A new study shows rooftop solar will save California $2.3B this year, countering claims that it burdens the grid and stifles solar growth.

California’s rooftop solar is a benefit, not a cost, to the state

For years, California utilities, regulators, and consumer advocates have argued that residents with solar panels on their rooftops are making electricity more expensive for everyone else in the state.

In August, a state agency released the latest report detailing this so-called cost shift caused by the rooftop solar industry. The report claimed that in 2024 alone rooftop solar will impose $8.5 billion in extra costs onto customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, the state’s three major utilities.

But a new analysis commissioned by a distributed solar and storage trade group finds just the opposite — that California’s nation-leading 17 gigawatts of rooftop solar have actually saved customers about $2.3 billion on their utility bills this year.

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Source: Canary Media

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Solar panels on global highways are innovative solutions gaining relevance as the world shifts toward green energy.

Study proposes covering highways with 52 billion solar panels

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Chinese Academy of Geosciences, and Columbia University have proposed a historic initiative they say would generate 60 percent of the electricity the world uses each year and slash carbon emissions by 28 percent. Is that crazy talk? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s the plain language summary of their study, which was published in the journal Earth’s Future on July 15, 2024.

“Global efforts are underway to diversify environmentally sustainable strategies for photovoltaic (PV) installations to enhance the accessibility of green electricity. Here, we propose an innovative strategy to roof highways with PV panels and evaluate their electricity generation potential and social-economic co-benefits. Our analysis reveals that globally deploying highway PV systems across existing highway networks has the potential to generate 17,578 TWh of electricity annually, offsetting nearly 28% of concurrent global carbon emissions. Additionally, the highway PV could potentially prevent 150,000 traffic deaths annually and bring profits amounting to $14.42 trillion over a 25 year lifetime. We emphasize that the highway PV may serve as a crucial nexus for promoting human, environmental, and economic sustainability.” The researchers estimate the nations of the world would need to install more than 52 billion solar panels over their highways to maximize the potential of their proposal.

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Source: Clean Technica

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A study finds that color-matching solar modules on roofs or facades boost social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

Custom-colored modules increase social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics

Matching the color of solar modules to the building roof or facade they are installed onto can further increase social acceptance of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), according to new research.

The joint study, from the University of Freiburg’s Institute of Psychology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, features two surveys investigating which solar module designs are accepted on different buildings.

The findings are presented in the research paper “(Not) in my city: An explorative study on social acceptance of photovoltaic installations on buildings,” available in the December edition of Technology in Society.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Swedish scientists reviewed wavelength-selective PV tech for agrivoltaics and recommended creating standards for reporting their performance.

Wavelength-selective PV tech for agrivoltaic applications

Researchers at the Mälardalen University in Sweden have provided an extensive review of all wavelength-selective PV systems for applications in agrivoltaics.

“Traditional opaque silicon panels often create excessive shading that limits light availability for most shade-intolerant crops. Yet, plants do not need the full spectrum of sunlight for growth but only the region where they are photosynthetically active. In some cases, a full spectrum may even hinder their development,” the research’s lead author, Silvia Ma Lu, told pv magazine. “This opens the door for wavelength-selective solar photovoltaic (WSPV) technologies. WSPV systems are designed to transmit light at the wavelengths most beneficial for photosynthesis, while reflecting or absorbing less essential wavelengths to generate electricity.”

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Source: PV Magazine

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By 2030, global renewable electricity generation is expected to grow 90%, reaching over 17,000 TWh, enough to meet China and US demand.

IEA’s analysis and forecasts for photovoltaics to 2030

The International Energy Agency has published its October report, and here is a brief summary of their expectations for photovoltaic energy: IEA – Octubre 2024.

By 2030, global renewable electricity generation is expected to reach over 17,000 TWh, representing an increase of nearly 90% compared to 2023, sufficient to cover the combined demand of China and the United States. Significant milestones will be reached in the next six years:

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Source: Reve

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Lightfoot has solar panels that can boost the scooter’s range by up to 20 miles in the summer, or 10 miles in the winter.

The Lightfoot electric scooter is wrapped in solar panels to address range anxiety

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Otherlab has announced a new electric scooter called the Lightfoot that can extend its range not by fast charging or quick battery swaps, but by soaking up the sun. The scooter is shrouded in two large solar panels that Otherlab says can extend its range by an extra three miles for every hour it’s left in the sun.

The company, which describes itself as an “independent research & design lab” bringing “new solutions in renewable energy,” is planning to make the Lightfoot available for preorder starting today. It will sell for $4,995 and delivery is expected as early as January, 2025.

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Source: The Verge

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Solarcycle has announced plans to invest $62M into growing its solar panel recycling capacity in Polk County, GA to 10 million units yearly.

Solar panel recycler to invest $62M in verticalized Georgia facility

The clock is quickly running down on climate-related sustainability goals. And as corporations race against time to accelerate circular processes and transition to green energy, solar panel recycling firm Solarcycle is expanding its services to meet growing demand.

The Arizona-based company has announced plans to invest $62 million into growing its solar panel recycling capacity in Polk County, Ga. to 10 million units per year, according to the state’s Governor, Brian Kemp.

The facility will be located across the street from Solarcycle’s previously announced 1.1-million-square-foot solar glass factory, creating an additional 640 jobs on top of the 617 already needed to staff that location. According to Kemp, the glass factory will use recycled materials from the recycling facility to create five to six gigawatts worth of new solar glass each year, making Solarcycle one of the first and only manufacturers of specialized glass for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics in the nation.

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Source: Sourcing Journal

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Santa Clara County will soon have a large solar energy system that would generate 50MW of solar energy, that can power 36,000 homes annually.

First large-scale solar energy and storage system to be built on Peninsula

Santa Clara County will soon have a large solar energy system in its own backyard.

VCI Energy, a newcomer to the renewable energy industry, will develop the first large-scale solar energy and storage infrastructure in the county.

Silicon Valley Clean Energy, a public agency that provides clean electricity to homes and businesses throughout Santa Clara County, will purchase the renewable energy generated from the new system – a decision the agency’s Board of Directors approved during its meeting in October.

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Source: Palo Alto Online

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The United States is the second-largest solar adopter and is key to meeting the COP28 goal of tripling renewable energy capacity.

America’s new role at COP29: Global Solar Champion

Last year, world leaders gathered in Dubai for the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP), the most consequential annual conference on global climate change.

Clean energy has played a central role in these negotiations and is often looked at as one of the top solutions to fight climate change. Last year at COP28, 200 countries pledged to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, an ambitious target with a tight deadline.

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Source: SEIA

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US companies Elapath Energy and RenewableErgon are teaming up to develop a 150 MW solar project in Taiwan.

US partners launch 150 MW solar project in Taiwan

US companies Elapath Energy and RenewableErgon are teaming up to develop a 150 MW solar project in Taiwan. The $250 million project will be built in Budai, Chiayi County.

Work on the first phase of the project is scheduled to start next month, following regulatory alignment with Taiwan’s Energy Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), with an aim for completion in February 2025. Once finished, the project is expected to generate solar energy for 30,000 homes.

RenewableErgon is a blockchain-based platform that leverages smart contracts, dynamic electricity pricing, investment and staking in renewable energy projects.

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Source: PV Magazine

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