The SEIA released a draft solar supply chain standard that aims to help companies comply with US Customs and Border Protection traceability requirements.

SEIA proposes solar supply chain traceability standard

The Solar Energy Industries Association on Monday released a draft solar supply chain standard that aims to help companies comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection traceability requirements. The proposed standard is the first of its kind, according to SEIA.

The standard “explains how to conduct forced labor-focused due diligence, including how to develop a material traceability system to trace the provenance of materials from upstream suppliers into finished products, and how to identify and address indicators of forced labor in supply chains,” according to its introduction.

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Source: Utility Dive

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Cyprus leads the EU in solar hot-water systems, with 93.5% of households using this alternative energy for domestic needs.

‘You basically have free hot water’: how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating

The Thriamvos company truck pulls up at noon outside the four-storey building in the heart of Nicosia.

It’s the third rooftop installation of a solar-powered water heating system that Petros Mihali and his assistant, Soteris, have made in the Cypriot capital since their working day began at 7am.

The process is perfectly choreographed and almost always the same: in the searing midday sun, the crane bolted on to the truck hoists the boiler up first, then the black-paned solar panels, then the galvanised steel mount on which the entire system will stand. Within two hours of the thermal technology being set up, the household, say the Thriamvos company employees, will have “gone solar”.

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Source: The Guardian

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With 56GW of new solar energy capacity installed in 2023, the EU has set yet another record, surpassing the additional 40GW installed in 2022

European Union ditching fossil gas fast, replacing with solar & wind

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The European Commission recently published its State of the Energy Union Report 2024. The Commission says that the report “describes how the EU has managed unprecedented challenges in the energy policy landscape during this Commission’s mandate, equipping the EU with a regulatory framework for pursuing the clean energy transition and laying the foundations for renewed economic growth and competitiveness.”

One of the notable challenges the EU is facing at the moment, of course, is the continued Russia invasion of Ukraine. Having previously relied on an enormous amount of fossil gas (aka natural gas) from Russia, the EU has had to find ways to replace it. Part of that has been getting fossil gas from elsewhere (most notably, the US). However, part of that has involved simply cutting demand for fossil gas. Overall, it’s impressive how much the Union has been able to do that, as evidenced in the following chart:

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Source: Clean Technica

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Centennial is designed to be a master-planned, environmentally friendly town that addresses the pressing issue of climate change.

Green California town planned to combat global warming

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A planned community in California aims to set a benchmark for sustainable living in the face of global warming.

Centennial, located in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, is designed to be a master-planned, environmentally friendly town that addresses the pressing issue of climate change by integrating green technologies and sustainable urban planning from the ground up.

Environmental Focus

Centennial is a massive master-planned community set to occupy approximately 12,000 acres and designed to accommodate 19,333 homes (18 percent earmarked as affordable), along with commercial spaces, schools, and parks.

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Source: Newsweek

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New Mexico is getting a solar cell factory worth almost $1 billion, bringing new jobs to the community too.

A $1 billion solar cell factory is coming to New Mexico

New Mexico is getting a solar cell factory worth almost $1 billion, bringing new jobs to the community too.

According to Electrek, Ebon Solar and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced an 834,000-square-foot solar cell factory is coming to the state. It will be located in Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol industrial development area.

Ebon Solar is investing $942 million in the project, creating 900 jobs.

“The choice of Albuquerque for our investment aligns with our commitment to sustainable innovation, and New Mexico offers abundant solar resources, favorable renewable energy policies, and a dedicated, skilled workforce,” said Ebon Solar CEO Judy Cai.

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Source: The Cool Down

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Solar energy potential is immense with solar tech improving and costs dropping. Global installations are surging but challenges remain.

Even solar energy’s biggest fans are underestimating it

Every day, the sun’s rays send 173,000 terawatts of energy to Earth continuously, 10,000 times the amount used by all of humanity. Which is to say, the potential for solar energy is immense, and we’re nowhere near the limit.

That’s why solar energy is such an appealing prospect, particularly as an alternative to the fossil fuels that cause climate change. And over the past decade, solar energy technology has vastly improved in performance and plummeted in cost.

As a result, photovoltaic panels have cropped up like dandelions across fields and rooftops at a stunning pace. Yet even the people most plugged-in to the energy industry and most optimistic about solar power continue to underestimate it. In fact, it’s a long-running joke among energy nerds that forecasters keep predicting solar will level off as it continues to rocket up to the sun.

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Source: Vox

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US installed solar capacity has grown 34% since the second quarter of 2023, with more than 110,000 MW of projects now operating.

US utility solar market has grown 34% since Q2 2023

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Developers continued to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the second quarter as they added utility-scale solar projects in the United States at a record pace.

There was 7,369 MW of solar installed in the quarter, a 49% increase from the first quarter, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. U.S. installed solar capacity has grown 34% since the second quarter of 2023, with more than 110,000 MW of projects now operating.

Developers plan to add more than 40,292 MW of solar this year, with 3,727 MW announced, 14,548 MW in early development, 1,473 MW in advanced development and 20,543 MW under construction. There is nearly 233,000 MW additional solar capacity in development in the U.S. through 2028, according to Market Intelligence data.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The Energy Department announced $40 million for the domestic solar supply chain, a continuation of the federal clean energy investments

Solar manufacturers score new DOE funding

Dive Insight:

This is at least the second time the Biden administration unveiled funding for end-of-life solar management in recent months. In July 2023, the DOE announced $20 million for solar panel lifecycle optimization.

The funding is part of the Energy Department’s push to bolster photovoltaic systems’ end-of-life management as more solar panel materials reach the end of their use and enter the waste stream.

Solar panels, which typically last roughly 25 years, often contain metals such as lead and cadmium, which can be harmful to health and the environment at high levels, making it key to manage their waste properly, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Source: Manufacturing Dive

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Rising energy prices could spur 47% of U.S. households to install rooftop solar by 2050, according to analysis by Enverus.

Rising power prices could drive nearly half of US households to rooftop solar

Dive Insight:

Rising power bills and falling solar installation costs stand to accelerate residential solar installations in the years to come, according to Enverus.

Technological advances continue to drive down the cost of rooftop solar panels — as they have done in years past, Kang said. Increases in efficiency have decreased the number of panels needed to supplant a household power bill, he said. The residential solar industry could also get a boost from interest rate cuts that began this week.

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Source: Utility Dive

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Biden announces $7.3B for rural electrification, funding 16 cooperatives in 23 states to expand clean energy, the largest since the 1930s.

Clean energy and electrification gets $7.3 billion boost from Biden

US President Joe Biden has announced the biggest government funding move for rural electrification since the 1930s. $7.3 billion will go to 16 electric cooperatives in 23 states to build and expand clean energy, Biden said Monday.

The funds, which will come from the Inflation Reduction Act and are being awarded by the Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America program, are meant to provide reliable electricity and create jobs in clean energy.

Biden introduced the investment initiative at a stop in Westby, Wisconsin, where he said about $580 million will go to the Dairyland Power Cooperative to develop solar and wind power as well as energy storage. Biden said the nonprofit co-ops were specifically targeted because, “They don’t have the same resources that private utility companies have to modernize their energy infrastructure. And for decades, they couldn’t access tax credits to make clean energy more affordable.”

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Source: CNET

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