Aerial imagery provides location intelligence and detailed insights, empowering engineers to design solar farms with laser-sharp precision.

Reshaping the solar landscape with aerial imagery

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Gone are the days of relying solely on ground-level surveys. Today, high-resolution photographs and 3D models generated from aerial imagery paint a comprehensive picture of any given piece of land.

Location intelligence—the process of deriving meaningful insights from geospatial data—and aerial imagery are becoming more prominent in the solar industry. These tools are reshaping the solar power landscape, enabling developers to identify the best areas and layout for solar farms, as well as the optimal tilt of solar panels for increased sun exposure. These changes are not only bringing efficiency upgrades; they are paving the way for timely and relevant solutions to address ongoing climate issues that promise to propel the U.S. toward a more sustainable future.

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Source: PV Magazine

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First Solar is spending $450M to establish a research and development center focused on the production of thin film photovoltaic modules.

First Solar invests $450M into thin film PV module R&D

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First Solar is investing $450 million in a new research and development center in an already-existing manufacturing facility. This research will be focused on creation and development of environmentally friendly and high-performing thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules for semiconductors.

“The company’s two existing facilities in Perrysburg and Lake Township comprise the largest vertically-integrated complex of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. They will now expand by 0.9 gigawatts (GWDC).” – WTOL11, October 27, 2022

“Designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance. The modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV technology today. Each module features a layer of Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor that is only three percent the thickness of a human hair. Additionally, the company continues to optimize the amount of semiconductor material used by enhancing its vapor deposition process through continued investment in R&D focused on more efficient module technology with a thinner semiconductor layer. First Solar also operates an advanced recycling program that provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules.” – First Solar, October 27, 2022

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Source: American Progress

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SolarCont has developed a mobile solar container that stores foldable photovoltaic panels for portable green energy anywhere.

Mobile solar container stores photovoltaic panels that fold and unfold like an accordion

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The Austrian energy company SolarCont has developed a mobile solar container that stores foldable photovoltaic panels for portable green energy anywhere. The foldable photovoltaic panels are tucked inside a container frame with corresponding dimensions, and once they are moved and set in place, they can be easily unfolded using the rail system that also unrolls from the container.

Once the user pulls out the foldable photovoltaic panels from the mobile solar container, powering up equipment and properties with green energy follows suit, and this can be done almost anywhere as long as the land is big enough to accommodate the series of panels.

SOLARCONTAINER UNFOLDS UP TO 120 METERS IN LENGTH

Dubbed Solarcontainer, SolarCont has devised a photovoltaic power plant developed as a mobile power generator with collapsible photovoltaic modules. The unfolded panels can reach up to 120 meters in length, and there are 240 solar panels that can be installed. The Solarcontainer is a mobile system that can be used for both on- and off-grid purposes, including rescue missions and gatherings.

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Source: Design Boom

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The San Diego County company producing the car says their goal is to redefine transportation in a more innovative and sustainable way.

Carlsbad-based solar car Aptera one step closer to hitting the road

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The first solar-powered car is one step closer entering production.

Aptera is a no charge, solar powered car being developed in Carlsbad.

“Really we should get most of our power from the wireless nuclear generator in the sky,” said CEO Chris Anthony. “We’re really making some amazingly compelling vehicles that can lower fuel costs for a lot of people that can lead people to a lifestyle that doesn’t require charging or stopping at a gas station.”

Anthony says their goal is to redefine transportation in a more innovative and sustainable way.

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Source: CBS8

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Instead of collecting the sun’s energy on the ground, it may be possible to harvest it in space using satellites.

NASA lays out the path to space-based solar power

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A new NASA report found that space-based solar power — a futuristic concept pulled from the pages of science fiction — is likely too expensive to work, but it also lays out exactly what would need to change to make it a viable source of clean energy in the future.

The challenge: Solar power is a revolutionary weapon in the battle against climate change. Every hour, enough solar energy hits Earth to power the entire world for a year, and the cost of harnessing this energy with solar panels has fallen exponentially in recent years.

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Source: Freethink

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The Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility is a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas.

Don’t judge this solar car just by its size

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How would you like to drive a car that runs on sunlight? Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s what the Solar City micro EV from Squad Mobility can do for you. It’s a small, cheap, and green car that can zip through the city streets without using any gas. And the best part is, it’s coming out in 2025.

The solar-powered car by the numbers

Imagine driving a tiny car that runs on sunlight. That’s what these vehicles are all about. They have solar panels on the roof that can power them for up to 19 miles on a sunny day, depending on where you are. The Squad can also go as fast as 25 mph, which is not bad for a solar car.

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Source: Fox News

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The new solar-powered concept, which fabricates a DNA hydrogel matrix, incorporates the ability to absorb sunlight and reduce the amount of energy required to evaporate water.

Scientists find new way to desalinate seawater using solar power, study says

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Scientists may have found a more efficient water to desalinate water using solar power, according to new research, offering a solution for global water scarcity through the use of renewable energy.

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, developed the concept of a solar-powered desalination system that produces fresh water by using smart DNA hydrogels that does not consume additional energy, compared to conventional desalination strategies currently in use, such as reverse osmosis, which use copious amounts of energy, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances on Thursday.

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Source: ABC News

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A Swiss team called Peak Evolution successfully climbed the western edge of Ojos del Salado in their solar-powered electric truck.

This solar electric truck climbed the world’s highest volcano and set a world record

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A solar electric truck climbed the world’s highest volcano using solar power alone – and set a new world record for altitude for an EV.

A Swiss team called Peak Evolution, which is sponsored by Austrian transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss, successfully climbed the western edge of Ojos del Salado, 6,500 meters above sea level in Chile, in their solar-powered electric truck.

Two months ago, the electric truck was transported to Chile from Switzerland via Rotterdam by sea freight. From there, it was transported overland to the Atacama region, where the team began to prepare for their ascent at Chile’s Maricunga salt lake, which is at an altitude of 3,400 meters (11,155 feet).

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Source: electrek

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Two solar cycle paths came online in the Netherlands, and they’re the country’s first to have 1,000 square meters of solar surface area each.

The Dutch are riding their bikes on two new solar cycle paths

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Two solar cycle paths came online in the Netherlands, and they’re the country’s first to have 1,000 square meters (10,764 square feet) of solar surface area each.

Colas Group company Wattway and Dutch construction company BAM Royal Group installed the solar cycle paths in the North Holland and North Brabant provinces. Wattway makes solar road surfaces that produce clean electricity while bearing vehicle traffic.

Wattway, which claims to be the world’s first solar road surfacing company, has been running around 40 trial sites in multiple countries since its founding in 2015. As a result, it’s been making improvements to its solar roads.

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Source: electrek

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UC Students design & build from the ground up a showcase house that will use solar electricity that doesn’t need to be connected to the grid.

Students design & build affordable, energy-efficient home

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A group of UC Riverside mechanical engineering undergrads started a year and a half ago with just a grant application and an idea.

None of them had architectural or building construction experience. Yet they managed to obtain funding and design and build from the ground up a showcase house that will use solar electricity so wisely it doesn’t need to be connected to the grid.

Fresh off exhibiting a section of the house at a home design show in Orange County, the students were invited in November to design and display a second home at an international design competition in St. Louis in 2025 called the Gateway Decathlon. The invite comes with a $100,000 grant, though the students expect to raise additional funds to complete the project.

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Source: UC Riverside

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