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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A survey by the Solar and Storage Industries Institute shows 70% of US farmers support solar projects on their land if farming can continue.

Survey finds 70% of US farmers are open to large-scale solar on farmland

If large-scale solar projects can allow for the continued use of their land for agricultural production, 70% of US farmers are open to the idea of solar developments on their farmland, according to the results of a new survey from the Solar and Storage Industries Institute. The survey, which sought to measure the opinions about solar on farmland from hundreds of farmers and solar developers, plus some utility stakeholders, is the first of its kind in the US, and was used to build a new report laying out some of the barriers to new agrivoltaic projects.

The report is one part of a larger project which is being funded by the US DOE Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) program, with the aim of studying existing barriers to agrivoltaics and then developing recommendations to overcome them, as while there are a growing number of small agrivoltaics projects, only about a tenth of large-scale solar projects currently implement agrivoltaics in their design, per NREL.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Bayer and Turku Energia have secured a building permit for a large-scale solar park in Turku, Southwest Finland.

Bayer to switch to fully local renewable energy in Finland

The photovoltaic power station will consist of 7 956 solar panels spread across an area of four hectares in Artukainen, a district located about five kilometres west of downtown Turku. The panels will produce 3 400 megawatt-hours of energy a year, reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by about 3 000 tonnes over 15 years – equivalent to the emissions of 23 000 flats.

Turku Energia will own and operate the park, selling the energy to Bayer. The two companies also put pen to paper on a multiyear contract for wind energy produced at in Satakunta by Suomen Hyötytuuli, an affiliate of Turku Energia.

“Bayer’s Finland operation has been carbon neutral since 2021, and the energy Bayer uses in Turku has already been fully renewable,” commented Tomi Penttilä, head of production for Bayer in Turku. “With the new solar park and wind power agreement, the electricity we use will be produced even more locally.”

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Source: Good News from Finland

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DOE closed a $72.8M loan to fund a solar-plus-long-duration energy storage microgrid, under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.

DOE announces $72.8M loan for solar-plus-storage microgrid on tribal lands

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Loan Programs Office (LPO), today announced the closing of a $72.8 million loan guarantee to finance the development of a solar-plus-long-duration-energy-storage microgrid. The microgrid will be located on the Tribal lands of the Viejas (Baron Long) Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Viejas Reservation near Alpine, California. This project—supported by a grant from the California Energy Commission, investments from U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, a subsidiary of U.S. Bank, and Starbucks—will provide the Viejas Band with reliable utility-scale renewable energy generation and storage infrastructure through the installation of a 15 MW photovoltaic solar generation system and a 70 MWh battery long-duration energy storage system. Today’s announcement underscores President Biden and Vice President Harris’ deep commitment to working with Tribal Nations and communities to build an inclusive, equitable, and resilient clean energy future.

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Source: Energy.gov

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an expansion of the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP).

DOE expands programs that increase access to solar energy in disadvantaged communities

At the RE+ clean energy industry conference, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an expansion of the National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP). The expanded program, now called NCSP+, grows the successful program beyond supporting community solar to include residential and distributed rooftop solar + storage, and commercial solar projects with an emphasis on expanding access to the benefits of affordable clean energy in low-income and disadvantaged communities. This announcement also includes an expansion of the Community Power Accelerator and new work to protect consumers from predatory practices in the rooftop solar industry.

“DOE is committed to ensuring the meaningful benefits of solar energy are available to all Americans, especially those who need it the most,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. “NCSP+ will expand the program’s reach and impact, helping schools, nonprofits, and affordable housing communities unlock access to solar resources and more equitable clean energy options across the nation.”

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Source: Energy.gov

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Botswana’s state-owned water & wastewater utility has opened a tender for a feasibility study on deploying floating solar plants at its dams.

Botswana launches tender for feasibility study on floating solar at dams

WUC, Botswana’s state-owned water and wastewater utility, has opened a tender for a feasibility study on deploying floating solar plants at its dams.

According to the tender announcement, site visits have taken place at the Gaborone and Bokaa dams, Lotsane dam and Letsibogo and Dikgatlhong dams, all located within the eastern part of the country. The Dikgatlhong and Gaborone dams are the two largest in Botswana.

Bidders can obtain the full tender details on WUC’s website for BWP 1,100 ($82.18). The tender is open to international bidders. Submissions must be received by post by Oct. 3.

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Source: PV Magazine

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US electricity generation is expected to increase by 3% – 121B kilowatthours – this year compared to 2023, largely driven by solar power

US generation projected to rise 3% this year, mostly driven by solar

U.S. electricity generation is expected to increase by 3% – 121 billion kilowatthours (BkWh) – this year compared to 2023, largely driven by solar power, and natural gas to a lesser extent, according to Short-Term Energy Outlook analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

“Significant” capacity expansions are driving the increase in solar generation, EIA said, with solar accounting for 59% of U.S. generating capacity additions in the first half of 2024. The increase in solar capacity was also supported by the development of new battery storage capacity, EIA said.

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Source: Renewables Energy World

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Solar power can help 400M Africans access groundwater, but care is needed to ensure smaller projects aren't overlooked in the tech push.

The solar pump revolution could bring water to millions of Africans

It’s a truly dreadful irony: for many of the 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to even a basic water supply, there is likely to be a significant reserve in aquifers sitting just a few metres below their feet.

Groundwater – the water stored in small spaces and fractures in rocks – makes up nearly 99% of all of the unfrozen fresh water on the planet. Across the African continent, the volume of water stored underground is estimated to be 20 times the amount held in lakes and reservoirs.

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Source: The Guardian

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Carnival and Port of Barcelona teamed up with a Catalonia solar provider to install 1,350 panels at Palacruceros & Helix Cruise Center.

Carnival installing solar power at two Barcelona cruise terminals

The roof-mounted solar panels, a first for the port, are capable of supplying more than 100% of the energy needed to power daily operations and will reduce overall electricity consumption.

Palacruceros and Helix Cruise Center

Carnival and the Port of Barcelona teamed up with a Catalonia-based solar provider to install the 1,350 panels at Palacruceros (Terminal D) and Helix Cruise Center (Terminal E), which will collectively produce 866,000-plus kilowatt-hours per year.

Installation work began in July at Palacruceros and the full project across both terminals is set for completion by the end of 2024.

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Source: Seatrade Cruise News

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