Floating power plants save on land, could usher in new ways to harness renewables. Here are the world's biggest floating solar farms.

The world’s biggest floating solar farms

FLOATOVOLTAICS: Floating solar, or ‘floatovoltaics,’ marks a revolutionary approach to solar energy, with arrays placed on water bodies rather than traditional land-based systems. This method not only generates clean energy but also offers potential cost savings and increased efficiency. As we delve into the globe’s top floating solar farms, these aquatic installations showcase groundbreaking achievements in renewable energy.

6. Sirindhorn Dam, Thailand – 45 MW

5. Sembcorp Floating Solar Farm, Singapore – 60 MW

4. Cecep Floating Solar Farm, China – 70 MW

3. Cirata Floating Solar Farm, Indonesia – 145 MW

2. Three Gorges New Energy Floating Farm, China – 150 MW

1. Dezhou Dingzhuang Floating Solar Farm, China – 320 MW

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Source: Gulf News

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Clean energy is often now the least expensive. The IEA projected that more than 440GW of renewable energy would be added in 2023.

The year in clean energy: Wind, solar and batteries grow despite economic challenges

Led by new solar power, the world added renewable energy at breakneck speed in 2023, a trend that if amplified will help Earth turn away from fossil fuels and prevent severe warming and its effects.

Clean energy is often now the least expensive, explaining some of the growth. Nations also adopted policies that support renewables, some citing energy security concerns, according to the International Energy Agency. These factors countered high interest rates and persistent challenges in getting materials and components in many places.

The IEA projected that more than 440 gigawatts of renewable energy would be added in 2023, more than the entire installed power capacity of Germany and Spain together.

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Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

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Urban mining recovers silver, copper, aluminium, glass and silicone -- all commodities that have a value on the open market.

‘Urban Mining’ offers green solution to old solar panels

As the world pivots from planet-warming fossil fuels to renewable energy, a new pollution problem is rearing its head: What to do with old or worn-out solar panels?

Thousands of photovoltaic slabs are being installed across the United States every day, particularly in the sunny west and south of the country, as states like California race to towards greener energy production.

But with an expected lifespan of around 30 years, the first wave of solar installations is now coming to the end of its usefulness, sparking a rush to recycle things that might otherwise end up in the landfill.

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Source: BARRON’S

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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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The thin-film solar modules are much more adaptable to agricultural situations than regular panels due to their flexible, lightweight design.

Thin-film solar is the future of agrivoltaics

As solar power has been developed and popularized across the globe over the last several decades, the industry has given way to more recent innovation that allows for higher efficiency in irregular places: thin-film solar cells. These lightweight, flexible cells are capable of attachment to surfaces of nearly any shape or design, thanks to their flexibility, while requiring minimal structural supports, due to their light weight. With this technology, solar power is able to be harnessed in a variety of applications and places where previously thought impossible, due to the rigid structure and heavy nature of traditional solar panels.

And now, thin-film solar modules are ready to take on their next challenge: agrivoltaics.

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Source: PV Magazine

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SCE supports solar panel installation on affordable apartments in Orange to save residents money and help reduce their carbon footprint.

Bringing solar power to apartment tenants

It’s a rare sight even in solar power-friendly Southern California. Row after row of photovoltaic panels atop the carports of an affordable housing development in Orange. Residents of The Knolls, a 260-unit apartment complex, are now enjoying the benefits of a new 646-kilowatt solar system. It provides clean and renewable energy for their homes and helps them save money on electric bills.

“I am happy that we have the solar option now. It is good for the environment and our quality of life,” said K.K., a resident of The Knolls. “Now, we can use our savings from our bills to help our children.”

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Source: CSR Wire

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Even after an appeals court rejected a lawsuit to overturn new solar panel regulations, environmental advocates still won't give up.

Solar power advocates say they’re not done fighting California’s new solar rules yet

Their case against the California Public Utilities Commission’s new solar panel rules might have been rejected by an appeals court in San Francisco, but rooftop solar power advocates say they’re not done fighting to expand renewable energy in the state.

On Wednesday, a panel of three First Appellate District judges rejected a petition brought by The Center for Biological Diversity, the Protect Our Communities Foundation and the Environmental Working Group challenging the California Public Utilities Commission’s new rules on “net energy metering,” a tariff created for people with rooftop solar panels which allows them to give energy they don’t use to the grid. For that, customers are given credit on their electrical bills.

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Source: Courthouse News Service

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The climate and the adjacent land covered by solar panels help insulate the track from typical problems faced by other tracks.

How solar panel farms can help protect racetracks

The story is as old as racing circuits are. Land uses change around a popular circuit, neighbors complain, land values go up, and the circuit disappears. The litany of circuits that have been devoured by encroaching development in Southern California alone is disturbing to those who have followed motorsport for decades.

But there is a ray of hope in some areas.

Generating solar power requires lots of land. And solar farms are good neighbors to racetracks. They provide a solid buffer zone, sometimes acres, between the circuit and any other land use. They are not disturbed by noise or traffic. They don’t require a lot of people on site. And once they are established, they are not the sort of uses that are easily displaced by residential, commercial, or other industrial uses.

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Source: Roadracing World

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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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The BLM is seeking public comment on new project in eastern Riverside County that could generate and store up to 117MW of pv solar energy.

BLM welcomes input on proposed Sapphire Project in California

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The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on new solar energy work in eastern Riverside County. If approved, the Sapphire Project could generate and store up to 117 megawatts of photovoltaic solar energy and deliver renewable electricity to the statewide transmission grid.

The project would include approximately 41 acres of public lands for access roads, facilities, and lines to transmit the power. The planned solar panel arrays, battery energy storage, and related facilities would sit on about 1,082 acres of adjoining private land.

“Clean energy remains a BLM top priority,” said California Desert District Manager Shelly Lynch.  “BLM-managed public lands offer a tremendous opportunity to advance solar technology, and we value public input in the process.”

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Source: BLM.gov

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