Donald Sadoway named European Inventor Award 2022 finalist for his liquid metal battery

The European Patent Office (EPO) announced that Donald Sadoway, professor of materials chemistry at MIT, has been nominated as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2022 for inventing a liquid metal battery that can bring more renewable energy onto the power grid.

Our liquid metal batteries work just like conventional batteries, only their components are all liquid. I use a low-density liquid metal on top, a high-density liquid metal on the bottom, and, in between, a molten salt. So you have two electrodes separated by an electrolyte, just like in a conventional battery.

—said SadowaySolar Magazine Interviewee Avatar when remarking on the features of his liquid metal battery

Storing solar and wind power at scale would make it possible to use the clean power produced during the day at evening or morning peak load times, increasing the reliability of renewable energy and helping society reduce carbon emissions. Sadoway's invention "could reduce the cost of storing solar and wind power, providing consumers with more affordable and clean energy, with the potential to mitigate climate change in a sustainable manner," said EPO President António Campinos, announcing the European Inventor Award 2022 finalists.

Soon after he applied for a patent for his invention, in 2010, Sadoway co-founded Ambri to scale liquid metal batteries from a laboratory prototype into a commercial product, with support from Bill Gates and oil company Total. In 2015, Ambri built its first room-sized liquid metal battery. Currently, the company plans to install a large unit on a 3,700-acre development for a data center near Reno, a city in the U.S. state of Nevada. This battery unit will store energy from a reported 500 megawatts of on-site renewable generation

Sadoway and his team are also struggling to extend the reach of liquid metal batteries through fundamental research. He points out that his research offers clients the prospect of adapting each liquid metal battery to raw materials available locally. "Batteries in Europe will be built by local workers with local resources," said Sadoway. "The same goes for Africa and America."

The winners of the European Inventor Award 2022 will be announced at a virtual ceremony on 21 June.

NEXT's transparent PV coating transforms commercial windows into power source

California-based NEXT Energy Technologies announced the demonstration of a prototype installation of "transparent solar window walls" at the headquarters of its manufacturing and glazing partner Walters & Wolf in Fremont.

The installation utilizes NEXT's advanced transparent PV coating technology. Proprietary, earth-abundant, and low-cost organic semiconducting materials are coated onto glass in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy consumption process. This technology transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels by converting unwanted infrared and UV light into electricity to power buildings while remaining transparent to human eyes.

The wall presents the power-generation functionality, transparency and aesthetics, and the seamless integration of NEXT's transparent solar coating into a standard window-glazing system.

According to the company, these coatings are applied to traditional commercial windows during the fabrication process, integrating with existing manufacturers without disrupting established workflows and supply chains. This merit brings out a capital-efficient business model that reduces risks to customers and removes barriers to adoption while adding value.

In 2021, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved the 2022 California Energy Code, requiring builders to include solar photovoltaic and battery storage in many new commercial structures and high-rise residential projects.

A study by Architecture 2030 reveals that buildings account for 40% of annual global C02 emissions, of which 28% is a direct result of building operations. However, traditional solar systems and projects alone cannot effectively realize the ambitious climate and clean energy goals.

NEXT's transparent solar windows contribute a creative and cost-effective approach to generating clean energy in cities.

Commercial buildings are an ideal example of everyday infrastructure that can be re-imagined and improved to reduce society's carbon footprint. As we advance our technology, we are dedicated to advancing the world's action against the climate crisis, one window at a time.

—said Daniel Emmett, CEO of NEXT

Lightsource bp leverages Envision Digital's AIoT platform for solar assets optimization

Global Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (AIoT) software leader Envision Digital, and global solar developer Lightsource bp, have announced a multi-year, global partnership to accelerate the growth and optimization of solar power in the fight against climate change.

Lightsource bp is targeting the development of 25GW of solar power projects globally by 2025, delivering renewable power at scale and with the urgency the climate crisis requires.

Lightsource bp recognizes Envision Digital's unique expertise in AIoT and digital transformation, and has selected Envision Digital to be its advanced analytics partner for its existing and rapidly growing portfolio of solar projects globally.

Lightsource bp's Vendimia project in Spain. Photo: Lightsource bp

As the global AIoT software leader for Net Zero, Envision Digital continues to focus on partnerships. We see a lot of synergies with Lightsource bp and our teams are rapidly deploying and scaling technology to power the energy transition together.

By leveraging this partnership with Envision Digital, and more than a decade of solar experience, Lightsource bp expects to be able to deliver greater value at scale and enact a real change on the global energy landscape.

Deploying solar power at pace means making the most of projects once they are up and running. It's not just about the cost of capital and your project execution. Lightsource bp has an exceptional reputation on both fronts and once all that hard work is done, we don't want to waste a single photon.

—said Nick Boyle, Group CEO, Lightsource bp.

"The partnership with Envision Digital gives us an anatomical level of insight on our assets to optimise them remotely and drive improvements," he added.

Envision Digital's AIoT platform, EnOS™, currently connects and manages more than 110 million smart devices, and supports more than 360GW of clean energy assets globally. Lightsource bp, established to deliver affordable and sustainable solar power for businesses and communities worldwide, is a 50:50 joint venture with global energy major bp.

