Solar Industry News
One of the first community solar projects in SoCal brought online
Sheep Creek Community Solar Farm, designed to generate clean energy for both residential and commercial accounts, is now online.
Southern California Edison eyeing ‘substantial investments’ in grid resilience and reliability, CEO says
Southern California Edison is positioned to make substantial investments in the resilience and reliability of its electrical grid.
US announces $450 million for Puerto Rico’s rooftop solar power
The DOE has announced $453.5M from the PR-ERF to install up to 30,000 to 40,000 solar PV & battery storage systems for low-income single-family households.
First Solar to invest $1.1 billion in fifth US panel factory
First Solar plans to spend as much as $1.1B on a new US factory, a sign that president Biden’s IRA is boosting domestic clean energy industry
We need cooler cities. Here’s how to build them.
Too many neighborhoods are not designed for today’s record-setting heat. “Smart surfaces” can make cities cooler and less vulnerable to flooding.
Renewable energy investments bring big benefits to Full Belly Farm
Full Belly Farm's new 61kW solar photovoltaic energy system produces enough energy to reduce total annual energy costs by 50%.
California Energy Commission approves new statewide VPP program
To meet CA's growing electricity needs, the CEC recently approved a new VPP program that would tap into thousands of batteries located at homes and businesses.
Amid record heat, solar farms help ease the strain on US power grids
According to US EIA, there are more than 5,000 solar farms across the US. In 2022, they produced 3.4% of the nation's electricity, helping to ease strain on grids.
FERC issues rule to speed grid connections for storage, renewables, other generators amid 2 TW backlog
The FERC approved a rule to speed up clogged interconnection processes that have left power generation and energy storage projects waiting years.
Rivian and partners are turning a huge Kentucky coal mine into an 800 MW solar farm
Rivian, BrightNight, and The Nature Conservancy will together turn one of the largest coal mines in the US into Kentucky’s largest solar farm.
Napa Valley winemaker adds solar arrays to four properties
Trinchero Family Estates (TFE) is making a significant investment in a series of sustainability projects, including solar installations at four CA wineries.
New Caltech wearable sensor sets record for solar power efficiency
The FPSC on Gao’s wearable sweat sensor has a record-breaking PCE exceeding 31 percent under indoor light illumination.
‘Once in a generation’: US confirms huge lithium deposits in California’s Salton Sea
A US DoE analysis of the Salton Sea and surrounding environs found that lithium production could reach 3.4m tonnes essential for batteries.
From decarbonization to electric cars, California hopes to showcase climate leadership at COP28
Representatives from Gov. Newsom’s administration will attend COP28 and speak on CA’s progress toward clean energy goals, zero-emission vehicles and nature-based solutions.
Water saving solar panels, coming soon to a canal near you
Project Nexus’s feasibility study estimates that installing solar canals where possible in CA could save 63 billion gallons of water annually.
US solar energy capacity could soon overtake wind power
In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report, FERC says solar provided 9,924 MW of new domestic generating capacity, on pace to overtake wind.
Solar potential of tough terrain
The use of modern technology in pv modules has made solar trackers indispensable, ensuring optimal energy output regardless of geographic location.
Here’s where utility-scale solar is located in the US
Right now, the US has nearly 160 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, more than half of which is utility-scale. Here’s a map showing their locations.
Mauritania’s high-quality wind and solar resources provides opportunity for economic growth
A new IEA report finds that Mauritania has significant opportunities to tap its renewable energy resources and accelerate its sustainable development journey.
A Native American tribe is about to put solar panels over its canals
The Gila River Indian Community signed a project partnership agreement with US Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over its canals.
Cutting incentives for rooftop solar makes no sense. Speak up, Gov. Newsom
Having rooftop solar is very important. Here are a few letters to the editor of the LA Times regarding cutting incentives for rooftop solar.