Solar, wind and battery storage accounted for nearly 95% of the capacity in transmission interconnection queues as of year-end 2023.

1100 GW solar and 1000 GW storage now await transmission interconnection

By year-end 2023, 1086 GW of solar projects awaited transmission interconnection, along with 503 GW of standalone storage, according to preliminary data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The amount of storage in hybrid projects, such as solar-plus-storage projects, awaiting interconnection at year-end was estimated at 525 GW by LBNL, based on imputed values for missing data when storage capacity for hybrid projects was not reported.

The data were reported in a staff report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

LBNL’s preliminary values for all but one of the resource types awaiting interconnection are presented in the table below from the FERC staff report. The exception is hybrid storage, which FERC staff shows as 299 GW in the table, not LBNL’s preliminary 525 GW, because FERC staff excluded hybrid storage projects for which capacity was not reported.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Walmart is investing in 19 solar projects under development across the US, including 15 community solar projects.

Walmart just funded 15 community solar projects across the US

Walmart is investing in 19 solar projects under development across the US, including 15 community solar projects.

Walmart’s strategic tax equity investment will drive the construction, operation, and maintenance of solar projects across five states – Illinois, Colorado, Maryland, Delaware, and California.

As the American Council on Renewable Energy explains, tax equity investors provide funding to take advantage of the tax benefits and receive cash flows from the project, partnering with the project sponsor to become a partial owner of the project company.

In this case, Walmart is partnering with Colorado-based renewable energy provider Pivot Energy, and the retail giant’s tax equity investment will enable the construction of 72 megawatts (MW) of community solar projects. In Colorado, 41 MW of those projects will serve low and moderate-income homes.

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Source: electrek

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The municipality of Falconara Marittima, Italy, has installed a free off-grid PV shade for electric vehicle charging at no cost to users.

Italian municipality offers free EV recharging via off-grid PV shade

The Italian municipality of Falconara Marittima has deployed a public off-grid photovoltaic shade to enable electric vehicle owners to recharge their cars for free.

“The initiative is an unprecedented novelty,” Michele Massacesi, the owner of the company that developed the project, Sistema X, told pv magazine Italy. “There are three unique characteristics of this product: A self-supporting off-grid shade that rests on ballast, without requiring any excavation and therefore easily removable; electricity produced exclusively by the sun, therefore 100% sustainable; and free energy supply without any form of payment. These are unique features on the market today.”

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Source: PV Magazine

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Skydweller has the wingspan of a 747 jet, only 5,000 lbs., will fly without a pilot at speeds of around 35mph and altitudes up to 40,000ft.

A solar-power plane being tested off the Mississippi coast is pushing the limits of flight

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Deep in the piney woods of south Mississippi, an aerospace company is pushing the boundaries of solar-powered flight.

Working from a temporary hangar at Stennis International Airport, a scant 15-minute drive from the Louisiana-Mississippi line, Skydweller Aero Inc. has been testing an unmanned airplane with a wingspan that stretches three-quarters of a football field and, the company promises, will fly continuously for 90 days or longer using only the energy from the sun.

The plane — also called Skydweller, which resembles a giant glider and only weighs as much as a Ford F-150 pickup truck — will fly without a pilot or human crew at speeds of around 35 mph and altitudes up to 40,000 feet, company officials say.

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Source: nola

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The idea of floating solar panels on reservoirs and other calm waters has already taken hold. Sending them off to sea is another matter of next-level engineering.

Floating solar array is designed to take the rough stuff

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The idea of floating solar panels on reservoirs and other calm waters has already taken hold. Sending them off to sea is another matter of next-level engineering. However, the potential benefit of co-locating solar arrays with offshore wind farms is a tempting prize, and the firm Moss Maritime is moving closer to a solution.

Offshore Floating Solar Modules: It’s Complicated

The Moss venture is especially interesting because Moss Maritime is an established expert in floating offshore technology as a branch of the global conglomerate Saipem, which is known for its decades-long experience in offshore oil drilling. It’s a good example of the ways in which fossil energy know-how can work for the energy transition, not against it.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Wastewater, PV solar arrays & available space may come together to create renewable fuel for California's nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

Hydrogen facility proposed in western Kern would run on solar power, wastewater

Three elements prevalent at Kern County oil production sites — wastewater, photovoltaic solar arrays and available space — may come together before long to create renewable fuel for California’s nascent hydrogen fuel cell market.

A commercial project being proposed in Lost Hills by Chevron Corp.’s renewable energy division would create 2 tons of hydrogen per day by applying electrolysis to oil-field produced water hauled in from company operations elsewhere in the county. The electricity required would come from a solar farm already powering oil production at the site.

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Source: Bakersfield.com

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Aerial imagery provides location intelligence and detailed insights, empowering engineers to design solar farms with laser-sharp precision.

Reshaping the solar landscape with aerial imagery

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Gone are the days of relying solely on ground-level surveys. Today, high-resolution photographs and 3D models generated from aerial imagery paint a comprehensive picture of any given piece of land.

Location intelligence—the process of deriving meaningful insights from geospatial data—and aerial imagery are becoming more prominent in the solar industry. These tools are reshaping the solar power landscape, enabling developers to identify the best areas and layout for solar farms, as well as the optimal tilt of solar panels for increased sun exposure. These changes are not only bringing efficiency upgrades; they are paving the way for timely and relevant solutions to address ongoing climate issues that promise to propel the U.S. toward a more sustainable future.

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Source: PV Magazine

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The photovoltaic and steel industries can work together to meet climate targets and develop a greener manufacturing environment.

Solar and green steel: A growing symbiotic relationship

The photovoltaic industry is quite literally built on steel. As a crucial component of racking and trackers for solar PV systems, a reliable steel supply is a necessity for the transition to solar-powered energy. And as a material, steel is the most sustainable choice for mounting systems, producing just one-third of the emissions per kilo of aluminum.

The steel industry is also working to incorporate sustainability in other ways, such as the use of protective coatings made with plant oils rather than fossil fuel oil. But the sustainability relationship is not one-sided: solar energy is also becoming increasingly important for the steel industry. As pressure grows for steel manufacturing to decarbonize, the two industries can work together to meet climate targets and develop a greener manufacturing environment.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The CPUC issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using LGP.

California approves use of DER schedules to avoid grid impact

Today the California Public Utilities Commission issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using an energy export schedule (known as a Limited Generation Profile or LGP) that is designed to avoid grid impacts. This approach, which leverages California’s public grid data, can reduce the need for costly infrastructure upgrades and support higher levels of renewables on the grid.

The decision is the first of its kind in the United States and is a major milestone in enabling distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar PV and energy storage, to operate in flexible ways that align with conditions on the grid. The decision was significantly shaped by recommendations from the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

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Source: Solar Power World

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The largest floating solar array in the Southeast US is officially generating clean energy in Central Florida.

Largest floating solar array in Southeast US unveiled in Central Florida

The largest floating solar array in the Southeast U.S. is officially generating clean energy right here in Central Florida. The array is made of 2,236 solar panels, each roughly the size of a pool table, and it’s projected to cut energy costs at the water plant by 25% per year while limiting the impact on land and wildlife, according to county officials.

Orange County unveiled the largest floating solar array in the Southeastern United States situated on a 3.6-acre pond at the Southern Regional Water Supply Facility. This innovative project marks a significant step towards achieving the County’s sustainability and resilience goals.

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Source: West Orlando News

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