On Thursday, Sunpower, Optisolar and PG&E agreed to a 800MW deal, with undisclosed financial terms. Its a big leap for Photovoltaic solar in terms of scale - previously, utility sized systems (100MW+) were the domain of solar thermal power and companies like Ausra, but with this project, PV systems scale up to utility scale. The question is how much does this really cost…
Recently, AltairNano demonstrated their Lithium-Titanate batteries in a real world demo for Indianapolis Light and Power. They had two 1MW/250kWh units, and the batteries and equipment performed very well. The primary use for these large shipping-container sized units is for backing up inconsistent power sources like solar or wind. The units had a 90%+ efficiency returning the stored power to the grid.
But thats not what I’m talking about. Phoenix Motorcars are looking to use these batteries in their electric vehicles. And its these batteries that could change electric vehicles. Well, as soon as they get cheaper.