Minnesota joins 10 other states with commitments to 100% clean energy. These 11 states account for more than 1/4 of the country’s total electricity consumption.

Eleven states have committed to 100% clean electricity

On Feb. 7, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a clean energy bill into law that requires the state’s utilities to get 100% of their electricity from carbon-free energy sources by 2040.

Minnesota now joins 10 other states with commitments to 100% clean or renewable energy — several of them driven largely by our advocacy and the support of people like you.

Together, these 11 states account for more than a fourth of our country’s total electricity consumption. These commitments are helping change the energy landscape — we know America could power itself on renewable energy many times over; we know our country today generates three times more clean, renewable electricity than it did in 2012; we know renewable energy adoption continues to exceed expectations, and that solar, wind and other renewable energy sources provided nearly three-quarters of new electrical generating capacity in 2022.

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Source: Environment America

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The EU has saved €12 billion in gas costs thanks to the accelerated solar and wind growth since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Solar and wind save €12 billion gas costs in EU since start of Russo-Ukrainian War

The EU has saved €12 billion in gas costs thanks to the accelerated solar and wind growth since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to an analysis from climate and energy think tank Ember.

Solar and wind have accounted for 23% of total EU generation since the war began. This figure overtook the share of gas power (19%) for the first time. Ember said the record solar and wind generation helped the EU “weather challenging conditions” in the power section.

Growing capacity and favourable weather conditions contributed to the surge in solar and wind adoption. Their combined generation was 546TWh, an increase of 50TWh or 10% compared to the same period in 2021-22. This amount reduced the gas required for electricity generation by 90TWh and avoided gas costs of €12 billion.

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Source: PV Tech

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CA state regulators are now facing increasing pressure in the face of two separate requests for a rehearing of their new rooftop solar rules.

California’s rooftop solar rules facing rehearing requests

As California’s climate emergency intensifies, state regulators are now facing increasing pressure in the face of two separate requests for a rehearing of their new rooftop solar rules before the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The contentious rules reduce the amount that future owners will get for exporting power to the grid. The first request alleges an illegal conspiracy involving Governor Gavin Newsom and three big utilities, while the other claims legal errors were made by PUC when making their decision on how to revamp net metering regulations. Supporters of a rehearing contest that swift action is needed given the climate crisis, stressing that it should be resolved as soon as possible, within only 9 years from installation date. These supporters tout the potential savings of up to $136 per month on average for eligible customers who access $900 million – $630 million set aside for low income households – encouraging storage systems and stand-alone storage; they also point out that this transition into a “thriving” solar-plus-storage marketplace could further reduce these savings if delayed.

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Source: Microgrid Media

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The California utility PG&E is trying out two different models with Tesla and Sunrun to help ease summer grid stress.

PG&E is testing different flavors of virtual power plant

As a demand-response manager for California utility Pacific Gas & Electric, John Hernandez knows all about how hundreds or thousands of battery-equipped homes can be remotely controlled to serve the grid’s needs, much as central power plants do. These aggregations of controllable home solar-plus-battery systems are called virtual power plants, or VPPs for short.

The question is, what kind of power plants should these VPPs be modeled after? This summer, Hernandez’s team at PG&E will be testing two types of VPPs that use similar tools but different methods to help keep the grid stable during hot summer evenings.

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Source: Canary Media

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The 2023 survey results show that 2/3 of voters want to see 100% of their energy come from clean, renewable sources within 10 to 15 years.

Westerners support 100% clean energy, less oil drilling — even in red states

Across the American West, voters strongly support transitioning to 100% clean energy, protecting the region’s public lands from oil and gas drilling and saving water by paying farmers to leave their fields dry.

That’s according to Colorado College’s latest “Conservation in the West” poll, which for more than a decade has surveyed registered voters in eight states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The 2023 results were released Wednesday, and they’re striking. Two-thirds of voters want to see 100% of their energy come from “clean, renewable sources like solar and wind” within 10 to 15 years. Sixty-eight percent said they’d like their member of Congress to prioritize clean air and water, wildlife habitat and recreation over extracting more fossil fuels on public lands.

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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Iconic Australian beer brand XXXX will be brewed using 100% clean energy from Lightsource bp’s 176 MW Woolooga solar farm.

Drinkers encouraged to ‘give a XXXX’ as brewer goes solar

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Lion-owned XXXX Brewery has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to satisfy 100% of the electricity needs for the 144-year-old XXXX brewery in Brisbane, Australia, from the AUD 130 million ($90 million) Woolooga solar farm.

The Woolooga project – under development near Gympie, Queensland, by oil giant bp’s renewables joint venture with UK solar company Lightsource – has already commenced generation. It is expected to achieve full production early this year.

Lion’s latest XXXX brand campaign asks Australians to “give a XXXX” about the world and environment, and claims the offtake agreement will see the company reach its target of 100% purchased renewable electricity by 2025 in Australia, two years ahead of schedule.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Kenya's rose and carnation producers are also showing love to Mother Earth, by shifting to solar power to fight climate change.

Kenya’s big flower farms shift to solar power

Valentine’s Day is the busiest time of year for the flower industry in Kenya, the fourth largest exporter of cut flowers in the world. Kenya’s rose and carnation producers are also showing love to Mother Earth, by shifting to solar power to fight climate change. Juma Majanga reports from Nakuru, Kenya.

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Source: VOA News

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Spain-based water utility Miya has expanded its activities to the renewables sector with the acquisition of a stake in Xfloat.

Spanish water utility sets sights on floating solar

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Approved by the company and its shareholders, the acquisition is part of Miya’s growth strategy based on expanding its activities in the field of green energy and efficiency.

The transaction will allow Miya to build upon its experience in delivering more efficient water systems to develop projects in the renewables sector using a unique technology focused on maximizing efficiency in the operation of floating solar plants and to participate in future power generation projects

According to Miya, it sees the floating solar technology as an additional way to deliver better results to water utilities around the world ensuring all their assets including water reservoirs are utilized in the most efficient manner.

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Source: Offshore Energy

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The Home Depot is partnering with DSD Renewables to install 13MW of solar power on the rooftops at 25 store locations in California.

The Home Depot is installing 13MW of solar power across California

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The Home Depot is partnering with DSD Renewables (DSD) to install 13 megawatts (MW) of solar power on the rooftops at 25 store locations in California. This is a part of The Home Depot’s renewable energy goal to produce or procure 100 percent renewable energy equivalent to the electricity needs for all Home Depot facilities by 2030.

Construction is set to start early this year. These panels will generate more than 17 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean energy annually and provide direct power to the different store locations.

Currently, the company operates rooftop solar farms on more than 80 stores and electricity-generating fuel cells in more than 200 stores.

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Source: CSR Wire

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Sunzaun's system is designed to accommodate framed & unframed bifacial vertical solar panels, and that wires are managed in a safe way.

These new vertical solar systems are specially designed for farms

Ground-mount solar installer Sunstall has launched Sunzaun, a company that makes vertical solar systems for farms and agricultural settings.

Sunzaun has designed its vertical solar systems for the growing field (no pun intended) of agrivoltaics – when agriculture and solar coexist on the same land. Crops are grown, or smaller animals such as sheep graze, around or underneath solar panels. Benefits include efficient land use, clean energy, and potential water savings due to shade created by the solar panels.

The Novato, California, company says its vertical solar systems can also be used as city infrastructure – that is, along highways, next to railroads, and as residential or public fences.

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Source: electrek

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