The latest renewable energy news includes announcements from Metacon, RTI International, Amazon Solar Mini-Grid, and others.
Metacon Launches Electrolyser Stacks with 17% Higher Current Density
Metacon and China’s PERIC Hydrogen Technologies have introduced next-generation pressurised alkaline electrolyser stacks for industrial green-hydrogen projects in Europe. The new design provides up to 17 percent higher operating current density and reduces cell-plate weight by as much as 13 percent compared with the previous reference design. Metacon says the improvements should lower stack costs while improving efficiency, durability and operating flexibility. PERIC currently offers industrial stacks including 5 MW and 10 MW systems and has developed a 15 MW electrolyser stack. The Chinese manufacturer has approximately 6.5 GW of annual production capacity. Metacon plans to deploy the new technology immediately across ongoing and future commercial hydrogen projects.
RTI Invests $14 Million to Double Clean-Tech Commercialisation Infrastructure
RTI International has opened a $14 million expansion of its Pilot Xcelerator facility in North Carolina to help energy and industrial technologies progress from laboratories toward commercial deployment. The 25,000-square-foot facility doubles RTI’s commercialisation infrastructure and gives startups, established companies and government partners access to pilot-scale equipment, engineering expertise and independent scientific validation. RTI says one of the biggest challenges for energy technologies is generating sufficient operating and performance data before investors and customers commit capital to commercial projects. The expanded facility is designed to reduce that technology and investment risk. RTI describes Pilot Xcelerator as the only privately owned industrial pilot laboratory in North Carolina.
Amazon Solar Mini-Grid Targets 25 Communities and 600 Families
The Foundation for Amazon Sustainability and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet have deployed a 50 kWp solar and 165 kWh battery mini-grid in Bela Conquista, Brazil, to power an açaí processing facility and community infrastructure. The partners plan to expand the model through 20 pilots reaching up to 25 Amazon communities within two to three years. Collectively, the installations could generate up to 1 GWh of solar electricity annually, avoid 255,000 litres of diesel and cut approximately 680 tonnes of CO2. More than 600 families are expected to benefit. The Bela Conquista facility could process around 36,000 litres of açaí annually.
