1. As North Carolina still reels from Helene, solar companies are stepping up

Learning: "Weeks after Hurricane Helene came ashore, causing devastation and knocking out power for millions, more than 70,000 customers in North Carolina are still without power – and several solar companies decided to do something about it.

The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) and Greentech Renewables are teaming up with Footprint Project and Land of Sky Regional Council to provide critical need solutions through clean energy resources, such as temporary and long-term microgrids to provide power, water, and Wi-Fi to people in Western North Carolina most significantly impacted."

Implication: "En-route to North Carolina or staged are 44 more portable solar generators, two mobile solar microgrid trailers, nine palletized solar microgrid systems, eight shipping container shelters, and one communication hub."

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2. GM offering new home energy storage options for US EV owners

Learning: "General Motors said (recently) its GM Energy unit is offering electric vehicle owners a home storage option to store and transfer solar energy, part of the company's sales pitch to potential EV owners.

The largest U.S. automaker said it is launching the GM Energy PowerBank, which comes in 10.6 kilowatt-hours and 17.7 kWh battery capacity variants, and expanding access to energy management products across all 50 states. GM said the stationary storage product can provide power to a home during outages or offset higher electricity rates during peak demand periods."

Implication: "The unit lets owners store and use captured solar energy and provide power without an EV present. Owners could store enough power to serve an average U.S. home for up to 20 hours with two PowerBank units.

Energy storage units are part of an effort by automakers to convince reluctant EV buyers to consider an electric vehicle."

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3. Cooling power lines for an efficient grid

Learning: "The UK’s electricity grid has undergone limited upgrades in the last 70 years, and according to the National Grid’s Electricity System operator, the system is reaching its limit. With 64 per cent more electricity demand expected by 2035, it’s clear that updates are needed, including making existing power lines more efficient. AssetCool has an idea to help.

As electricity is transported through pylons and overhead lines, these wires can quickly warm up. Not only can this make them less efficient, but it also poses a safety risk: when the lines warm, they sag, which can cause them to droop into the tree line and spark fires. This issue of overheating is only growing as electricity demand rises and the climate warms, triggering more power line fires and electricity blackouts. To combat this, AssetCool has developed an innovative photonic coating that keeps lines cool."

Implication: "Using passive radiative cooling, the coating reflects solar radiation and allows infrared heat generated by conductors to escape more easily. In getting rid of excess heat and preventing more from entering power lines, the coating helps to minimize electrical resistance, reducing power losses and associated CO2 emissions. This would enable existing lines to meet additional electricity demand, instead of more expensive infrastructure being required.

Tests of the technology found that lines covered in AssetCool’s coating remained over 20 degrees Celsius cooler than their uncoated equivalents when under direct sunlight."

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4. Fighting back against data centers, one small town at a time

Learning: There is "a growing community-level resistance to the tech industry’s massive expansion of data centers... Many state and local officials welcome the tax dollars and infrastructure these projects can bring, and tech companies say they need the facilities to advance AI and keep the United States competitive with China. But over the past year, resistance to data centers has sprung up in places such as Fort Worth; Burns Harbor, Ind.; and Fayette County, Ga.

The campaigns have similarities to local fights against wind turbines and other developments, with complaints about spoiled views and construction noise. But opponents of data centers also cite the unique and massive power and water demands that these projects impose on local infrastructure."

Implication: "People who have fought data center projects generally say they aren’t wholly against the facilities, without which their social media campaigns couldn’t exist. They just want them to be located far away from people, and for local officials to encourage public scrutiny and debate on the projects."

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5. A Massachusetts town uses batteries to help its grid — and its schools

Learning: "Some batteries serve to bolster utility power grids. Other batteries provide backup power to buildings in case the grid goes down. And sometimes, with effort and coordination, batteries can do both jobs at once.

That’s what’s happening in Wakefield, Massachusetts, a town of about 27,000 just north of Boston.

By next year, a site off a tree-lined road running between the town’s two high schools will host a 15-megawatt-hour grid-connected battery that will provide multiple benefits. On a day-to-day basis, it will help clean up the grid and keep utility costs in check by reducing the need for costly peak energy. It will also supply backup power to the schools during any power outages, eliminating the need for dirty diesel-fueled generators. Plus, the battery will help the schools afford to go solar and switch their HVAC to electric heat pumps."

Implication: "Beyond pilot projects, only a handful of U.S. utilities have taken major strides in supporting batteries that serve both customer and utility needs; Vermont utility Green Mountain Power’s bring-your-own-battery program is one noteworthy example."