The SMMUSD, one of the city’s largest energy consumers, is set to begin the transition to running on 100% renewable energy.

Santa Monica Malibu-Unified School District to transition to 100% renewable energy

The Santa Monica Malibu-Unified School District (SMMUSD), one of the city’s largest energy consumers, is set to begin the transition to running on 100% renewable energy.

The move, which was approved by the Board of Education with a unanimous thumbs-up at their March 15 meeting, is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

The decision follows mounting pressure from district staff, teachers and students for SMMUSD to take greater strides towards sustainability in the face of climate change.

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Source: Santa Monica Daily Press

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A solar panel the size of 18 football pitches is currently being built in the Falken tyre manufacturing facility in Thailand.

World’s largest rooftop solar panel to be built in Thailand

Falken is building the world’s most extensive solar panel installation on a single facility, covering an area of 100,000 square metres, which is equivalent to over 18 football pitches. This installation is being constructed at the Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) factory in Thailand, where Falken is a subsidiary.

The installation is composed of 40,000 solar panels with a combined output of 22MW and is set to be completed by January 2025. By then, the facility will be able to use 100% renewable energy, thanks to the investment in the new solar panel installation, as well as the adoption of a gas co-generation system and biomass electric power system initiatives at the Rayong Province facility. The gas co-generation system, which comprises two 6.6MW boilers powered by renewable energy sources, will replace energy supplied by local utility companies. Additionally, biomass obtained from the surplus branches and trunks after rubber trees are harvested, as part of SRI’s Sustainable Natural Rubber⁴ programme, will provide additional electrical power.

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Source: Energy

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SB 49 authored by Senator Becker encourages solar canopies over parking lots and direct California to plan for solar power along its highway.

New California bill aims for more solar over parking lots and along highways

On March 15, Environment California submitted a letter of support signed by 64 environmental, consumer and other community groups to Senator Josh Becker declaring support for Senate Bill 49. SB 49, authored by Senator Becker and sponsored by Environment California, would encourage solar canopies over parking lots and direct California to plan for solar power along its highway rights-of-way.

The organizations applauded Senator Becker’s leadership in addressing the climate crisis with a common sense clean energy solution: encouraging more solar power and battery storage that will power communities throughout the state.

Existing developed areas like parking lots and highways should be used to their fullest extent to capture large amounts of solar energy. These groups agree that it’s time to use the state’s plentiful parking lots and highway rights-of-way to produce more clean energy now and help California reach its 100% clean energy goals.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Dozens of groups will tell the CPUP to revise the new rooftop solar plan to make solar more affordable for low-income communities.

More than 100 groups ask CPUC to delay NEM 3.0

California regulators should revise a new rooftop solar plan to make solar more affordable for low-income communities, dozens of groups will tell the California Public Utilities Commission at its meeting Thursday. The commission’s plan drastically slashes the credit new solar users would get for sharing their extra solar energy with the grid.

More than 100 groups are urging the commission to delay implementation of the plan until it can resolve issues raised in an administrative appeal for rehearing filed in January by the Center for Biological Diversity, Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group.

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Source: Solar Power World

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Aptera confirmed the award of the $21 million grant, which will support its Solar Mobility Manufacturing Project in California.

Aptera awarded $21M grant from CEC to help bring solar EVs to production

Solar electric vehicle startup Aptera Motors shared encouraging news today as it has been awarded a grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to the tune of $21 million. The grant comes as welcomed news for Aptera as it looks to reach scaled production of its namesake solar EV as one of the few startups left trying to successfully scale the sustainable technology for the masses.

While we’ve seen other solar electric vehicle startups shutter or pivot their businesses away from EV manufacturing, Aptera Motors continues to push forward with hopes of achieving what its competitors could not – scaled SEV series production.

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Source: electrek

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Kelsi Thorud looks at the push to make sure solar panels stay green all the way through their life cycle.

New push to create solar panel recycling program in California

While there’s been a lot of talk about the adoption of solar, there hasn’t been as much focus on what happens when all those panels age out. Kelsi Thorud looks at the push to make sure they stay green all the way through their life cycle.

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Source: yahoo!life

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The Netherlands today has an average of two solar panels per inhabitant - and installed capacity of more than 1 kilowatt (KW) per person

Floating solar and trash mountains: How the Netherlands became Europe’s solar power leader

In the Dutch countryside, about 130 km east of Amsterdam, an unusual-looking hill towers and glistens above farmhouses, leafless trees, and muddy grassland.

The hill – 25 metres tall – is built from 15 years’ worth of household and business waste. What’s remarkable is what’s covering it: 23,000 solar panels.

Dutch solar developer TPSolar opened the array, which can produce up to 8.9 megawatts of power, in Armhoede, in the east of the Netherlands, in mid-2020. The former landfill now generates enough electricity for about 2,500 households.

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Source: Euro News

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San Diego Community Power provides at least 55 percent of its power from renewable sources such as hydroelectric, solar, wind and geothermal

Some San Diego County residents given option for cleaner, cheaper power

Residents and businesses in unincorporated areas of San Diego County are being offered an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric.

By default, SDG&E customers in Ramona, Julian, Wynola, Jamul, Valley Center, Descanso and Borrego Springs will automatically be enrolled in San Diego Community Power’s services unless they opt out by April 1. Opting out will be allowed before and after that date by entering SDG&E billing information online at https://sdcommunitypower.org/your-choice/opt-out/.

San Diego Community Power, based in Liberty Station in San Diego, provides electricity generation services for its customers, not gas services. If customers opt for the new service, SDG&E will continue the transmission and delivery of gas and electric power as well as billing for customers, said Jen Lebron, San Diego Community Power director of public affairs.

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Source: San Diego Union Tribune | Ramona Sentinel

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Italy deployed 2.48GW of new PV systems in 2022, with the residential solar segment accounting for almost 50% of the total installed capacity.

Italy hits 25 GW milestone

Italy reached 25,048 MW of cumulative installed PV capacity, spread across 1,221,045 installations, by the end of December, according to new statistics released by Italia Solare, the nation’s solar energy association.

The largest portion of this capacity is represented by PV systems ranging in size from 200 kW to 1 MW, accounting for 8,270 MW or 33% of the total. The second-largest segment is installations with outputs ranging from 20 kW to 200 kW, with a share of 5,057 MW, or 20% of the total.

Solar arrays with capacities of less than 12 kW account for 4,949 MW, or 20% of the total, followed by systems with capacities of 1 MW to 10 MW, for a 16% share, or 3,942 MW.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Rooftop solar advocates opposed to the CPUC's recent decision are petitioning for a chance to be heard again.

Rooftop solar advocates request new CPUC hearing

Rooftop solar advocates opposed to the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) recent decision to cut the amount new solar users will be compensated for supplying power to the grid are petitioning for a chance to be reheard.

Following months of hearings in 2022 that included hours of public comment mostly against the CPUC’s decision, attorneys for two groups filed requests with the CPUC for a chance to argue again. Tri-Valley advocates of rooftop solar agreed that the CPUC should revisit its decision.

In a 25-page application for rehearing filed Jan. 17, Michael Boyd, president of Californians for Renewable Energy (CARE), accuses California Gov. Gavin Newsom of conspiring with CPUC board members to violate state and federal antitrust measures that benefit the state’s three largest public utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, which serves Northern California.

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Source: The Independent

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