The DOE opened applications on Monday for round seven of its American-Made Solar Prize competition, announcing $4 million in prizes.

DOE launches 7th round of solar innovation competition, offering $4M in prizes

The Department of Energy opened applications on Monday for round seven of its American-Made Solar Prize competition, announcing $4 million in prizes and a new prize category.

Since it launched the competition in 2018, DOE has given out $15 million in prizes to entrepreneurs over six rounds. The prizes are given out to hardware and software solutions, and are intended to spur innovations in the solar sector and address challenges to deployment.

“Entrepreneurial students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution” are all eligible to compete, says DOE’s website. The deadline to apply for the first phase of this round is Sept. 27.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Utility Dive

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

Community solar+storage projects can provide millions of dollars more in value to California utility customers when systems are built on commercial and industrial rooftops in cities rather than on open land in rural areas.

California’s urban roofs provide more value for community solar+storage than rural areas

Community solar installations give community residents access to solar power regardless of whether they rent their home or live in a shady area. Customers buy or rent a share of an off-site solar installation that supplies their electricity and typically earn credits on their electricity bills for the electricity the installation provides.

Despite being a national leader in utility-scale solar power, California “doesn’t have workable community solar programs yet,” Churchill said, echoing sentiments solar developers have expressed for years in the Golden State. Community solar programs thus far have been very limited in size, she said, and customers often pay more for energy than they did before they enrolled, which she says indicates “the pricing structure is undervaluing the benefits of the clean energy.”

Click here to read the full article
Source: Smart Cities Dive

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

A NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary won approval from the US BLM to build a 300 MW battery energy storage project at a solar farm in CA’s desert.

BLM approves 300-MW Sunlight Storage II project in Southern California

,

The newest project will add to the 230 MW Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System that BLM said in August was fully operational. It’s on 94 acres of BLM-managed public land near Desert Center in Riverside County.

All Desert Sunlight Solar facilities, including the newly-approved Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System, are in an area analyzed and identified as suitable for renewable energy development in BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which is focused on 10.8 million acres of public land in the desert regions of seven California counties.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Utility Dive

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

California, along with other states and the solar industry, is actively working to develop ways to recover the valuable materials from decommissioned solar panels and minimize the disposal of hazardous components.

From sun to sustainability: The journey of solar panel recycling

California has become a significant hub for solar panel installations, leading the way in the adoption of solar energy within the United States.
With a current installed capacity of over 11,000 MW or the amount of electricity that would power Los Angeles County, the state has embraced sustainable practices and played a pivotal role in promoting clean energy solutions.

However, the growing popularity of solar panels has brought attention to a critical issue: the challenge of recycling these devices at the end of their lifespan.

As the United States is projected to dominate solar power in North America by 2030, with an estimated capacity of 240 gigawatts, concerns are emerging about the potential accumulation of solar waste. Experts anticipate that by 2030, between 170,000 and 1 million metric tons of solar panel waste may be generated.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Peninsula Press

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The country’s most ambitious & expensive infrastructure project, with an estimated cost of more than $100B will connect LA and SFO in a 422-mile system.

California’s $100 billion electric bullet train will be fully solar powered

,

Elon Musk unveiled his futuristic hyperloop concept in 2013 by taking swipes at California’s high-speed rail project, deriding it as “a bullet train that is both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world.” A decade later, his fanciful tube train remains science fiction while construction of the Golden State’s cash-strapped railway continues, with at least one feature the mercurial billionaire should like: it’s going to be solar-powered.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is preparing to begin discussions with potential suppliers of a $200 million utility-scale system it will own and operate. It will include 552 acres of solar panels generating 44 megawatts of electricity — enough for a city of 33,000 people — and batteries to store 62 megawatt hours of power. The system must be robust enough to provide powerful electrical bursts to propel trains at up to 220 miles per through the 171-mile Central Valley segment of the railway, withstand intense heat and keep passengers moving along — even if there’s a blackout at local utilities.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Forbes

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The CAISO set a new solar peak generation record for the third month in a row, as solar output has reached the highest level on record so far this month.

CAISO sets solar peak generation record of 15.178 GW, the fourth record this year

,

The California Independent System Operator set a new solar peak generation record for the third month in a row, as solar output has reached the highest level on record so far this month.

The new record of 15.178 GW was reached at 12:11 pm PT June 2, surpassing the previous record from May 23 by 72 MW, according to the latest CAISO Key Statistics report published June 12.

The records come as no surprise since CAISO solar capacity continues to rise, even if the increase is slower than expected, Morris Greenberg, a senior manager with the low-carbon electricity team at S&P Global, said June 13.

Click here to read the full article
Source: S&P Global

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

For the first time in US history, US-made wind and solar components are now cheaper than imports, according to a new study.

US-made wind and solar components are now cheaper than imports

Dartmouth and Princeton researchers just released a study called, “Effects of Renewable Energy Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act on Technology Costs, Materials Demand, and Labor” that was funded by the BlueGreen Alliance, which unites labor unions and environmental organizations.

The report examines the estimated impacts the Inflation Reduction Act will have on the US wind and solar industries. Specifically, the report analyzes the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act’s 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC), as well as the clean electricity production and investment tax credits.

Click here to read the full article
Source: electrek

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

A new solar-powered energy storage plant that recently opened in Cicero is the first of its kind in the country.

First of its kind ‘wireless’ solar energy storage plant opens in Cicero

,

A new solar-powered energy storage plant that recently opened in Cicero is the first of its kind in the country.

National Grid New York President Rudy Wynter said the new plant is unique because it uses wireless technology to transmit and help store energy that can be called upon during times of peak energy demand, “This is the first of its kind in that this is the first solar and storage non-wire alternative project we believe in the country,” he said.

National Grid teamed up with Convergent Energy to build the new energy storage plant which sits on 55 acres near Northern Boulevard in Cicero.

Click here to read the full article
Source: CNY Central

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures owns and operates the floating solar farm, which covers 17 acres of the Canoe Brook reservoir in Short Hills, NJ.

The largest floating solar farm in North America is officially online

,

New Jersey is host to an 8.9 megawatt (MW) floating solar farm – the largest floating solar array in North America.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures owns and operates the floating solar farm, which covers 17 acres of the Canoe Brook reservoir in Short Hills, New Jersey. NJR CEV and New Jersey American Water held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project yesterday.

The floating solar farm consists of 16,510 solar panels, and the clean power they generate is enough to power 1,400 homes annually. It will provide around 95% of the power needs for New Jersey American Water’s Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant.

Click here to read the full article
Source: electrek

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.

The 10 MW system will provide energy cost savings directly to qualifying low-income residents under PG&E’s DAC-GT Program.

California’s largest solar project for low-income communities starts construction

,

Construction has begun on the Fresno Disadvantaged Community (DAC) Solar Farm, the largest shared solar project for disadvantaged communities in California and the first utility-scale solar farm within Fresno. The 10 MW system will provide energy cost savings directly to qualifying low-income residents under PG&E’s Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff (DAC-GT) Program. The project was made possible by close collaboration between White Pine Renewables and the City of Fresno.

Located in Council District 3, “The Fresno DAC Community Solar Farm is the perfect case study of ensuring equity in the new green economy through public-private partnerships that benefit all Fresno residents. In short, it’s the type of solar development where everyone wins,” commented Council Member Miguel Arias.

Click here to read the full article
Source: Solar Builder

—

If you have any questions or thoughts about the topic, feel free to contact us here or leave a comment below.