Also on the rise: Not all ‘lithium-ion’ batteries are dangerous. Solar industry should focus on virtual power plants, says DOE’s Jigar Shah. And more.

Not all ‘lithium-ion’ batteries are dangerous  As the energy storage trend unfolds, stories litter the media landscape about lithium-ion batteries catching fire, and even exploding. It’s a valid concern, and the time for consumers to understand a basic truth about lithium-ion batteries is long past due.

Solar industry should focus on virtual power plants, says DOE’s Jigar Shah  With the days of solar net metering “numbered” and more utilities looking to deploy virtual power plants that compensate owners of distributed storage, industry veteran Jigar Shah sees virtual power plants as a route to industry success.

Fluke gains Solmetric’s high-wattage solar panel I-V curve tracer tool  Fluke aims to take the PVA-1500HE it acquired from Solmetric to the global market, filling a gap in the worldwide market with this U.S.-preferred tool.

Vertical agrivoltaics to reduce PV curtailment, increase water efficiency  An international research group has analyzed a vertical bifacial agrivoltaics system in a drought-stricken part of Chile. They say that the solar array can improve water efficiency for crop irrigation, while the vertical system configuration optimizes PV power generation throughout the day, minimizing curtailment.

U.S. energy storage sets Q2 high water mark with 1.7 GW / 5.6 GWh Wood Mackenzie said the U.S. market will install 66 GW of storage between 2023 and 2027, 83% of which will be at the grid scale.

Producing solar energy, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers in one place A dual-use solar and agricultural site in New York will add 2 MW of solar capacity while retaining active market crop production.