Wind and solar power are breaking records, and renewables are now expected to overtake coal by 2025 as the world’s largest source of electricity.

The clean energy future is arriving faster than you think

Delivery vans in Pittsburgh. Buses in Milwaukee. Cranes loading freight at the Port of Los Angeles. Every municipal building in Houston. All are powered by electricity derived from the sun, wind or other sources of clean energy.

Across the country, a profound shift is taking place that is nearly invisible to most Americans. The nation that burned coal, oil and gas for more than a century to become the richest economy on the planet, as well as historically the most polluting, is rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels.

A similar energy transition is already well underway in Europe and elsewhere. But the United States is catching up, and globally, change is happening at a pace that is surprising even the experts who track it closely.

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Source: The New York Times

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A solar project expected to generate 100% of the power needed at the Joint Force Training Base Los Alamitos has powered up and will also provide juice to nearby cities.

Solar project at Los Alamitos base expected to increase energy resilience in SoCal

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A solar project expected to generate 100% of the power needed at the Joint Force Training Base Los Alamitos has powered up and will also provide juice to nearby cities.

The completion of the nearly 100-acre project, developed by Arizona-based Bright Canyon Energy,  was celebrated at the 1,300-acre Army base on Friday, Aug. 10. BCE, which partnered with local power utility companies, paid for the installation of the solar panels and will get a percentage of the revenue from selling the renewable energy to local communities.

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Source: The Orange County Register

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Data from the CEC highlight California’s continued progress toward building a more resilient grid, achieving 100% clean electricity and meeting the state’s carbon neutrality goals.

Last decade saw solar generation boom, natural gas slowdown in California

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Data from the California Energy Commission (CEC) highlight California’s continued progress toward building a more resilient grid, achieving 100% clean electricity and meeting the state’s carbon neutrality goals.

Analysis of the state’s Total System Electric Generation report shows how California’s power mix has changed over the last decade. Since 2012:

  • Solar generation increased nearly twentyfold from 2,609 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 48,950 GWh.
  • Wind generation grew by 63%.
  • Natural gas generation decreased 20%.
  • Coal has been nearly phased out of the power mix.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The Port of San Diego was part of a groundbreaking this week for an electric shoreside charging station to support the first all-electric tug in the U.S.

Planned charging station at Port of San Diego to support first all-electric tugboat in US

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The Port of San Diego was part of a groundbreaking this week for an electric shoreside charging station to support the first all-electric tug in the U.S.

Crowley Maritime Corporation, a U.S. maritime, energy and logistics company, will operate “eWolf,” an electric tug that when it is completed will be located at the port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

The charging station is a micro-grid charging facility that will allow vessels to recharge quickly while reducing peak loads on the community energy grid. It is equipped with two containerized energy storage systems provided by Corvus Energy, a leading supplier of reliable energy solutions in the maritime sector.

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Source: Times of San Diego

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Several high schools in the Modesto City School District high schools are installing solar panels. One of the those schools is Downey High.

Multiple schools in Modesto going green with solar panels

Several high schools in the Modesto City School District high schools are installing solar panels.

One of the those schools is Downey High. For a look at what installation looks like check the video player.

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Source: KCRA

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Vast arrays of floating solar panels near the equator could provide unlimited clean energy to countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa, according to new research.

Floating solar on the equator could provide ‘limitless’ energy

Engineering professors at Australian National University have published a new paper in which they explain how some regions on the equator would be ideal for floating solar because the waters there don’t have strong winds and large waves. Tropical storms rarely hit those regions.

The researchers assert that floating solar in those waters could generate up to a massive 1 million TWh per year. They note in an article in The Conversation that “that’s about five times more annual energy than is needed for a fully decarbonized global economy supporting 10 billion affluent people.”

The waters are categorized as calm if the waves are smaller than 6 meters and winds are weaker than 15 meters per second. The calmest waters are in and around Indonesia and equatorial West Africa, near Nigeria. So floating panels installed in those waters wouldn’t need strong, costly engineering defenses.

