The US government is greenlighting a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send primarily wind-generated electricity from the rural plains of New Mexico to big cities in the West.

US greenlights major transmission line for renewable energy in Western states

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The U.S. government is greenlighting a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send primarily wind-generated electricity from the rural plains of New Mexico to big cities in the West.

The Interior Department announced its record of decision for the SunZia project Thursday. It comes about a year after an environmental review was completed as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to clear the way for major transmission projects as it looks to meet climate goals and shore up the nation’s power grid.

The SunZia transmission project in New Mexico has been more than a decade in the making. The U.S. Defense Department and others initially raised concerns about the path of the high-voltage lines, prompting the developer to submit a new application in 2021 to modify the route.

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Source: AP News

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In some of the world's most remote places, off-grid solar systems are bringing villagers more hours in the day, more money & gatherings.

Off-grid solar brings light, time and income to remotest villages

As Tamar Ana Jawa wove a red sarong in the fading sunlight, her neighbor switched on a light bulb dangling from the sloping tin roof. It was just one bulb powered by a small solar panel, but in this remote village that means a lot. In some of the world’s most remote places, off-grid solar systems are bringing villagers like Jawa more hours in the day, more money and more social gatherings.

Before electricity came to the village a bit less than two years ago, the day ended when the sun went down. Villagers in Laindeha, on the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia, would set aside the mats they were weaving or coffee they were sorting to sell at the market as the light faded.

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Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Companies that make textiles, apparel, and furniture would benefit the most from solar energy, according to new research.

Rooftop solar panels could power a third of US manufacturing, study finds

U.S. manufacturing takes up a lot of energy, but there’s untapped potential in solar power for that sector, new research finds. A study looked at how installing solar panels throughout manufacturing sites could meet a third of that sector’s power needs.

Researchers used a survey from the Department of Energy and compared states to understand where rooftop solar could best supply electricity needs for manufacturing. They found that companies that focus on textiles, apparel, and furniture would benefit the most from transitioning to solar energy. Their work is published in the journal Environmental Research: Sustainability and Infrastructure.

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Source: GIZMODO

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DOE will offer $50m for community-based clean energy projects in rural areas & $26m for projects that demonstrates how clean energy supports power grid.

DOE directs $26M to PG&E, ConEd and other projects

The Department of Energy this week announced it will offer $50 million for community-based clean energy projects in rural areas and $26 million for projects “to demonstrate how solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy resources can support a reliable and efficient U.S. power grid.”

The $50 million for projects is being disbursed to increase energy affordability and bolster climate resilience in rural or remote areas with fewer than 10,000 people, DOE said in a Thursday news release. Projects qualify if they cost between $500,000 and $5 million, with pre-applications due July 13 and full applications due Oct. 12.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the program is a direct response to feedback the agency received from rural communities.

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Source: Utility Dive

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Miller Milling Co., a part of Japan-based Nisshin Seifun Group, plans to expand its solar power capabilities at its flour mill in Fresno, CA.

California flour mill to add more solar power

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Miller Milling Co., a part of Japan-based Nisshin Seifun Group, plans to expand its solar power capabilities at its flour mill in Fresno, Calif.

Company officials said the expansion will add 1.01 megawatts of DC electricity that will be transformed and used at the mill. This amount plus the existing 1.01 megawatts of electricity being produced through solar will satisfy roughly 33% of the total electrical demand of the facility, the company said.

Miller Milling Co.’s solar power system became operational toward the end of 2017, Damon Sidles, plant manager, said in a 2018 article in World Grain, a sister publication of Milling & Baking News. The project involved the installation of 2,340 solar panels required for the project on 5 acres located adjacent to the mill, he said.

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Source: Food Business News

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The US Treasury Department has just issued new rules regarding tax credits for solar power installations in the US. Not everyone is happy.

US Treasury announces new solar tax credit guidance

Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you are probably aware that a titanic struggle is taking place in the US over solar power. On the one hand, the federal government wants to speed up the installation of solar power plants to help lower carbon emissions from thermal generating plants. To accomplish that goal, there are many incentives included in recent federal legislation, like the Inflation Reduction Act, that are worth billions of dollars.

On the other hand, the government wants to encourage domestic production and protect American manufacturers from overseas competitors who may be using forced labor and government subsidies to make solar cells and panels that they sell for less than the cost of manufacturing. It’s a delicate dance, one that is fraught with geopolitical implications.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Floating solar panel systems not just provide clean power and leave no land footprint, but also conserve water by preventing evaporation.

Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in US

When Joe Seaman-Graves, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing.

What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking at a map, one feature stood out.

“We have this 14-acre water reservoir,” he said.

Seaman-Graves soon found the reservoir could hold enough solar panels to power all the municipal buildings and streetlights, saving the city more than $500,000 each year. He had stumbled upon a form of clean energy that is steeply ramping up.

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Source: AP News

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Agrivoltaics has other benefits besides dual land use and food security; it could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make more efficient use of water.

Could growing crops under solar panels provide food and energy at the same time?

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Imagine growing greens in your back yard under a solar panel, and then juicing them in a blender powered by the same energy. A new University of Alberta project is working to make that a reality.

By growing spinach under different solar panels, two U of A researchers are measuring how the process affects both plant growth and the electrical output of the panels.

Known as agrivoltaics, the fairly new sustainable practice integrates solar panels with crops, making simultaneous use of land for both food and energy production.

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Source: University of Alberta

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A 49.9MW solar farm will be the first in the UK to feed electricity directly into the transmission network.

UK’s first transmission-connected solar farm goes live

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The first photovoltaic (PV) solar array to connect directly to the electricity transmission network in the UK was energised this week as National Grid connected Enso Energy (Enso) and Cero Generation (Cero)’s new 50MW Larks Green solar farm to its Iron Acton substation near Bristol.

This follows installation of new switchgear at the site by Cero and Enso in collaboration with National Grid, and the running of a high-voltage cable between the substation and solar farm, which has enabled National Grid to successfully connect the 49.9MW Larks Green solar farm to its Iron Acton substation near Bristol.

The solar plant comprises 152,400 solar modules installed in a 200-acre plot near National Grid’s 400kV Iron Acton substation.

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Source: National Grid

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Community solar is a great option for those who can’t put solar panels on their roofs because of different reasons.

5 community solar projects are coming to disadvantaged communities in California

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Nearly 10 years ago in California, an assembly bill (AB327) was enacted to direct the California Public Utilities Commission to develop alternatives designed to increase the adoption of renewable generation in disadvantaged communities (DACs).

Almost 5 years later, they came up with three programs to increase access to solar for residents of disadvantaged communities. The three programs that were created are the Disadvantaged Communities – Single-family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH), Disadvantaged Communities – Green Tariff (DAC-GT), and Community Solar Green Tariff (CS-GT).

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Source: Clean Technica

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