Once completed, the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System project will increase the project’s total storage capacity by 530 megawatts, enough to power over 90,000 homes.

BLM expands California desert solar farm

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The Bureau of Land Management is advancing construction for its energy storage system in Riverside County, California, furthering the energy capacity of the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm.

Once completed, the Sunlight Storage II Battery Energy Storage System project will increase the project’s total storage capacity by 530 megawatts, enough to power over 90,000 homes. BLM’s Desert Sunlight Battery Energy Storage System, approved in 2021, already provides 550 MW of electricity and 230 MW of energy storage for the state’s power grid.

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Source: Environmental Leader

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The CEC approved a state load shift goal of 7,000 MW by 2030, which is double current levels of demand flexibility and could power up to 7 million homes by the end of the decade without new power plants.

California’s 7 GW load shift goal is ‘starting gun’ for dramatic expansion in flexible demand

The California Energy Commission last week approved a state load shift goal of 7,000 MW by 2030, which is double current levels of demand flexibility and could power up to 7 million homes by the end of the decade without new power plants, according to the agency.

The goal, which comes from a requirement in state Senate Bill 846, passed last year, includes a series of measures including demand response programs and time-of-use rates that incentivize the use of electricity when it makes the most sense for customers and the grid.

The goal is “essentially the counterpart to the renewable portfolio standard,” said Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect. The RPS was “a giant starting gun for utility-scale renewable power… we’ll look back on this as a starting gun for dramatic expansion of flexible demand across the state,” he added.

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Source: Utility Dive

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An outdated solar installation was decommissioned and recycled in a partnership between Solarcycle, PowerFlex, and Decom Solar.

Solar modules removed from Target facility in California meet sustainable end of life

US retailer Target, known for being ahead of the sustainability curve, has solar installed on nearly 550 locations or more than 25% of its stores. The company’s sustainability strategy, called Target Forward, commits the retailer to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions enterprise-wide by 2040.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Solar Means Business 2022 Target is one of the top four companies for solar installed on site, which—at the time—amounted to 255 MW of capacity.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Scientists at Caltech say they've successfully transmitted solar energy gathered by a satellite in orbit down to the Earth's surface.

Satellite beams solar power down to earth using microwave transmitter

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In a remarkable first, scientists at the California Institute of Technology say they’ve successfully transmitted solar energy gathered by a satellite in orbit down to the Earth’s surface, as well as to nearby receivers in space.

Dubbed the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE), the experiment was launched back in January as part of an exciting triptych of tests from Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project (SSPP).

“Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space,” SSPP co-director Ali Hajmiri said in a press release. “We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we detected here at Caltech.”

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Source: yahoo! news

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The Advanced Power and Energy Program at the University of California, Irvine, joined the US DOE, KB Home, SunPower, Southern California Edison and Schneider Electric to officially open the novel microgrid communities in the Shadow Mountain master plan in Menifee, CA.

University of California, Irvine, opens research microgrid in Shadow Mountain community

The Advanced Power and Energy Program at the University of California, Irvine, joined the U.S. Department of Energy, KB Home, SunPower, Southern California Edison and Schneider Electric on May 22 to officially open the novel microgrid communities located in the Shadow Mountain master plan in Menifee, California.

A microgrid is a self-supporting energy system that serves a specific geographic footprint, with one or more sources of energy that power the community along with the utility grid. For this research and demonstration project, the all-electric homes are located in two adjacent communities and equipped with solar panels, home batteries, a smart water heater, a smart heating and air conditioning system and controls that can isolate and energize the homes in the event of a grid outage. Every home is certified to DOE-designated Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) standards, which includes ENERGY STAR, WaterSense and Indoor airPLUS.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Metal trees with a seven-meter canopy of solar panels that generate electricity may soon be coming to car parks and shopping malls in the UK.

Solar trees could soon be charging your car

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Metal trees with a seven-meter canopy of solar panels that generate electricity may soon be coming to car parks and shopping malls in the UK.

