Solar Industry News
New canal project expands on UC Merced solar research
Federal & state government officials announced a new project to place solar panels on the water in the Delta-Mendota Canal.
This California city is trading an old gas plant for a giant grid battery
Calpine’s billion-dollar, 680-megawatt project in Menifee will be one of the biggest batteries in the U.S. when it comes online this summer.
Residential heat pumps linked to solar-plus-storage achieve higher seasonal performance factor
Researchers at Germany’s Frauhofer ISE analyzed the performance of a residential heat pump connected to a rooftop PV system w/ battery storage
California’s new rules allow solar and batteries to help out the grid
Utilities tend to treat solar & batteries as threats to their power grids. CA’s policy will now tap their flexible power to benefit the grid.
Self-cleaning solar panels boost efficiency with wind power
A research team at DGIST in South Korea has unveiled an ingenious device that enhances solar power generation by keeping panels clean.
Energy projects aim to strengthen California farms
USDA is investing close to $6M in 9 renewable energy projects throughout CA to lower energy costs, generate new income, and support farmers & rural small business
California grid operator proposes $6.1 billion in transmission projects
California’s grid operator proposes $6.1B in transmission projects aimed at increasing reliability and providing access to solar, geothermal & wind resources in AZ, NV, NM and offshore.
Off-grid solar bench with wireless charging and Wi-Fi
California State University – Dominguez Hills has new off-grid solar powered benches on its campus that provides off-grid wireless charging.
America’s solar and wind energy hotspots, mapped
CA, TX and FL are leading the country in solar power generation, while TX, IA and OK are the leaders in wind energy, per a new analysis.
Wheat grows better in agrivoltaic facilities
Researchers in Italy have conducted a series of experiments to assess the quality of wheat growing under elevated agrivoltaic systems.
A startup’s solar-powered backyard tiny home can help power the main house
Cosmic is selling its first 100 prefab ADUs starting at $279,000 that could generate enough energy to be a "power plant" for the main house.
1100 GW solar and 1000 GW storage now await transmission interconnection
Solar, wind and battery storage accounted for nearly 95% of the capacity in transmission interconnection queues as of year-end 2023.
New rules to overhaul electric grids could boost wind and solar power
The FERC approved the biggest changes in more than a decade to the way U.S. power lines are planned and funded.
US surpasses 5 million solar installations
The US has officially exceeded 5M solar installations, marking another milestone just 8yrs after the nation reached 1M installations in 2016.
California farmers are low on water. Why not help them go solar?
Let’s make it easier and cheaper for farmers with dwindling water supplies to convert their lands to solar energy generation.
PG&E announces 6 new remote microgrids coming in 2024
PG&E is using remote microgrids to eliminate overhead distribution lines in high fire threat areas, reducing wildfire risks.
Sustainability at sea: Sunreef is integrating recycled plastic bottles into solar electric yachts
Sunreef shared a new sustainability strategy and is now integrating recycled PET bottles into its solar electric yacht production process.
Napa to consider floating solar panels at NapaSan plant
A solar project come to Napa County — floating panels on 56 acres of Napa Sanitation District ponds and two miles of new transmission lines.
Largest VPP in USA supports California’s grid with 16,200 home solar-plus-storage systems
Sunrun has networked more than 16,200 customers’ solar+storage systems to support California’s electrical grid during the hot summer months.
$500M+ raised to build clean power plants for low income communities
Solar developer Nexamp has raised an impressive $520 million to build community solar projects across the US.
How four health systems are saving money with renewable energy
Hospitals are seeking to offset their expenses any way they can and some pursuing renewable energy that will save money in the long run.