Beam Global recently announced a significant expansion of its customer base within the federal government.

Federal agencies embrace solar EV charging

Beam Global, a leading innovator in sustainable infrastructure for transportation electrification and energy security, recently announced a significant expansion of its customer base within the federal government. Six federal agencies have placed their first-time orders for Beam’s EV ARC™ solar-powered EV charging systems. These acquisitions were facilitated through the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and the Federal Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, streamlining procurement and ensuring competitive pricing.

The EV ARC™ systems stand out for their off-grid capability, generating and storing clean electricity without needing electrical work, construction, or incurring utility bills. This innovation not only reduces costs for the federal government by avoiding construction and electrical upgrades but also ensures operational continuity during blackouts. Moreover, most systems feature an Emergency Power Panel, offering critical support to first responders in emergencies.

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Source: The EV Report

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Unlike pv panels, which can power your home, solar thermal panels are mainly used to heat water. But they’re smaller and more efficient.

Solar water heaters were cool in 1980s. They could be again.

In the early 198os, my dad installed a solar thermal panel on our roof in Florida. For a 5-year-old, the big black square looked like a portal into the future. The device, essentially a glass box with metal water pipes running through it, converted sunlight into hot water. By trapping solar energy like a greenhouse, it heated the water to a scorching 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

It furnished much of the hot water for a family of four. “We had no trouble with it,” my dad tells me. “It was still working when we sold the house 10 years later.”
But today, hardly anyone is using these solar water heaters even as photovoltaic (PV) panels have popped up on the roofs of nearly 4 million American homes.

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Source: The Washington Post

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Pasadena Water & Power is seeking authorization from the City Council for a 20-year power sales contract for solar+battery energy storage.

Pasadena Water and Power seeks approval for 20-year, $500M solar energy contract

Pasadena Water and Power is seeking authorization from the City Council to enter into a 20-year power sales contract with Southern California Public Power Authority for solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage.

The proposed contract, which will be discussed during the Pasadena City Council’s Municipal Services Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, would cost an amount not-to-exceed $512.05 million, a PWP memo showed.

The recommendation is part of PWP’s efforts to transition towards sustainable energy sources and meet ambitious decarbonization goals. The proposed contract aims to source renewable energy from the Bonanza Solar project, operated by Bonanza Solar, LLC, located in Clark County, Nevada.

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Source: Pasadena Now

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San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has brought online a portfolio of four ‘advanced’ microgrids equipped with 180MWh of battery storage.

California utility SDG&E brings online 180MWh of community-resiliency microgrids

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), one of California’s main investor-owned utilities (IOUs), has brought online a portfolio of four ‘advanced’ microgrids equipped with 180MWh of battery storage.

The self-contained energy systems are aimed at giving greater resilience to disruptions in electricity supply for four communities in the San Diego area of the US West Coast state, as well as enabling them to make greater use of local solar PV generation.

At 39MW output to their combined 180MWh energy capacity, the batteries’ average duration at the sites is around 4.6-hour, with each deployed at a different utility substation serving communities in Clairemont, Tierra Santa, Paradise, and Boulevard.

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Source: Energy Storage

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PV installations increased 30% on farms in the latest US Census of Agriculture. Some 116,758 farms had solar panels in 2022, compared with 90,142 in 2017.

Solar use on US farms jumps 30% in five years

Solar is in on the American farm, while the uptake for wind power is slowing.

Photovoltaic installations increased 30% on farms in the latest US Census of Agriculture released Tuesday. Some 116,758 farms had solar panels in 2022, compared with 90,142 in 2017. Wind turbine installation, meanwhile, grew by only 2.7% during the same period, to 14,511 farms.

The slight increase for wind follows a 56% jump in the previous census, which covered the five years to 2017.

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Source: Bloomberg

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AB 2619 will repeal the NEM 3.0 decision and require the CPUC to create a new rule structure based on the clean energy goals set by SB 100.

California assemblymember introduces bill to repeal NEM 3.0

California Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) has introduced new legislation to reduce fees and taxes on residential solar projects and restore incentives to Californians that were recently diminished by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s NEM 3.0 decision.

NEM 3.0 cut the incentives that utilities were required to pay solar homeowners when pushing surplus power to the grid by approximately 75%, plummeting demand for solar adoption throughout the state and threatening many solar installation businesses. In addition to the projected loss of 17,000 jobs, NEM 3.0 has also jeopardized California’s ability to meet its ambitious clean energy goals.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Super Bowl LVIII was powered entirely by renewable power, with an EDF Renewables solar-plus-storage project in Nevada.

Super Bowl LVIII powered entirely by Nevada solar-plus-storage project

Super Bowl LVIII was powered entirely by renewable power, with an EDF Renewables solar-plus-storage project in Nevada meeting the energy demands of the final game of the 2023 NFL season.

The game, which took place on 11 February, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, required 28MWh of electricity, according to climate tracker NZero, which was provided by EDF’s Arrow Canyon project. The solar-plus-storage project has a power generation capacity of 275MW, alongside a 5-hour battery energy storage (BESS) facility with a capacity of 75MW, which reached commercial operation last November.

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Source: PV Tech

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The Irvine office campus Intersect is adding a mega-solar project atop its roofs and car canopies in addition to a battery array.

Irvine’s Intersect office campus going solar

An Irvine office campus is adding a mega-solar project atop its roofs and car canopies in addition to a battery array.

MetLife Investment Management is working with DSD Renewables to install the 2.2-megawatt solar project and 510 kWh battery storage system at Intersect, on behalf of property owners PGGM and MetLife.

MetLife and DSD estimate the solar project will generate more than 3.5 million kWh of energy annually, which should provide for 74% of Intersect’s required power. The battery system also will store excess electricity generated, supporting the grid by reducing peak demand.

The project at the campus along Von Karman Avenue near John Wayne Airport should be completed in 2025, MetLife said.

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Source: The Orange County Register

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VNEM incentivises builders to adopt rooftop solar and share the benefits – both financial and environmental – back to renters.

VNEM lets renters in on rooftop solar – and California needs it most

Most large cities in the US are facing a tri-fold crisis of housing, energy, and affordability including cities in New York State, California, Colorado, and others. Many residents in these cities face a lack of available housing combined with income inequality, which is exacerbated by the rising cost of basic expenses, particularly detrimental for renters. Plus, it’s no secret that Americans across the nation bear the brunt of an aging energy infrastructure, experiencing more frequent power outages and high energy bills due to rising and volatile energy prices.

The good news is that there’s a single existing programme that can help tackle all three of these issues: Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNEM).

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Source: PV Tech

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Solar growth is spreading into new U.S. markets as developers tackle grid challenges and new demand pockets open up in central states.Panel The Planet

US solar dominates new build as developers widen search

Solar installations will account for “almost all growth” in U.S. power generation in 2024-2025, increasing solar’s share of power production from 4% in 2023 to 5.6% this year and 7% in 2025, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last month.
Utility-scale solar installations are rising on the back of tax credits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and growing demand for clean power. Supply chain disruptions and volatile costs dented installations in 2022 but these challenges have moderated, developers told Reuters Events.
Strong growth is expected in markets with mature regulated structures, state renewable targets and competitive solar and wind fundamentals, such as Texas’ ERCOT, California’s CAISO and the large eastern PJM network, Woody Rubin, Chief Development Officer at utility and operator AES, said.

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Source: Reuters

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