Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google NewsMarket sees an 84% increase compared to Q1 2023The U.S. energy storage market set a first-quarter record for capacity installed in Q1 2024, with 1,265 megawatts (MW) deployed across all segments. This marks the highest storage capacity ever installed in a first quarter in the U.S., representing an 84% increase from Q1 2023.According to Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) newly released US Energy Storage Monitor report, the grid-scale segment installed 993 MW, producing the highest Q1 on record for the grid-scale segment. Nevada, California, and Texas accounted for 90% of new grid-scale capacity added.“The rapid growth of the energy storage industry comes at a critical time, providing a solution to growing energy demand and increasingly variable weather conditions that are placing added stress on the grid,” said John Hensley, Vice President of Markets and Policy Analysis at ACP. “A strong start to 2024 sets expectations high for the remainder of the year

Brendan Smith didn’t intend to be in the critical minerals business. He initially thought his high-tech filters would be good at desalination. But it was hard to beat existing systems, so he and his advisor, MIT professor Jeffrey Grossman, quickly ruled it out. After a few years “where we sort of intentionally meandered,” they found themselves in a very different industry: mining.Producing critical minerals is not a pretty business. Take copper, for example: The world uses around 25 million tons of copper per year, and more buildings, electronics, and electric vehicles mean that demand is expected to grow 24% over the next decade. Each ton of copper ore recovered leaves behind around 100–150 tons of waste.That’s a lot of waste, so much so that some mines have run out of room for tailings ponds, which hold the toxic chemicals and byproducts that remain after valuable minerals are removed.“If you don’t have the land to build more of these ponds, you don’t have a lot of options,” Smith told TechCrunch

With storage attach-rates soaring, SunPower adds most-requested battery storage to its offeringsSunPower Financial introduces loan and lease financing for Powerwall 3, making home backup even more accessibleRICHMOND, Calif., May 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR), America's highest-rated† residential solar energy company, today announced it will now be offering Tesla Powerwall 3 as part of its curated portfolio of high quality and affordable solar and storage products."Homeowners are increasingly turning to battery storage to protect themselves against ongoing utility rate hikes and grid outages. We witnessed record-breaking battery storage sales in 2024 and see a future where almost all solar systems are paired with storage," said Shawn Fitzgerald, SVP Corporate Development and Product Strategy at SunPower. "Pairing Tesla Powerwall 3 with our industry-leading SunPower Equinox solar system was a natural progression in offering homeowners the best products on the market."It is projected that one in every four American homeowners who install rooftop solar this year will also add battery storage.1 As more homeowners consider battery storage for reliable and affordable power, Tesla Powerwall has become one of the most sought-after battery storage solutions accounting for over half of home battery installations last year. The Powerwall 3 includes 11.5kW of power and 13.5 kWh of energy engineered to provide whole-home backup and capture solar energy more efficiently with an integrated inverter that is fully compatible with the SunPower Equinox® system."Expanding access to Tesla Powerwall 3 allows us to offer homeowners a comprehensive energy solution under one roof including sales, financing and installation," said Joe Holstein, owner of SunPower by Quality Home Services, a SunPower Master Dealer. "Together with SunPower, we're able to sell top-rated solar and battery storage solutions to meet the demands of our customers while simplifying the process to adopt clean energy."Today, SunPower Financial expanded its suite of solar financing options to include loan2 and lease financing for Tesla battery installations as approximately 82% of SunPower customers choose to finance their solar-plus-storage system. Qualified SunPower customers can seamlessly finance their Tesla Powerwall 3 with no down payment, affordable monthly payments, and a fast application process making solar and storage more accessible to a variety of homeowners.SunPower conducted rigorous testing to confirm that Tesla Powerwall 3 meets SunPower's high performance and quality standards, integrating with other products in its portfolio