The Anaheim Transportation Network opened the first-of-its-kind, solar-powered charging facility in the county.

Anaheim’s resort-area buses get new solar-powered charging facility

The Anaheim Transportation Network, the transit agency that runs buses in the city’s resort district, on Friday opened the first-of-its-kind, solar-powered charging facility in the county to power its fleet of battery electric buses and vans.

The charging hub, located east of the 5 Freeway off of South Claudina Street, expands the agency’s ability to charge its electric vehicles as its leaders plan to buy more in the coming years.

“We’re extremely proud of it,” ATN CEO Diana Kotler said.

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Source: The Orange County Register

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California has increased battery capacity by 1,250% since the beginning of the Newsom Administration – up from 770 MW in 2019.

California achieves major clean energy victory: 10,000 MW of battery storage

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The state has increased its battery storage capacity over tenfold since the beginning of the Newsom Administration. Adding batteries is critical to achieving the state’s ambitious goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045.

WINTERS – California has notched a major victory on its path to 100% clean electricity: surpassing 10,000 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity.

At 10,379 MW, the state has increased battery capacity by 1,250% since the beginning of the Newsom Administration – up from 770 MW in 2019. Ramping up battery storage is a key part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s energy roadmap, the state’s plan to achieve its ambitious goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045.

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Source: gov.ca

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California has hit record-breaking milestones in renewable electricity generation, showing that WWS are ready to cover our electricity needs

A golden age of renewables is beginning, and California is leading the way

Something spectacular is happening in the Golden State. California—the fifth-largest economy in the world—has experienced a record-breaking string of days in which the combined generation of wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and solar electricity has exceeded demand on the main electricity grid for anywhere from 15 minutes to 9.25 hours per day. These clean, renewable electricity sources are collectively known as wind-water-solar (WWS) sources.

It is impossible to understate how monumental this clean, renewable energy milestone is and how quickly WWS supplies have ramped up. In 2022 and 2023, California reached 100 percent WWS on the grid but only for the occasional day on a weekend—never two days in a row and never during the week. Now it’s an almost daily occurrence during spring. And it heralds in a new era of clean, renewable electricity, which will ultimately power the entire U.S. and the rest of the world for nearly all energy purposes.

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Source: SCI AM

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The US DOE is amending its list of categories of projects which qualify for the simplest form of environmental review under the NEPA.

US DOE reduces regulatory hurdles for solar, energy storage, & transmission projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is amending DOE’s list of categories of projects which, because they typically do not have significant environmental impacts, qualify for the simplest form of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). DOE is simplifying the environmental review process for certain energy storage systems such as battery systems, transmission line upgrades, and solar photovoltaic systems. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to promote the development of clean energy and supporting infrastructure, DOE is taking these steps to reduce the cost and time for environmental analysis incurred by DOE, project developers, and the public for these projects.

DOE based the proposed changes on years of experience evaluating the environmental impacts of these types of projects through research, conducting environmental reviews, and engaging with industry, local communities, and other government agencies. DOE carefully considered its experience with energy storage, transmission line upgrades, and solar energy projects before simplifying the environmental review process. Under the changes, DOE will continue to look closely at each proposed project while being able to complete its environmental review responsibilities in a faster and less expensive manner.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Transparent solar cells will transform the look of infrastructure by enabling many more surfaces to become solar panels.

A shade closer to more efficient organic photovoltaics

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Transparent solar cells will transform the look of infrastructure by enabling many more surfaces to become solar panels. Now, materials called non-fullerene acceptors that can intrinsically generate charges when exposed to sunlight could make semitransparent organic photovoltaics easier to produce, a KAUST-led international team shows.

Semitransparent photovoltaics are able to convert sunlight into electricity without blocking visible light. This makes them attractive for building integrated applications, such as windows, facades and greenhouses.

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Source: PHYS.org

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NASA is preparing to test a new, highly advanced solar sail design. It could one day allow spacecraft to travel without bulky rocket fuel.

NASA will unfurl a 860-square-foot solar sail from within a microwave-sized cube

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NASA hitched a ride aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron Launcher in New Zealand yesterday evening, and is preparing to test a new, highly advanced solar sail design. Now in a sun-synchronous orbit roughly 600-miles above Earth, the agency’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) will in the coming weeks deploy and showcase technology that could one day power deep-space missions without the need for any actual rocket fuel, after launch.

The fundamentals behind solar sails aren’t in question. By capturing the pressure emitted by solar energy, thin sheets can propel a spacecraft at immense speeds, similar to a sailboat. Engineers have already demonstrated the principles before, but NASA’s new project will specifically showcase a promising boom design constructed of flexible composite polymer materials reinforced with carbon fiber.

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Source: Popular Science

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Burundi installed 340 kW of energy capacity in 2023, the UNDP told pv magazine, adding that the country could increase this in 2024.

Solar key to easing Burundi’s severe energy crisis

Burundi installed 340 kW of energy capacity in 2023, the UNDP told pv magazine, adding that the country could increase this in 2024. The local office was unable to provide a forecast for 2024 or the total installed capacity in 2022, as that many small-scale projects often go unnoticed.

“Photovoltaics could help to cushion the country’s energy complexities, if properly maintained and monitored, through standalone or pairing solar with hydropower, like in the case of Nyabikere mini-hydroelectric plant in Karusi,” said UNDP spokesperson Aloys Sahiri.

Analysts say that several configurations could help the poorest country on Earth secure its energy needs. Some even speak about a possible “renewable energy revolution.”

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Source: PV Magazine

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New York State’s largest onsite solar plus storage project – a solar carport canopy at JFK International Airport – has begun construction.

New York State’s largest solar + storage carport breaks ground at JFK airport

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New York State’s largest onsite solar plus storage project – a solar carport canopy at JFK International Airport – has begun construction.

Once the solar carport comes online, it will help power the AirTrain and reduce electricity costs for residents of low-income neighborhoods in Queens.

The solar carport will be in JFK’s long-term parking lot 9, providing covered parking for 3,000 vehicles. The 12-megawatt (MW) solar canopy will feature enough solar panels to cover the equivalent of 11 football fields and include a 6-MW community solar generation facility.

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Source: electrek

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Data acquired by Euronews claims that 400,000 German households have already connected their verandas and balconies to solar panels.

Solar balconies are booming in Germany and you can plug in and install them yourself

Solar panels are finding their way onto all sorts of surprising surfaces, and now Central Europeans are beginning to line their balcony rails with them; because why not?

To mark the 70th anniversary of the solar cell’s mainstream entry into society, data acquired by Euronews claims that 400,000 German households have already connected their verandas and balconies to solar panels.

New data shows at least 50,000 of the PV devices were added in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

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Source: Good News Network

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New grants for Solar for All programs aim to install solar panels and boost community solar access for over 900,000 low- and middle-income residents nationwide.

Making solar affordable: This $7B US investment expands solar for all

Widespread access to solar power is vital to transitioning the US away from climate-warming fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. There’s a problem: Rooftop solar panels are expensive, with prices in the tens of thousands of dollars putting them out of reach for many Americans.

Newly expanded government programs, backed by $7 billion in grants announced Monday by the Biden administration for Earth Day, aim to close that affordability gap. Called Solar for All, they’re intended to make clean energy accessible by offering free or low-cost rooftop solar panels or community solar access. Essentially, the programs provide a share in the power provided by a nearby solar facility.

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Source: CNET

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