The structures, which will capture the sun’s energy through nano photovoltaic “leaves” and could store it in a battery placed within the tree’s trunk, were designed by British startup SolarBotanic Trees as a power source for charging electric vehicles (EV). The company recently completed a half-scale prototype of the device and is now looking to build and test a full-size version, before beginning commercial production at the end of the year.

In the UK, EV charging infrastructure is rapidly growing, with more than 40,000 public charging points installed by the end of April 2023, up 37% from the previous year, according to ZapMap, an EV mapping service. But this still does not keep up with demand, with the UK’s Climate Change Committee estimating that 325,000 charging points will be needed by 2032 to support the growing electric fleet.

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Source: CNN

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The only known rice mill in Florida will now be using a 900-panel solar array and a Tesla Megapack battery to power its operations.

Florida’s only rice mill turns to solar power

The Sem Chi Rice Mill in Belle Glade, Florida, US, which is owned by Florida Crystals Corp. and is the only known rice mill in the state, will now be using a 900-panel solar array and a Tesla Megapack battery to power its operations.

According to the company, the solar array and utility-scale Tesla battery will work together in tandem, meaning the panels will power the rice mill and charge the battery during the day for later use after dark. As part of the first phase of a larger solar project, these joint energy sources will power one of the rice mill’s two electrical meters and supply approximately 20% of the facility’s total energy needs, reducing an estimated 250 tonnes of carbon annually in the process. Not only does the Megapack remove the need for industrial-sized diesel generators, which are temporarily installed after hurricanes, but also it makes the rice mill the first in the state of Florida to use the battery in operation.

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Source: World Grain

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LDES systems are large energy storage installations that can store renewable energy until needed and can provide a much-needed solution for a reliable and decarbonized grid.

Long-duration energy storage: The time is now

How can US states with aggressive decarbonization goals coupled with federal decarbonization goals have energy when they need it? Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is a likely candidate. LDES systems are large energy storage installations that can store renewable energy until needed and can provide a much-needed solution for a reliable and decarbonized grid. But planning needs to start now, according to new research from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

“Defining Long Duration Energy Storage,” a report by Senior Energy Analyst Jeremy Twitchell and Waterpower Advisor Kyle DeSomber from PNNL, explores how the growth of renewable energy generation will require LDES to fill the gap between variable energy generation and customer demands. The report also describes the barriers in current energy planning and procurement processes that prevent planners from recognizing those needs.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Including solar, wind & nuclear power as well as hydroelectricity via large dams, 59% of CA's electricity now comes from carbon-free sources.

California hits new record for renewable energy generation

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California has hit a new milestone in clean energy as the state continues to move away from fossil fuels in its decades-long effort to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2021, 37 percent of the state’s electricity was generated by renewable sources such as solar and wind — more than double the 16 percent total in 2012, according to new numbers released Thursday by the California Energy Commission.

More broadly, when nuclear power and hydroelectricity from large dams are included, 59 percent of California’s electricity now comes from carbon-free sources. The state has a goal of 90 percent by 2035 and 100 percent by 2045.

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Source: GovTech

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In total, solar accounted for 15.9% of the state’s retail electricity sales in 2021, the highest among all renewable energy sources.

Solar accounted for 16% of California’s electricity sales in 2021

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Solar became California’s biggest non-fossil fuel source of electricity sales in 2021, according to the latest data from the California Energy Commission.

In total, solar accounted for 15.9% of the state’s retail electricity sales, the highest among all renewable energy sources, followed by wind (11.5%) and geothermal (5.8%). In addition, 37.2% of the state’s retail electricity sales were from RPS-eligible (Renewables Portfolio Standard) sources in 2021, leading nuclear (10.8%) and large hydro (10.7%).

Together, non-fossil fuel sources contributed to about 59% of California’s retail electricity sales. This amount remained unchanged from 2020 despite the jump in renewables and drought-related declines in hydroelectric generation.

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Source: PV Tech

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