in 2014, making it the fourth consecutive year with more than 100 megawatts installed.
