A new agrivoltaic project aims to enlist bifacial solar panels and saffron in the effort to save small farms with new specialty crops.

Solar panels meet saffron in new agrivoltaic project

The rarefied  world of saffron cultivation is about to encounter a solar makeover. About 90% of the global saffron supply comes from Iran, but the allure of raising a spice crop that retails for $5,000 a pound could widen the territory. That includes the unlikely state of Vermont, where a new agrivoltaic experiment is under way. If all goes according to plan, it could pave the way for for a saffron boom in the US and help save small farms, to boot.

The Agrivoltaic Advantage

Conventional solar arrays are designed with little attention to ground cover. An agrivoltaic array is different. The solar panels are arranged to enable various kinds of farming to take place. Raising the panels higher off the ground is one typical strategy, for example.

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Source: Clean Technica

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The Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility is a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas.

Don’t judge this solar car just by its size

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How would you like to drive a car that runs on sunlight? Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s what the Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility can do for you. It’s a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas. And the best part is, it’s coming out in 2025.

The solar-powered car by the numbers

Imagine driving a tiny car that runs on sunlight. That’s what these vehicles are all about. They have solar panels on the roof that can power them for up to 19 miles on a sunny day, depending on where you are. The Squad can also go as fast as 25 mph, which is not bad for a solar car.

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Source: Fox News

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Floating power plants save on land, could usher in new ways to harness renewables. Here are the world's biggest floating solar farms.

The world’s biggest floating solar farms

FLOATOVOLTAICS: Floating solar, or ‘floatovoltaics,’ marks a revolutionary approach to solar energy, with arrays placed on water bodies rather than traditional land-based systems. This method not only generates clean energy but also offers potential cost savings and increased efficiency. As we delve into the globe’s top floating solar farms, these aquatic installations showcase groundbreaking achievements in renewable energy.

6. Sirindhorn Dam, Thailand – 45 MW

5. Sembcorp Floating Solar Farm, Singapore – 60 MW

4. Cecep Floating Solar Farm, China – 70 MW

3. Cirata Floating Solar Farm, Indonesia – 145 MW

2. Three Gorges New Energy Floating Farm, China – 150 MW

1. Dezhou Dingzhuang Floating Solar Farm, China – 320 MW

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Source: Gulf News

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Clean energy is often now the least expensive. The IEA projected that more than 440GW of renewable energy would be added in 2023.

The year in clean energy: Wind, solar and batteries grow despite economic challenges

Led by new solar power, the world added renewable energy at breakneck speed in 2023, a trend that if amplified will help Earth turn away from fossil fuels and prevent severe warming and its effects.

Clean energy is often now the least expensive, explaining some of the growth. Nations also adopted policies that support renewables, some citing energy security concerns, according to the International Energy Agency. These factors countered high interest rates and persistent challenges in getting materials and components in many places.

The IEA projected that more than 440 gigawatts of renewable energy would be added in 2023, more than the entire installed power capacity of Germany and Spain together.

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Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

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Urban mining recovers silver, copper, aluminium, glass and silicone -- all commodities that have a value on the open market.

‘Urban Mining’ offers green solution to old solar panels

As the world pivots from planet-warming fossil fuels to renewable energy, a new pollution problem is rearing its head: What to do with old or worn-out solar panels?

Thousands of photovoltaic slabs are being installed across the United States every day, particularly in the sunny west and south of the country, as states like California race to towards greener energy production.

But with an expected lifespan of around 30 years, the first wave of solar installations is now coming to the end of its usefulness, sparking a rush to recycle things that might otherwise end up in the landfill.

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Source: BARRON’S

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The new solar-powered concept, which fabricates a DNA hydrogel matrix, incorporates the ability to absorb sunlight and reduce the amount of energy required to evaporate water.

Scientists find new way to desalinate seawater using solar power, study says

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Scientists may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to new research, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy.

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, developed the concept of a solar-powered desalination system that produces fresh water by using smart DNA hydrogels that does not consume additional energy, compared to conventional desalination strategies currently in use, such as reverse osmosis, which use copious amounts of energy, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday.

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Source: ABC News

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The thin-film solar modules are much more adaptable to agricultural situations than regular panels due to their flexible, lightweight design.

Thin-film solar is the future of agrivoltaics

As solar power has been developed and popularized across the globe over the last several decades, the industry has given way to more recent innovation that allows for higher efficiency in irregular places: thin-film solar cells. These lightweight, flexible cells are capable of attachment to surfaces of nearly any shape or design, thanks to their flexibility, while requiring minimal structural supports, due to their light weight. With this technology, solar power is able to be harnessed in a variety of applications and places where previously thought impossible, due to the rigid structure and heavy nature of traditional solar panels.

And now, thin-film solar modules are ready to take on their next challenge: agrivoltaics.

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Source: PV Magazine

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SCE supports solar panel installation on affordable apartments in Orange to save residents money and help reduce their carbon footprint.

Bringing solar power to apartment tenants

It’s a rare sight even in solar power-friendly Southern California. Row after row of photovoltaic panels atop the carports of an affordable housing development in Orange. Residents of The Knolls, a 260-unit apartment complex, are now enjoying the benefits of a new 646-kilowatt solar system. It provides clean and renewable energy for their homes and helps them save money on electric bills.

“I am happy that we have the solar option now. It is good for the environment and our quality of life,” said K.K., a resident of The Knolls. “Now, we can use our savings from our bills to help our children.”

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Source: CSR Wire

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Even after an appeals court rejected a lawsuit to overturn new solar panel regulations, environmental advocates still won't give up.

Solar power advocates say they’re not done fighting California’s new solar rules yet

Their case against the California Public Utilities Commission’s new solar panel rules might have been rejected by an appeals court in San Francisco, but rooftop solar power advocates say they’re not done fighting to expand renewable energy in the state.

On Wednesday, a panel of three First Appellate District judges rejected a petition brought by The Center for Biological Diversity, the Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group challenging the California Public Utilities Commission’s new rules on “net energy metering,” a tariff created for people with rooftop solar panels which allows them to give energy they don’t use to the grid. For that, customers are given credit on their electrical bills.

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Source: Courthouse News Service

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The climate and the adjacent land covered by solar panels help insulate the track from typical problems faced by other tracks.

How solar panel farms can help protect racetracks

The story is as old as racing circuits are. Land uses change around a popular circuit, neighbors complain, land values go up, and the circuit disappears. The litany of circuits that have been devoured by encroaching development in Southern California alone is disturbing to those who have followed motorsport for decades.

But there is a ray of hope in some areas.

Generating solar power requires lots of land. And solar farms are good neighbors to racetracks. They provide a solid buffer zone, sometimes acres, between the circuit and any other land use. They are not disturbed by noise or traffic. They don’t require a lot of people on site. And once they are established, they are not the sort of uses that are easily displaced by residential, commercial, or other industrial uses.

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Source: Roadracing World

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