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Source: electrek

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CA regulators are proposing a plan that could make it impossible for people in apartments, schools and small farms to reap the benefits of solar.

Rooftop solar benefits for apartment buildings, schools in crosshairs of California energy regulators

California energy regulators are proposing a rooftop solar energy billing plan that, if adopted, could make it impossible for people in apartments, schools and small farms to enjoy the environmental, financial and other benefits of the clean power source.

The California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, on August 2 introduced its proposed changes to two key solar programs, Net Energy Metering Aggregation, or NEMA and Virtual Net Energy Metering, or VNEM. The changes could thwart multifamily properties’ use of the energy their rooftop solar generates, forcing them to sell the energy to the state’s electric utilities before purchasing it back at higher retail rates.

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Source: ewg

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MCE continues to expand its local renewable energy portfolio with two new solar projects in Contra Costa and Napa counties.

California electricity provider MCE brings more solar online

MCE, a not-for-profit renewable electricity provider in northern California, continues to expand its local renewable energy portfolio with two new solar projects in Contra Costa and Napa counties.

The 1 MW Byron Hot Springs Solar project in unincorporated Contra Costa County has a 20-year term with Renewable Properties, a commercial solar energy developer. Located on top of a storage facility, Napa Self Storage 2 will supply 0.65 MW of solar power over its 20-year term with Shorebreak Energy Developers.

“Projects like these are helping us secure a carbon-free future,” says Shanelle Scales-Preston, chair of MCE’s board of directors. “All renewable projects – including roof-top, community solar and utility-scale projects – are necessary. We need all of the above to meet our growing needs.”

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Source: Solar Industry

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Scientists in the Netherlands have assessed how the so-called blue-green roofs can help reduce the operating temperature of rooftop PV panels and have found they provide a significant cooling effect.

Well-irrigated roofs with vegetation have cooling effect on PV systems

A research group led by the Netherlands’ Water Research Institute has investigated how a blue-green roof (BGR) may act as a cooling agent for rooftop PV systems and has found that this kind of roof may lower the roof surface temperature by up to 4.64 C compared to a conventional bitumen roof (BiR).

Blue-green roofs are roofs that use “green” technologies, such as lateral drainage and irrigation for plant and crop growth, as well as “blue” technologies like rainwater storage and dosage.

The scientists conducted a series of tests on a PV system installed on a so-called constructed wetroof in an apartment building in Amsterdam. Constructed wetroofs are roofs that use natural processes involving wetland vegetation, soils, and their associated microbial assemblages to improve water quality. The irrigation system used for the research project relies on an additional water supply sourced from grey water from showers that is transformed into irrigation water.

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Source: PV Magazine

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The State of California anticipates 12.5 million EVs on its roads by 2035 and estimates the need for 1.2M public and shared chargers by 2030.

Los Angeles boosts sustainability with Beam Global’s solar EV charging systems

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Beam Global, a trailblazer in sustainable technologies and products for electric vehicle (EV) charging, has announced a significant development. The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks has placed its third and largest order for Beam’s solar-powered EV ARC™ charging systems. These off-grid systems will be utilized to power the City’s expanding fleet of electric vehicles. The purchase was made through the California Department of General Services (DGS) Contract #1-22-61-16, a mechanism designed to streamline government procurement and offer select solutions at the best-negotiated prices across the state.

The EV ARC™ charging systems, each fitting within a standard parking space, come equipped with two Enel X Way JuiceBox® Pro EV charging stations. These systems generate and store their clean electricity, which is used to power the City’s EVs at any time, regardless of weather conditions or power outages. With a flood-proof rating of up to 9.5 feet and wind resistance of up to 160 mph, these systems enhance the City’s energy resilience and disaster preparedness. Moreover, the transportable nature of these charging systems allows for relocation as charging patterns evolve.

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Source: The EV Report

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