Warren Wilson is looking for ways to partner with entrepreneurs and other funding sources to develop the vehicle program into a viable commercial enterprise

Local groups team to bring solar-powered work vehicles to Warren Wilson College

When Warren Wilson College students threw an on-campus birthday party last fall, they didn’t need electricity to run the lights or power the sound system.

Instead, they simply plugged everything into the school’s fleet of 10 “mobile microgrid work vehicles,” which started life as traditional golf carts, but now run entirely on solar power. The carts use lightweight lithium iron phosphate batteries rather than heavy lead-acid batteries, says Dave Ellum, dean of land resources for the Swannanoa liberal arts school.

Each cart has a 330-watt solar panel mounted to its roof and an AC inverter that allows it to provide power wherever it is.

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Source: Mountain Xpress

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Erthos wants to reinvent solar farms with ground-mounted panels that it says can reduce utility solar costs by 20 percent.

A firsthand look at a California solar farm with ​‘earth-mounted’ panels

What happens if you install solar panels directly on the ground and then subject them to a wild and wet California winter replete with 12 atmospheric rivers, two bomb cyclones and 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts? I visited a Central California solar farm built by the startup Erthos to find out.

Since the company unstealthed in June 2021, Erthos has deployed 3 megawatts of large-scale solar generation using a unique system that places photovoltaic panels on the ground instead of using elevated steel racking or trackers.

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Source: Canary Media

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Utility-scale battery energy storage system capacity in the West region of the US is forecast to grow exponentially over the next decade

Solar-fueled arbitrage potential supercharging storage economics in Western US

Utility-scale battery energy storage system capacity in the West region of the US is forecast to grow exponentially over the next decade, driven by aggressive renewable portfolio standards and related strong solar development, particularly across the sunshine-soaked desert southwest. The West is home to 6 GW of operating battery storage — 60% of the nationwide total. At over 32 GW, the pipeline of both stand-alone and colocated storage in the region is more than five times the installed base, however, as it tries to keep pace with the rapidly expanding solar fleet.

The Western US is home to the best solar resources in the country, and photovoltaic development has followed accordingly, with 30 GW in operation and another 51 GW in planning. This growing solar base is expected to lead to significant daytime generation surpluses, opening the door for the rapid expansion of battery storage. The West is home to just over 6 GW of operating storage capacity, but the pipeline has swelled to over 32 GW, with much of this capacity paired with a solar generator.

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Source: S&P Global

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The list represents the cities embracing solar energy, with the most net-new solar panel installations in the past year.

Thumbtack reveals ranking of the most solar cities in the US ahead of Earth Day

More Americans than ever are looking to take on projects to help minimize their home’s carbon footprint, with 36 percent planning to install solar panels this year.* Today, Thumbtack, the app helping millions of homeowners to care for their homes, revealed the list of the ‘Most Solar Cities in the U.S.’ based on data from millions of home projects booked from across all 50 states** specifically for new solar panel installations.

The most solar cities in the U.S. based on Thumbtack’s findings are:

  1. San Diego, California
  2. Los Angeles, California
  3. Austin, Texas
  4. Palm Springs, California
  5. San Francisco, California
  6. Las Vegas, Nevada
  7. Phoenix, Arizona
  8. Orlando, Florida
  9. San Antonio, Texas
  10. Tampa, Florida
  11. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
  12. Denver, Colorado
  13. Salt Lake City, Utah
  14. Washington, D.C.
  15. Sacramento, California

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Source: Business Wire

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An analysis by independent climate think tank Ember found that 12% of the world’s power came from solar and wind in 2022.

‘Entering the clean power era’: Wind and solar generated a record amount of global power in 2022

Record growth in wind and solar last year pushed worldwide electricity generation to its cleanest-ever level, a report found, reflecting a renewable energy boom that researchers say could herald the “beginning of the end of the fossil age.”

The analysis published Wednesday by independent climate think tank Ember found that 12% of the world’s power came from solar and wind in 2022, up from 10% of global electricity generation in 2021.

Solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 18th consecutive year, the report said, rising by 24% year-on-year and adding enough power to meet the annual electricity demand of South Africa.

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Source: CNBC

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SDSU and Cuyamaca College have been chosen as part of a US DOE program intended to streamline career paths for students interested in the clean energy economy.

SDSU & Cuyamaca College to share in federally funded clean energy project

San Diego State University (SDSU) and Cuyamaca College have been chosen as part of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program intended to streamline career paths for students interested in the clean energy economy.

They are among a group of higher education institutions tapped to serve as Centers of Excellence for DOE’s Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) Program. Those selected as part of the competitive process will receive a combined $18.7 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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Source: Times of San Diego

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Tom Steyer's Galvanize Climate Solutions will acquire residential properties and retrofit them with the goal of deep emissions reductions.

Billionaire Tom Steyer plans net zero apartment upgrades across US

An arm of billionaire Tom Steyer’s investment firm Galvanize Climate Solutions will begin buying and upgrading property across the US this summer and fall, aiming to cut the portfolio’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in three years without the use of offsets.

“This is a real estate strategy with a decarbonization goal,” said Joseph Sumberg, the head of Galvanize Real Estate, who joined Galvanize last October from Goldman Sachs. “Capitalism will look at this successful strategy, and replicate it, creating ripples through the built environment.”

While Sumberg and Galvanize — a firm co-founded by Steyer and Katie Hall that plans to invest billions of dollars — declined to provide a figure for the size of the investment, Sumberg said it will be sizable and will focus on markets including the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, California, Arizona and Texas.

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Source: Bloomberg

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The US DOE announced the availability of $450M through the 2021 BIL for clean energy projects — like solar farms — on mining sites.

DOE offers $450 Million for green energy projects at coal mining sites

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the availability of $450 million through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for clean energy projects — like solar farms — on current and former mining sites, a White House press release said.

There are about 17,750 mine land sites in the U.S. covering 1.5 million acres. These sites contaminate land, water and air quality, as well as expose local communities to toxic pollutants.

The repurposing of the sites for renewable energy projects would generate up to an estimated 90 gigawatts of green energy — enough power for almost 30 million homes.

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Source: Eco Watch

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California produced 26% of the national utility-scale solar electricity followed by Texas with 16% and North Carolina with 8%.

California produces 26% of US solar power

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Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.

Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.

Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022. Hydropower contributed 6%, and biomass and geothermal sources generated less than 1%.

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Source: Patch

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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to deploy 1,200 tiny homes to four cities throughout the state to help house the large homeless population.

Foldable tiny homes powered by solar help house homeless population

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced plans to deploy 1,200 tiny homes to four cities throughout the state to help house the large homeless population, which numbered at least 170,000 last year according to federal data. The state will spend about $30 million to build the homes which will go to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and Sacramento.

One of the housing companies involved in the effort is Foldum-NetZero Energy Systems, which says their new semi-permanent tiny homes are equipped with beds, a kitchenette and full bathroom and can provide much needed housing for the homeless with more amenities than a tent or pallet shelter.

The units, which cost from $25,000 to $65,000, are self-powered with renewable clean energy from solar panels and a battery storage system and can operate off the grid. The tiny homes can also easily fold-up for transport.

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Source: Spectrum News 1

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