In efforts to move towards using clean energy, Watt EV chose Bakersfield to launch their 115-acre electric truck charging depot.

Watt EV launches nation’s first solar-powered truck charging depot in Bakersfield

In efforts to move towards using clean energy, transportation service Watt EV chose Bakersfield to launch their 115-acre electric truck charging depot.

CEO and Co-founder Salim Youssefzadeh said this hub will pave the way for the future of transportation.

Youssefzadeh said, “Having electric truck stops along the way is definitely a step to reducing emissions, and we chose this site initially because it’s on the I-99 corridor and it caters to a lot of the distribution center around us.”

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Source: BakersfieldNow

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Giant batteries are delivering solar power after dark in California and helping to stabilize grids in other states.

Giant batteries are transforming the way the US uses electricity

California draws more electricity from the sun than any other state. It also has a timing problem: Solar power is plentiful during the day but disappears by evening, just as people get home from work and electricity demand spikes. To fill the gap, power companies typically burn more fossil fuels like natural gas.

That’s now changing. Since 2020, California has installed more giant batteries than anywhere in the world apart from China. They can soak up excess solar power during the day and store it for use when it gets dark.

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Source: New York Times

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Solar panels are often tilted to a stowed position to prevent wind damage to utility-scale assets. Array Technologies introduced a passive stowing strategy that prevents unnecessary production losses.

Passive solar tracker wind stowing boosts energy production

During high wind events, utility-scale solar assets are often automatically tilted to a stowed position to prevent damage and downtime from repairs. High wind can cause solar panels to vibrate and rotate, leading to microcracking, twisting, or shattering of panels.

However, stowing solar trackers can lead to a loss of production as they do not follow the sun in an active stow system.

Array Technologies, a leading provider of solar tracker systems, worked with independent engineering and design firm DNV to study an alternative method to active stowing called passive stowing. The analysis focused on evaluating the energy losses associated with various tracker wind stow methods and considered multiple variables, including wind velocity stowing thresholds, wind direction, dwell time, stow exit wind velocity threshold, stow angle, and stow direction.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Scientists in China have developed a PV-driven direct-drive refrigeration system for electronic device cooling.

Photovoltaics for vapor compression refrigeration

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Researchers at the Hebei University of Technology in China have designed a solar photovoltaic direct-drive refrigeration system with low energy consumption for high heat-flux electronic device cooling.

“The proposed system integrates photovoltaic power generation with direct-cooling and vapor compression refrigeration (VCR),” the research’s lead author, Xiaohui Yu, told pv magazine. “The combination of micro-evaporator and direct cooling method can achieve good heat exchange efficiency.”

The system consists of two subsystems: a PV unit including a battery and an maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller; and a VCR unit comprising a DC rotary compressor, a fin air-cooled condenser, an electronic expansion valve, an embedded direct cooling evaporator, and a dry-filler.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Solar is the major driver of this energy transition. EIA said that solar will provide 41% more electricity in 2024 than in 2023.

Solar to contribute over 60% of new US electricity generation in 2024

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Short-Term Energy Outlook report, forecasting that the total electricity generation capacity in the United States will increase 3% in 2024 and 1% in 2025.

“Renewable energy sources—chiefly solar—will supply most of that growth,” said EIA.

Solar, wind, and hydropower in 2023 combined for roughly 21% of electricity generation in the United States. EIA expects this figure to grow to 24% in 2025.

Solar is the major driver of this energy transition. EIA said that solar will provide 41% more electricity in 2024 than in 2023. EIA said the 19 GW of solar capacity added in 2023 and the over 37 GW expected this year account for the large jump in generation. In 2025, total solar generation is expected to grow another 25%.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a method to make high-quality perovskite films at room temperature.

UCSB pioneers a low-energy process for high-performance solar cells

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Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with scientists devising ever more efficient materials for capturing sunlight.

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional, silicon solar cells, boasting a number of advantages. But processing the material has been a complicated affair. Now, researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a method to make high-quality perovskite films at room temperature. The team’s innovation not only simplified the production process but also increased the material’s efficiency from under 20% to 24.4%. The details appear in the journal Joule.

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Source: UC Santa Barbara

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247Solar’s innovative concentrated solar power system stores sunshine for continuous clean energy, day & night.

MIT spinoff unveils continuous solar power solution technology

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For the past two decades, solar and wind farms have become a familiar sight, revolutionizing how we generate electricity. However, complete decarbonization requires a broader arsenal of technologies. This is because renewable sources like solar and wind are intermittent, meaning they don’t produce power consistently. Additionally, they can’t provide the high temperatures crucial for many industrial processes.

Enter 247Solar, a company pioneering a novel approach to concentrated solar power (CSP) that addresses these limitations. Their high-temperature systems boast overnight thermal energy storage, enabling them to deliver round-the-clock clean power and industrial-grade heat.

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Source: Interesting Engineering

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Microsoft will support the development of 10.5GW of new renewable energy capacity around the world to fuel its AI ambitions and climate goals.

Microsoft made the biggest renewable energy agreement ever to fuel its AI ambitions

Microsoft just agreed to support the development of 10.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity around the world, a massive amount of electricity to fuel its AI ambitions and climate goals.

For comparison, 10.5 GW of renewable energy amounts to nearly half the amount of solar and wind capacity California had in 2022. This is quite literally a very big deal — effectively the largest corporate agreement to purchase renewable energy to date, according to BloombergNEF. Microsoft inked the agreement yesterday with Brookfield Asset Management, which said the deal is almost eight times bigger than what was previously the single largest corporate power purchase agreement ever signed.

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Source: The Verge

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The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been at the forefront of the solar revolution for the last 50 years.

The solar century: Landmark moments in the history of solar energy

The history of solar energy is an American success story.

Since the creation of the first silicon solar cell 70 years ago, solar leaders have been innovating, improving efficiency, lowering costs, and growing this American-born technology into an essential part of our nation’s energy system.

In 2023, solar accounted for over 50% of new electricity generating capacity added to the grid and employs over 260,000 Americans. With over 179 GW of installed capacity and growing, the solar and storage industry has become an American energy powerhouse.

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Source: SEIA

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A 1-megawatt initiative called the Fallon Two Rock solar project is estimated to power 400 homes by generating 2,300 megawatt hours annually.

Marin solar project aims to provide power on coast

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Green energy might be more attainable for residents in western Marin because of a new solar project.

A 1-megawatt initiative called the Fallon Two Rock solar project is estimated to power 400 homes by generating 2,300 megawatt hours annually.

The project, located on a 4.5-acre plot in Tomales, is a collaboration between MCE and Santa Clara-based Renewable America. While the project goes toward the energy company’s total portfolio, it will first benefit those who subscribe to the clean energy provider in western Marin.

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Source: Marin Independent Journal

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