Electrek: Tesla Unveils Its New ‘Sleek and Low-Profile’ Exclusive Solar Panel Made by Panasonic

The attention around Tesla’s solar products is mostly focused on its solar roof tiles, but those address only a new segment in the market -- the new roof segment. Tesla is also trying to innovate for homeowners who don’t need a new roof, but who still want to generate their own solar energy.

This weekend, Tesla updated the ‘Energy’ section of its website to unveil new pictures of a new exclusive solar panel made by Panasonic. Electrek has also learned some details about this new product that will apparently shape the future of the company’s offering in the residential solar industry.

The new panels are part of Tesla’s deal with Panasonic at the ‘Gigafactory 2’ in Buffalo. They will be manufactured by Panasonic at Tesla’s factory for Tesla’s exclusive use. They don’t plan to make them available to third-party installers or individuals.

The Daily Climate: Is Trump Embracing Offshore Wind?

In March, the Interior Department auctioned off 122,405 acres of water off Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to the Spanish-based Avangrid for $9 million. Avangrid, a division of Iberdrola, beat out three competitors, including Norway’s Statoil and Germany-based wind farm developer wpd.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke hailed the auction, affirming that offshore wind is "one tool in the all-of-the-above energy toolbox that will help power America with domestic energy, securing energy independence, and bolstering the economy. This is a big win.”

That followed the equally stunning announcement a week prior by Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that it plans to stage another competitive lease auction in 400,000 acres of New England waters, triggered by unsolicited applications for the same area by Statoil and the U.S. wing of Germany’s PNE Wind.

Wired: Ford's First Hybrid Cop Car Is One Mean, Green Machine

If you’re the getaway driver, seeing the cops coming after you in a fleet of hybrids may be a reassuring sight. What, they’re gonna chase me down in those things? But, as the triumphant officers will surely tell you as you sit in your cell, pairing an electric motor with a petite gasoline engine doesn’t just make a car eco-friendly. It can make it faster off the line, not to mention more comfortable, and practical for police purposes.

Ford’s betting the advantages of hybrids are enough to convince cops around the country to buy its new Police Responder Hybrid Sedan -- the first ever “pursuit rated” hybrid. To earn its badge, this beefed up Fusion braved speed and handling trials, raced over 8-inch curbs, blasted through a railroad crossing at 30 mph, sprinted and screeched to a halt.

RenewEconomy: Battery Breakthrough by 94-Year-Old Inventor Addresses Costs and Life Cycle

A team of U.S. engineers, led by one of the co-inventors of the game-changing lithium-ion battery, has made a new battery storage breakthrough that could also be a game-changer -- particularly for the uptake of electric vehicles.

The team, from the University of Texas, in Austin, claims to have come up with a low-cost all-solid-state battery that is noncombustible and has a long cycle life, has fast rates of charge and discharge, and at least three times as much energy density as today’s lithium-ion batteries.

In terms of electric vehicles, this sort of boost to energy density is all-important, allowing battery-powered cars to drive further between charges. It also allows for a greater number of charging and discharging cycles, which means longer battery life, as well as a faster rate of recharge -- another key hurdle restricting the mass adoption of electric vehicles.