DroneBase Expands to Provide Elite Analytics and Imagery to Solar Asset Owners Globally

A clear, blue Tuesday morning transformed Dan Burton’s life from citizen to military man to entrepreneur. Burton watched the Twin Towers crumble on Sept. 11 from Lower Manhattan. The horror of the day motivated Burton to enlist in the military. He served as a Marine Infantry Officer in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2007 to 2011.

He didn’t get to fly any drones while enlisted, but he saw the machines evolve and change military actions. He knew this technology could help transform the business world, as well. DroneBase was born. BurtonSolar Magazine Interviewee Avatar, the founder and CEO of DroneBase, launched the company in 2014 and recently secured $7.5 million in new funding to expand its services to the solar industry. “In Iraq and Afghanistan, I got to see drone technology in action and came way true believer”, Burton told Solar Magazine. “I could tell back then that with technology advances, drones inevitability will commercialize, and more and more have an impact on a daily business and daily life back in the United States.”

Democratizing the air

While Burton was enlisted in the military, he compared the advancement of drones to that of computer technology, which use to take up entire rooms and now can weigh less than two pounds. “Drones were a big airplane, they took off from a runway, and it took 55 people to fly it,” Burton said. Drones were very expensive at first, but by the time Burton was deployed to Afghanistan, there were backpack drones. “The tech democratized the air,” he said.

It allowed smaller and smaller units or groups of people to get access to the air. The data and imagery you can get from the air allow companies to make better decisions.

How drones help the clients

DroneBase works with clients ranging from large solar asset owners to residential solar. Clients can log on to DroneBase’s software platform and will be greeted by insights from the company’s team. Clients can see all their facilities, whether that’s one site or 100 different sites. DroneBase will prioritize a client’s alerts based on what sites need attention. For example, if three sites have critical damage, clients can click in and see their solar field or utility-grade field with pictures that were taken two to three days ago, maximum. DroneBase will even calculate how much power a client is losing from any malfunctions and monetary losses. Allowing clients to understand the health and performance of each panel can help optimize power and profit. “DroneBase’s mission is to provide enterprise customers with a better, faster, and safer way to access the health of industrial and commercial assets,” Burton said. “For our customers and our partners, we deeply try to be the absolute best in class across both data analyst and data capture.” Alongside the images, no data is present to clients without a DroneBase analyst looking at it first. DroneBase has about 50 full-time employees working the backend. This type of virtually instant coverage saves clients time and money. “Working with DroneBase improves a client’s ability to analyze their workflow,” Daryl WatkinsSolar Magazine Interviewee Avatar, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at DroneBase, told Solar Magazine. “No secret that drones have been of great use in the solar industry for years.” “All the data from the inspection gets brought in house and we prepare and analyze data for our clients. It still doesn’t go out the door and without human-assisted analysis.”

Watkins added that DroneBase benefits its clients because the company can analyze all their fields across the country, reducing the number of vendors the client would need to deploy nationally. DroneBase can scale right alongside their client’s fields. “The hardest thing is to scale,” Burton said. This is why the launch of DroneBase Europe makes the founder so proud. “It’s easy to do a cool demo or show proof of concept is nice, too. But when you think about the number of solar assets in the world, and how broad the use cases are from residential to utility, it’s not easy to provide complete coverage, and we can.” “Our drones will feel like magic for a solar asset owner,” Watkins said. “They sit at a desk at home and log in and see a great scale overview and even any panel to panel anomalies.”

Who is in the sky

DroneBase works on a contract basis with thousands of registered drone pilots across the country. This enables them to have coverage of nearly the entire United States, and their next goal is international. The company has already expanded to work with a German subsidiary. Burton boasts the company’s “novel training program,” that has trained hundreds of pilots in a specifically targeted training at an infrared training center. They learn thermography, but also drone captures. The program is a completely tailored training specific to solar assets. After a pilot is trained, DroneBase works to engage them where they live. By utilizing local talent to the proximity of the solar asset, DroneBase can work with more pilots, cover more areas, and charge clients less. Once a solar asset needs surveying, a pilot will take the drone to the edge of the solar field, or general area, and fly it above to take pictures and run analytics. Generally, no one else is around the solar field, allowing the pilots to continue to operate even during COVID-19.

DroneBase’s is more than just solar

When Burton founded DroneBase in 2014, it started with inspecting the health of buildings. Now, in addition to the renewables space, DroneBase provides solutions for property management, commercial and residential real estate, as well as insurance and engineering and construction. In addition to solar, DroneBase has a presence in wind, inspecting turbines, and lifecycle management. DroneBase’s pilots can help check the blades of the turbines, schedule maintenance, anticipate failure, and keep assets at maximum efficiency. DroneBase can meet clients’ needs to monitor the performance of a wind installation, inspect a site for potential warranty claims, or whose goal is just for the turbines to perform as efficiently as possible. DroneBase’s new investors, Valor Equity Partners and Razi Ventures, joined Union Square Ventures (USV), Upfront Ventures, Hearst Ventures, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, and DJI in the round of funding that helped them expand into solar. “This funding will drive our laser focus on serving the renewable energy sector,” said Daryl Watkins, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at DroneBase. “With multiple enterprise wins this year with OEMs and asset owners in both wind and solar, we have further cemented our position in the renewables market."