Stay informed about the latest developments in communication infrastructure, power storage technology, outdoor cabinet design, and renewable energy solutions.
In June 2020, China released a master plan to build the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of the century. Series of opening-up policies have been issued to create a "foreign investor-friendly" business environment in Hainan.
* China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will officially launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025, which marks the anniversary of the milestone Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 that ushered in the reform and opening-up, underscores China's unwavering commitment to high-standard opening-up.
The Catalogue of Encouraged Industries in the Hainan Free Trade Port (2024 Edition), which came into effect on 1 March 2024, specifies that in addition to those categories receiving encouragement under existing national industrial catalogues, Hainan will have 14 more industries receiving such treatment, creating a total of 176 types.
An aerial drone photo shows a duty-free shopping mall in Sanya, South China's Hainan province, May 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua] The Hainan Free Trade Port will launch island-wide independent customs operations on Dec 18, a key step in transforming the tropical island into a globally significant free trade hub, a senior official announced Wednesday.
In the early 2000s, Germany encouraged people to install solar panels on the roofs of their homes by rewarding them with payments, known as feed-in tariffs, for sending energy to the grid. But those have become less lucrative in recent years, making such large-scale investments less attractive.
But in homes across Germany, they are powering a quiet transformation, bringing the green revolution into the hands of people without requiring them to make a large investment, find an electrician or use heavy tools. “You don’t need to drill or hammer anything,” Ms. Berg said.
History of German feed-in tariffs in ¢/kWh for rooftop solar of less than 10 kW p since 2001. For 2016, it amounted to 12.31 ¢/kWh. Germany introduced its feed-in tariff in 2000 and it later became a model for solar industry policy support in other countries. : 145
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin.
Lithium-ion batteries, such as power banks, should only be packed in carry-on baggage, according to US FAA and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules. In general, most airlines allow each passenger to carry a maximum of two lithium-ion power banks of 100-160 Watt-hour (Wh) into the cabin.
Power banks and batteries are now only allowed in hand luggage, not overhead bins. Passengers are also prohibited to charge their power banks by plugging them to in-seat power supply systems that airlines provide, the report says.
Similarly, passengers are not allowed to recharge the power bank from an aircraft’s USB outlet. Some airlines are requiring passengers to remove their power banks from bags and keep them in a seat pocket. They also advise insulating the terminals to avoid a short circuit. Why are airlines banning power banks now?
Battery storage power plants and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are comparable in technology and function. However, battery storage power plants are larger. For safety and security, the actual batteries are housed in their own structures, like warehouses or containers.
"US installed grid-scale battery storage capacity reached 9 GW / 25 GWh in 'record-breaking' 2022". Energy Storage News. ^ "U.S. surpasses 200 gigawatts of total clean power capacity, but the pace of deployment has slowed according to ACP 4Q report".
As with a UPS, one concern is that electrochemical energy is stored or emitted in the form of direct current (DC), while electric power networks are usually operated with alternating current (AC). For this reason, additional inverters are needed to connect the battery storage power plants to the high voltage network.
Since 2010, more and more utility-scale battery storage plants rely on lithium-ion batteries, as a result of the fast decrease in the cost of this technology, caused by the electric automotive industry. Lithium-ion batteries are mainly used. A 4-hour flow vanadium redox battery at 175 MW / 700 MWh opened in 2024.
