California has taken another step in utilizing its solar energy resources by passing a statewide incentive program for solar water heating.

Solar water heating bill, three others passed by California legislature

Another chapter in California’s growing attempts to harness its abundance of solar energy was written in the wee hours of last Wednesday morning when the state legislature passed a statewide incentive program for solar water heating (AB 1470). The measure will now go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is expected to sign it, according to the environmental group that helped craft the bill. The final Assembly vote was 43-29.

In addition to the solar water heating rebate program, three other energy bills emerged before the California legislature adjourned its regular session that same day to head into a gubernatorial-called special session this week (Sept. 17-20) to deal with health care and some other specific issues. The three bills dealt with renewable energy and global climate change issues.

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Source: NGI

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Now, in Scotland, the development of a hexagonal solar panel that could work even at night has just been announced.

Hexagonal solar panel that works at night: the mirror that will illuminate the Earth from the outside

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As you might expect, one of the biggest obstacles for photovoltaics is the nights of our planet. The panels maintain their ability to absorb light at all times, however, during long hours, they must remain inoperative. Now, in Scotland, the development of a hexagonal solar panel that could work even at night has just been announced.

A solar panel that still works at night? Yes, but it’s not the one you know from Tesla

While sunlight is an abundant and renewable resource and is even the oldest known source of energy, it is also true that obtaining electricity from the sun has proven to be a more complicated task than one might expect. Among other factors such as climate, the greatest difficulty in achieving a constant flow of energy to the solar batteries is the rotation of the earth.

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Source: Eco News

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Planted Solar uses construction robots and high-density arrays to deliver higher energy outputs, lower balance of system costs

US startup claims doubled energy per acre with terrain-following solar array

Planted Solar, a solar startup out of Oakland, California, received $20 million in Series A funding from the Bill Gates Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Kholsa Ventures, as well as the Department of Energy Funds to scale its terrain-following solar installation design.

The company installs its arrays like a sheet, densely packed together, rather than using typical row spacing. Instead of developing the land to be flat and uniform, the company’s solar mounts follow the terrain, tolerating up to a 27% slope. This helps reduce land development costs and allows for more energy-per-acre.

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Source: PV Magazine

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The solar project is part of the larger 46.6MW Jundee mine hybrid renewable energy power project, expected to provide about 56% of the mine site’s energy requirements.

Modular solar solution helps mining operation shift to renewables

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Remote power specialist Zenith Energy has completed a 16.9 MW deployment of Australian manufacturer 5B’s prefabricated Maverick solar array technology on a waste rock dump at Northern Star Resources’ Jundee gold mining operation in Western Australia.

The solar project, which comprises 342 of the modular plug-and-play Maverick units, is part of the larger 46.6 MW Jundee mine hybrid renewable energy power project, which is expected to provide about 56% of the mine site’s energy requirements.

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Source: PV Magazine

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With supply chain constraints easing and system costs decreasing, the commercial solar segment increased by 19% over the prior year.

Utility-scale may make all the news, but DG solar is incredibly important

The United States reached a milestone in its energy journey last year when, for the first time, solar power accounted for more than half of all new electricity-generating capacity added to the grid. It’s no surprise that the utility-scale segment contributed a majority of the solar capacity with a record 22.5 GW. Nor is it shocking that residential projects maintained their popularity with 6.8 GW of installed capacity — a fifth consecutive annual record.

But the distributed generation (DG) segment also had a remarkable year. With supply chain constraints easing and system costs decreasing, the commercial solar segment increased by 19% over the prior year and installed 1.9 GW of new capacity in 2023, while the community solar segment installed 1.1 GW.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Volkswagen is aiming to increase its appeal to EV customers by offering them the chance of taking a solar panel deal to cut the cost of recharging.

Volkswagen looks to brighten up electric car sales with solar panels

Volkswagen is aiming to increase its appeal to EV customers by offering them the chance of taking a solar panel deal to cut the cost of recharging.

Volkswagen is to offer a solar panel deal alongside chargers for its electric cars.

The German car maker says that will cut drivers’ costs by some 40% because they will be able to use excess solar energy to recharge their electric vehicles.

That figure is based on an estimate from UK energy efficiency organisation the Energy Saving Trust which says the average household can expect to pay around £7,000 (€8,200) for a 3.5 kWh solar panel system at peak times.

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Source: Euro News

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For developing countries, floatovoltaics could be especially powerful as a means of generating clean electricity.

Coming soon to a lake near you: Floating solar panels

A reservoir is many things: a source of drinking water, a playground for swimmers, a refuge for migrating birds. But if you ask solar-power enthusiasts, a reservoir is also not realizing its full potential. That open water could be covered with buoyant panels, a burgeoning technology known as floating photovoltaics, aka “floatovoltaics.” They could simultaneously gather energy from the sun and shade the water, reducing evaporation — an especially welcome bonus where droughts are getting worse.

Now, scientists have crunched the numbers and found that if humans deployed floatovoltaics in a fraction of lakes and reservoirs around the world — covering just 10 percent of the surface area of each — the systems could collectively generate four times the amount of power the United Kingdom uses in a year. The effectiveness of so-called FPVs would vary from country to country, but their research found that some could theoretically supply all their electricity this way, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Papua New Guinea.

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Source: Grist

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California is selected to receive $60M in federal funding as part of a significant effort to build a nationwide climate-ready workforce.

As Earth warms, California gets federal funding to train climate-ready workforce

California is among nine U.S. states and territories selected to receive $60 million in federal funding as part of a significant effort to build a nationwide climate-ready workforce.

The investment from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will support job development efforts in coastal and Great Lakes communities around the country, including $9.5 million to establish the Los Angeles County Climate Ready Employment Council at Long Beach City College.

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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CAISO board approved a proposal to revamp the grid operator’s interconnection process, aiming to clear out a massive queue.

CAISO board approves ‘transformational’ grid interconnection reforms

The California Independent System Operator board on Wednesday approved a proposal to revamp the grid operator’s interconnection process, aiming to clear out a massive queue by favoring projects that it believes are most likely to succeed.

Under what it calls the “transformational reforms,” which federal regulators must approve, CAISO will assess three criteria — commercial interest, project viability and system need — when determining whether a project should move into the interconnection study phase, according to a CAISO staff memo to its board.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The US power landscape is about to be shaken up to the tune of 4.5GW worth of new solar energy generation & storage projects over the next 5yrs

The solar energy gloves finally come flying off

The solar revolution has stalled out in some parts of the US, much to the delight of fossil energy stakeholders. However, anything can happen at any time, and it just has. The US power landscape is about to be shaken up to the tune of 4.5 gigawatts’ worth of new solar energy generation and storage projects over the next five years, and three of the most asleep-at-the-solar-wheel states in the nation stand stand to get jarred awake by the sudden influx of investments in clean power.

3 US States In Need Of A Solar Energy Makeover

The leading energy firms Entergy and NextEra Energy Resources announced the new 4.5-gigawatt collaboration last week, to cover solar energy and storage projects in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, where Entergy is the electricity provider for a total of 3 million customers.

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Source: Clean Technica

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